Charles Allen, Baron Allen of Kensington
Life Peerage | |
---|---|
Personal details | |
Born | 4 January 1957 Global Radio (2007–present) Exec. chairman of EMI (2008–10) Chairman of Executive Board of the Labour Party (March 2012-2015) Chairman of British Red Cross (2013–2014) Chairman of ISS A/S (2013–2021) Chairman of Balfour Beatty (2021–present) Chairman of Invictus Games (2020–present) Chairman of THG plc (2022–present)[3] | (age 67)
Charles Lamb Allen, Baron Allen of Kensington,
Education
Allen was educated at Bellshill Academy,[4] a state school in the town of Bellshill in North Lanarkshire in central Scotland. He did not attend university, and says of his life, "It's been an amazing journey considering I left school at 17 with no job to go to".[5]
Career
Allen joined Granada plc in 1991, originally as CEO of Granada Television, before becoming Group Chief Executive in 1996. During his time at Granada, he was instrumental in the takeover of Forte Group for £3.9 billion in 1996, and the takeovers of LWT and Yorkshire-Tyne Tees Television in 1994 and 1999 respectively. In 2001 Granada Group merged with Compass to form Granada Compass, then demerged into Granada Media plc and Compass Group. He remained with Granada when the two companies demerged, and became Executive Chairman of Granada plc in 2001. When Granada merged with Carlton Communications in 2004 to form ITV plc, Allen became the new company's Chief Executive.[6]
In 2006, Allen stepped down after fifteen years with the company.[7]
From 2006 to 2008, Allen was previously chief advisor to the British Home Office. He has also been a senior advisor to Goldman Sachs Private Equity, non-executive director of Endemol and Virgin Media and executive chairman of EMI.[8]
As of 2018, he is chairman of ISS Group,
Allen chaired the
In May 2021, it was announced that Allen would be the next chairman of the Balfour Beatty construction group, succeeding Philip Aiken from 20 July 2021.[9]
Following criticism of the THG's governance arrangements, Allen replaced
Honours
Allen was appointed a
On 1 August 2013, it was announced that Allen was to become a Labour peer in a list of new appointments to the House of Lords.
In May 2016, Allen was appointed as a member of the Lords Communications Committee.[8]
In 2005 he was awarded the Freedom of the City of Liverpool.[15]
Personal life
Allen lives in Kensington with his partner of more than 20 years, Michael, an architect.[16]
References
- ^ "The Charles Allen years". The Guardian. 8 August 2006. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
- ^ "Board of Directors". Tesco. Archived from the original on 10 September 2011. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
- ^ a b "THG hires ex-ITV boss Lord Allen as first external chairman in push to repair relations with the City". Evening Standard. 22 March 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ Jane Martinson (9 December 2005). "Charles Allen: a survivor in the minefield of the media". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
- ^ Richard Dunnett (5 January 2016). "Global Radio chairman Lord Allen on Brexit, boardrooms and the BBC". Director.co.uk. Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
- ^ ITV plc Archived 28 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 6 July 2006.
- ^ "Charles Allen: a survivor in the minefield of the media". The Guardian. 16 January 2009.
- ^ a b "Lord Allen of Kensington". UK Parliament.
- ^ "Labour peer to chair Balfour Beatty". The Construction Index. 13 May 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
- ^ "No. 56797". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2002. p. 7.
- ^ "No. 60009". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2011. p. 1.
- ^ "No. 60245". The London Gazette. 21 August 2012. p. 16079.
- ^ Craig, Jon (1 August 2013). "JCB Boss Sir Anthony Bamford Made Tory Peer". Sky News. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
- ^ "No. 60648". The London Gazette. 4 October 2013. p. 19575.
- ^ "Business Diary". The Daily Telegraph. 13 October 2005.
- ^ "Lord Allen: Putting an obsessive attitude to work – and making it pay". The Independent. 16 March 2014.