Sir Digby took over the CBI post in 2000. The job involves representing the interests of industry throughout the UK and in his ‘ambassadorial role’ he’s “taken the British business message to 60 countries”. He appears regularly on television and radio and in the press, and sees his primary task as “promoting the interests of wealth and job creation in the UK, the rest of Europe and beyond”.
Probably his highest profile media appearance recently came at last year’s CBI Conference when Greenpeace anti-nuclear demonstrators climbed into the roof of the venue just before the prime minister was due to address delegates.
Sir Digby lived up to his reputation for robustness and quick thinking. His reported comment to the protestors was “I’m not gonna have this” and he reconvened the conference in a smaller neigbouring room. This achieved maxiumum press attention for Tony Blair and left the protestors hanging from the rafters next door.
Sir Digby went into business after a period in the Navy and training as a lawyer. Before joining the CBI he was vice-chairman of corporate finance at KPMG.
Today he is also a vice-president of UNICEF and involved with a large number of charities. He was knighted in 2005.
“It’s a great coup to get such a high profile and powerful personality to host our 10th TTJ Awards,” said TTJ editor Mike Jeffree. “Sir Digby follows in a long line of distinguished speakers at the event. Like them, I’m sure he’ll both entertain and deliver a strong business message to UK timber plc.”
The 10th TTJ Awards will be presented on Thursday September 14 at The Savoy in London.
