Stephen Carter, Baron Carter of Barnes

The Right Honourable
The Lord Carter of Barnes
CBE
Minister for Communications,
Technology and Broadcasting
In office
10 October 2008 – 23 July 2009
Prime Minister Gordon Brown
Preceded by Margaret Hodge
Succeeded by Barbara Follett
Downing Street Chief of Staff
In office
23 January 2008 – 10 October 2008
Prime Minister Gordon Brown
Preceded by Tom Scholar
Succeeded by Jeremy Heywood
Personal details
Born (1964-02-12) 12 February 1964
Political party Labour
Alma mater University of Aberdeen,
London Business School, Harvard Business School

Stephen Andrew Carter, Baron Carter of Barnes, CBE (born 12 February 1964), is a Scottish businessman and politician who served as the Minister for Communications, Technology and Broadcasting from 2008 to 2009, and was also the Downing Street Chief of Staff under Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Biography

Born in Scotland, Carter was educated at Currie High School, Edinburgh. From 1982-87 he studied a law degree at the University of Aberdeen, where he graduated with LLB Hons and was the student president in 1985-86. He completed the Harvard Business School's Advanced Management Program in 1997. He is currently the Group Chief Executive of Informa, an information and conference company. [1]

Career

He was MD & CEO J. Walter Thompson in UK & Ireland. From 2000 - 2003, Carter served as the MD & COO of UK cable TV company NTL. The Group was required, given market conditions, to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, which required a complete restructuring of the UK & Ireland business, and the subsequent takeover of the business by a group of previous bondholders. He presided over the bankruptcy protection proceedings of NTL, which at the time had debts of £12bn.[2] Carter left NTL at the end of 2002 as the Group was poised to exit Chapter 11, with a payoff of £1.7m in compensation, including a £600,000 bonus. The company resolved a class action lawsuit brought by shareholders by paying out $9 Million in compensation in late 2007.[3]

From 2003 - 2007, Carter served as the founding CEO of Ofcom. After a brief period back in the private sector with the private advisory firm Brunswick, he returned to public life as Chief of Strategy for Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and then as Minister for Communications, Technology & Broadcasting, where he commissioned and wrote The Digital Britain Report, and the follow on Digital Economy Act 2010.

Because Carter was not a Member of Parliament, it was necessary to appoint him to the House of Lords.[4] As a result, he was created Baron Carter of Barnes, of Barnes in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and was introduced in the Lords on 16 October 2008 by Lord Currie and Lord Puttnam. He served in the House of Lords on the front bench in his capacity as Minister.

Additionally he has served on the Board of a number of companies, including Travis Perkins PLC, Royal Mail PLC, 2Wire Inc, and is Chairman of the Ashridge Business School.

In 2010 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Laws LLD by his alma mater, Aberdeen.

In April 2010 Carter became Chief Marketing, Strategy & Communication Officer for Alcatel-Lucent.[5]

Resignation

Lord Carter announced on 11 June 2009 that he would be resigning[6] from his ministerial post following the publication of his Digital Britain[7] report.

References

  1. ↑ "Directorate change". Online.hemscottir.com. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
  2. ↑ Jane Martinson (7 September 2004). "Stephen Carter: 360 degrees". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 January 2008.
  3. ↑ David Leppard (13 January 2008). "Gordon Brown’s new spin doctor ‘deceived shareholders’". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 13 January 2008.
  4. ↑ "Now it's Lord Carter". Rapidtvnews.com. 6 October 2008.
  5. ↑ ""Alcatel-Lucent appoints Stephen A. Carter as Chief Marketing, Strategy and Communication Officer"" (XML). Alcatel-lucent.com. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
  6. ↑ "Communications minister Lord Carter is latest to quit government". The Times. 12 June 2009.
  7. ↑ "Digital Britain, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills report in full" (PDF). Culture.gov.uk. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
Government offices
Preceded by
Tom Scholar		 Downing Street Chief of Staff
2008 		Succeeded by
Jeremy Heywood
Preceded by
Margaret Hodge		 Minister for Communications, Technology and Broadcasting
2008 – 2009 		Succeeded by
Barbara Follett


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