| The Right Honourable The Lord Smith of Kelvin |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | August 8, 1944 |
Robert Haldane Smith, Baron Smith of Kelvin (born 8 August 1944) is a Scottish businessman, most notably known as a former Governor of the British Broadcasting Corporation before the advent of the BBC Trust. He is the present Chancellor of the University of the West of Scotland.
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Smith was educated at Allan Glen's School, Glasgow. Upon leaving school in 1963, he began a career in accountancy when articled to Robb Ferguson & Company. Smith qualified as a chartered accountant in 1968.
He then moved to ICFC, now 3i, until 1982 and joined the Royal Bank of Scotland in 1983. From 1985 to 1989 he was Managing Director of Charterhouse Development Capital Ltd. He also held the posts of Chairman and CEO with Morgan Grenfell Private Equity, CEO of Morgan Grenfell Asset Management and was Vice Chairman of its successor, Deutsche Asset Management, between 2000 and 2002. He has held various positions as director of, MFI Furniture Group plc, Stakis plc (of which he was also Chairman from 1998 to 1999), the Bank of Scotland, Tip Europe plc and Network Rail.
Smith was a member of the Financial Services Authority from 1997 to 2000 and is a member of the Financial Reporting Council. As Chairman of the FRC Group on Audit Committees Combined Code Guidance he was responsible for The Smith Report (2003).
Sir Robert is a Past President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland and was Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Museums of Scotland from 1993 until 2002. He is also President of the British Association of Friends of Museums, a position he has held since 1995, and was a member (1988–1998) and Vice Chairman (1996–1998) of the Museums and Galleries Commission.
He is currently Chairman of The Weir Group plc and Scottish and Southern Energy and a non-Executive Director of 3i Group plc, Standard Bank Group Limited, and Aegon UK plc. He is also Patron of the Scottish Community Foundation.
On 8 February 2008, Lord Smith was appointed as Chair of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games organising company.[1]
Smith holds honorary degrees from the Universities of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Paisley, where he was invested as Chancellor in 2003. Smith's time at the University of Paisley has overseen the merger with Bell College in Hamilton, intended to create the biggest new university in Scotland. The University changed its name to the University of the West of Scotland in November 2007. In 2010 the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors awarded Smith an honorary fellowship at the Annual Scottish Conference in recognition of his long term support of the internal audit profession.
Lord Smith married Alison Marjorie Bell in 1969. She was initially Mrs Alison Smith, becoming Lady Smith when her husband received a knighthood in 1999.
The couple have two daughters.
He owns the island of Inchmarnock, off the west coast of the island of Bute in the Firth of Clyde.
On 18 April 2008, it was announced that Sir Robert was to become a crossbench life peer, accordingly he was created Baron Smith of Kelvin, of Kelvin in the City of Glasgow on 29 May 2008.[2]