Digby Jones

For much of his childhood money was scarce, but the Jones children had a good life with “much love” and “lots of laughter and fun”. This, he says, made him appreciate the importance of family values as well as good money management.

Life in the family corner shop made him very aware of community. Where he lived almost everyone relied on "the Austin" in some way. On payday, families would come into the shop and spend their hard earned cash. When times were hard they spent less, which taught him how this affected everyone, not least his own family. During his three years with the Royal Navy Digby learnt about leadership, teamwork and the importance of constant communication.

Digby's graduation from University College London was followed by 20 years with Edge & Ellison, a Birmingham-based firm of lawyers, where he worked his way up from Articled Clerk to Senior Partner. During these years he was intimately involved in all aspects of business from running the firm “as a business” to recruiting and managing several hundred employees. It was here that he developed a vision of business and its role in society, and began to believe firmly in socially inclusive wealth creation.

Digby Joins the CBI

In 2000 Lord Digby Jones joined the CBI and was able to put some of these ideas into action. During his six and a half years as Director General Digby became known in the public arena especially for his candid, forthright attitude in his many media appearances.

Digby campaigned relentlessly on a range of issues including the move from traditional manufacturing of commodities to value-added, innovative products and services. He also lobbied against protectionism protesting that “it is a scourge which may well find short term popularity but inhibits growth, reduces wealth and oppresses the weak”.

Digby Jone's views on the Public Sector remain a subject of great debate. He has stressed that, "if fundamental reform does not take place, from working practices right through to pension provision, we will end up with an ever-diminishing private sector trying to pay for, and provide pensions for, an ever increasing and inefficient, unproductive, self-interested public sector".

In 2005 he was knighted for his services to business and became Sir Digby Jones in the Queen’s New Years Honours List.

Life after the CBI

When Digby left the CBI in 2006 he spent the next 12 months in the private sector as advisor to Deloitte and Barclays Capital, held a variety of non-executive board roles, and was the unpaid UK Skills Envoy. In this role Digby became outraged about the levels of adult illiteracy and innumeracy in the UK, and made the point that we cannot hope to have a safer and healthier society if people lack self-respect or aspiration.

In July 2007 Digby  Jones was appointed Minister of State for UK Trade & Investment and became a life peer taking the title, Digby, Lord Jones of Birmingham Kt. Forthright and, as ever, loyal to British business he spent the next 15 months “doing it in a different way”. He did not join the party of government and without the ambition to progress in politics he concentrated on the business of promoting Britain across the world, travelling to 31 countries in 45 overseas visits.

From 2009 he decided to “pull it all together”. Now, in addition to Digby's role as an active crossbencher in the House of Lords he serves as Chairman of the International Business Advisory Board at HSBC, Chairman of Triumph Motorcycles Limited, and is Corporate Ambassador for Jaguar Cars and JCB. He advises in a number of other paid and unpaid roles, fulfilling his vision of promoting socially inclusive wealth creation. Digby travels regularly across the UK and overseas, runs his own business and his fulfilment is complete when Leicester Tigers and Aston Villa win their matches. He has many plans for the decades to come.

Lord Digby Jones as Conference Speaker

Lord Digby Jones is a highly accomplished international business speaker and orator with a capacity to communicate effectively to a wide range of audiences.

As one of the world's most acclaimed business commentators, Digby entertains and inspires audiences around the globe, with his memorable, bespoke presentations at conferences, seminars and dinners.

Highly original, Digby has a wide range of corporate and public sector clients who value his original thinking and his ability to unify audiences with his captivating and unique personal style. Topics are adapted to suit clients’ individual needs and preferences embracing insightful and topical views on the world’s economies; the changing face of business in the 21st century; and closer to home the ongoing public versus private sector debates. His seminars on leadership and management are much in demand.

Over the years he has shared the stage with the world’s leading Statesmen and Stateswomen, spoken at Party Political Conferences, delivered keynote addresses at symposiums and conferences around the world as well as sharing his insight at seminars and business events for private and public sector organisations across the UK. Digby has provoked thought at lectures and combined the serious and the jovial for clients requiring a topical and dynamic element at their corporate dinners and lunches.  

For further information or to book Digby Jones, call us on +44 (0)20 7607 7070 or email info@speakerscorner.co.uk