People
John Hayes MP, Advisory Board Member
John Hayes was born in 1958 and married Susan Hopwell, who he has two sons with, in July 1997. He was educated at Colfe’s Grammar School and University of Nottingham, where he graduated with a BA Hons Politics and a PGCE in History/English. John was elected as Member of Parliament for South Holland and The Deepings in 1997, following 12 years as a Conservative Councillor in Nottinghamshire. Following his election he was appointed Secretary of the Agriculture Select Committee and Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Backbench Education Committee before becoming a Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party until July 2000. Since then John has been appointed an Opposition Whip, Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Shadow Minister for Local & Devolved Government, with particular responsibility for Housing and Planning and Shadow Minister for Transport. Since December 2007, he has served as the Shadow Minister for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education, and has developed a reputation for assiduously progressing the skills and widening participation agenda. John is also the chairman of the All Party Group on Disability, and secretary of the all party group on brain injury. In his spare time he enjoys travel, reading, history, tennis and jam-making.
James Forsyth, Advisory Board Member
James Forsyth is political editor of The Spectator. Previous to that, he was web editor of The Spectator and assistant editor of Foreign Policy magazine in Washington DC.
Greg Clark MP, Advisory Board Member
Greg Clark is the Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change and the Member of Parliament for Tunbridge Wells. He entered the Shadow Cabinet in October 2008, having previously been Shadow Minister for Charities, Social Enterprise and Volunteering 2006-2008. Born in Middlesbrough in 1967, Greg attended the local St Peter's Comprehensive, South Bank. He went on to study Economics at Cambridge University and was awarded his PhD at the London School of Economics. Before entering politics, Greg worked for the Boston Consulting Group, one of the world's top business strategy firms, and was posted to the USA, Mexico, South America and Iceland, as well as working for clients in the UK. Greg was Special Advisor to the Secretary of State for Trade & Industry - the Rt Hon Ian Lang MP - from 1996 until the General Election in 1997. Subsequently, he was appointed the BBC's Controller, Commercial Policy. Before becoming an MP, Greg was Director of Policy for the Conservative Party from March 2001 for three successive Leaders - William Hague, Iain Duncan Smith and Michael Howard - before being elected to Parliament in 2005. He was a Member of Public Accounts Committee from 2005-2006 and has been Shadow Minister for Teesside since 2006.
Stuart Etherington, Advisory Board Member
Stuart Etherington was appointed Chief Executive of NCVO in 1994. NCVO is a membership organisation that represents the interests of charities and voluntary bodies. It has over 7,500 member organisations. Previously he was Chief Executive of the Royal National Institute for Deaf People, a major UK charity. He has four degrees: BA in Politics, MA in Social Planning, MBA from the London Business School and a MA in International Relations and Diplomacy. He has been awarded an honorary doctorate from Brunel University, and is an Honorary Visiting Professor at South Bank University and City University London. Throughout his career he has been involved in the leadership of voluntary organisations and policies surrounding them. As such he has become a leading commentator, both through his writing and his media profile. Stuart is Pro-Chancellor of Greenwich University and a Council Member of the Institute of Employment Studies. He has been a trustee of Business in the Community, the Chair of the BBC Appeals Advisory Committee, a member of the Community and Social Affairs Committee of Barclays Bank, former Chair of Guidestar UK, Chair of CIVICUS Europe, and Treasurer of CIVICUS, a global civil society organisation. His Government appointments have included the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit. He has also served on the Cabinet Office Performance and Innovation Unit’s Advisory Board on theVoluntary Sector and HM Treasury’s Cross Cutting Review on the role of the Voluntary Sector. His leisure pursuits include reading political biographies, going to the theatre, opera and film, watching Surrey County Cricket Club and Charlton Athletic. He is a member of the Royal Institute of International Affairs, The Institute of Strategic Studies, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a member of the Dickens Society.
Zac Goldsmith, Advisory Board Member
Zac Goldsmith was the Editor of the Ecologist Magazine for 10 years. He stepped down in 2008 after being selected as the Conservative Party Parliamentary candidate for Richmond Park and North Kingston. He remains Director of the Ecologist. In 2005 he was asked to oversee a wide-ranging review of environmental policy for the Conservative Party. The Quality of Life Policy Review was delivered to David Cameron in September 2007. Many of the recommendations have since become Party Policy. In between his work with The Ecologist and his political campaigns, Zac raises funds for groups around the world dealing with issues ranging from agriculture and energy to conservation and climate change. In 2003 Zac was the recipient of the Beacon Prize for 'Young Philanthropist of the Year'. In 2004, he received the Global Green Award for 'International Environmental Leadership’. In September 2009, Zac’s book, 'The Constant Economy' was released. It looks at the key environmental problems we face, and provides a workable programme for action.
Rt Hon Oliver Letwin MP, Advisory Board Member
The Rt. Hon. Oliver Letwin, MP Conservative Dorset West is the son of Professor W Letwin, and Dr S R Letwin. He was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge (MA, PhD). He married Isabel Grace, daughter of Professor John Frank Davidson, FRS in 1984. He has one son and a daughter. He was a visiting research fellow at Princeton University from 1980-81; a research fellow Darwin College, Cambridge 1981-82; a special adviser Department of Education and Science in 1982-83; member of the Prime Minister’s Policy Unit from1983-86; director N M Rothschild and Sons Ltd in 1991-2003; non-executive director in 2005-9; MP (Conservative) Dorset W 1997-; opposition front bench spokesman on constitutional affairs from 1998-99; Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury from 1999-2000; Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury in 2000-2001; Shadow Secretary of State for Home Affairs in 2001-3; Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer 2003-5; Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs June-December 2005, Chairman of the Conservative Party Policy Review and Chairman of the Conservative Research Department since December 2005. He was appointed to the Privy Council in June 2002; FRSA 1991. His publications include 'Ethics, Emotion and the Unity of the Self' (1984), 'Privatising the World' (1987), 'Aims of Schooling' (1988), 'Drift to Union' (1990), 'The Purpose of Politics' (1999); numerous articles in learned and popular journals. Recreations are philosophy, walking, skiing, tennis.
