Alexander Leitch, Baron Leitch

Alexander Leitch, Baron Leitch, 2015

Alexander "Sandy" Park Leitch, Baron Leitch (born October 20, 1947 ) is a British manager and politician of the Labor Party who has been a life peer member of the House of Lords since 2004 .

Life

Manager and CEO of companies

After attending school, Leitch, who has been a member of the British Computer Society (BCS) since 1966 , became chief system developer at the insurance company National Mutual Life in 1969 and switched to Hambro Life in 1971, where he became a board member in 1981. After the takeover by Allied Dunbar plc, he first became Managing Director in 1988, then Deputy Chairman of the Board in 1990 and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in 1993 , before becoming Chairman of the Board of Allied Dunbar Assurance plc and CEO of British American Financial Services Ltd from 1996 to 1998 Subsidiary of British American Tobacco . Leitch was also Chairman of the Board of Directors of Dunbar Bank between 1994 and 2003 and of Eagle Star Holdings plc from 1996 to 2004 and also of Threadneedle Asset Management.

In 1998 he also moved to Zurich Financial Services as CEO and held this position until 2004. He was also chairman of the Association of British Insurers from 1998 to 2000 and a board member of BAT Industries plc from 1997 to 1998. During this time he was Vice Chairman of the entrepreneurial organization Business in the Community from 1997 to 2004 and Trustee of the National Gallery of Scotland between 1999 and 2003 and also Trustee of the Philharmonia Orchestra from 2000 to 2004 .

Furthermore, Leitch was active as chairman of the welfare organization SANE from 1999 to 2000 and as chairman of the Pensions Protection and Investment Accreditation Board between 2000 and 2001 and at the same time of the working group for the New Deal policy of the Labor government initiated by Prime Minister Tony Blair .

Leitch, who received the Prince of Wales Ambassador's Award for Charitable Work in 2001, was chairman of the National Employment Panel between 2001 and 2007 . Since 2002 he has served as Vice-Chairman of the Education Fund of the Commonwealth of Nations and in 2002 became not only Freeman of London , but also a member of the Livery Company of the Worshipful Company of Insurers. He also served as Vice President of the healthcare organization Care UK in 2004.

Member of the House of Lords and other functions in the private sector

By a letters patent dated June 7, 2004 Leitch was raised to the British nobility as a life peer with the title Baron Leitch , of Oakley in Fife . Shortly thereafter, he was introduced as a member of the House of Lords . In the House of Lords he belongs to the Labor Party faction .

Lord Leitch, who was Chairman of the National Balance Charitable Foundation for Unclaimed Assets from 2004 to 2005 and who presented the Leitch Review of UK Skills named after him in 2005, has been Chairman of the Board of Intrinsic Financial Services since 2005 and of the Health company Bupa and, since 2007, Scottish Widows. He has also been a board member of United Business Media and Lloyds TSB since 2005 and of Paternoster Press since 2006.

Web links

• Entry on Parliament's homepage (accessed on November 17, 2012)
• Alexander Leitch at Hansard (English)
• Entry in They Work For You (accessed November 17, 2012)
• Biography in Debrett's (accessed on November 17, 2012)