Anthony Tudor St John, 22nd Baron St John of Bletso (born 16 May 1957) is a British peer, businessman and solicitor. He is one of the ninety hereditary peers elected to remain in the House of Lords after the House of Lords Act 1999, coming second in the ballot of his colleagues as to who among them should remain in the Upper House. He speaks on African (and is a notable expert on Ugandan) affairs, deregulation, financial services and information technology. Rather than aligning with a particular political party, he remains a crossbencher.
Born to Andrew St John, 21st Baron St John of Bletso, he succeeded to his father's titles in 1978. He was educated at the University of Cape Town, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science, and at the University of South Africa, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Law. He was further educated at the London School of Economics and received a Master of Law.
St John was managing director of Globix UK and president of Global Sales and Marketing, Globix Corporation. He was also for many years a consultant to Merrill Lynch and director of WMRC plc and Pecaso Ltd. He is currently chairman of OCRA Worldwide and strategic adviser to 2e2 UK Ltd. St John is also an extra Lord-in-Waiting to The Queen and chairman of the Board of Trustees for Citizens Online. Since 1989, he has been non-executive chairman of Estates and General plc, was a non-executive director of Regal Petroleum plc from 2003 to 2009, where he provided a steadying hand through the company's listing embarrassments, and has been the non-executive chairman of SpiriTel since 2005.
His special interests are clean technology and Africa. He plays a proactive role in the charitable sector, as a trustee of 9 charities mostly focussed on Africa and has recently taken the Chair of Alexandra Rose Charities.
He is married to Helen (née Westlake), a past Miss England and doctor of medicine who now runs beauty clinics. They have four children.
Trivia
He is a keen golfer and member of Sunningdale Golf Club, where he has been known to play golf with Hugh Grant.
He is a collector of malt whisky.
| Peerage of England | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Andrew St John |
Baron St John of Bletso 1978–present |
Incumbent Heir: Oliver Beauchamp St. John, b. 11 July 1995 |