Terence Burns, Baron Burns

Terence (Terry) Burns, Baron Burns, GCB (born 13 March 1944) is a British economist. He is currently Chairman of Abbey National plc, Chairman of Marks and Spencer Group plc, Non-Executive Chairman of Glas Cymru, a Non-Executive Director of Banco Santander, S.A., and a Non-Executive Director of Pearson Group plc. He was made a life peer in 1998, and is a former Chief Economic Advisor and Permanent Secretary to HM Treasury. He is also President of The National Institute of Economic and Social Research, President of the "Society of Business Economists", Chairman of the Governing Body of the Royal Academy of Music, and Chairman of the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra.

Government

His government service began as a member of the "HM Treasury Academic Panel" from 1976 to 1979, then Chief Economic Adviser to the Treasury and Head of the Government Economic Service from 1980 to 1991, and Permanent Secretary of HM Treasury from 1991 to 1998.

Lord Burns has been a member of the The Hansard Society "Commission on the Scrutiny Role of Parliament" since 1999. He was a member of the "Scottish Fee Support Review" from 1998 to 2000, and Chairman of the "Committee of Inquiry into Hunting with Dogs in England and Wales" [ cite web |url=http://www.defra.gov.uk/rural/hunting/inquiry/ |title=Committee of Inquiry into Hunting with Dogs in England and Wales |accessdate=2007-05-25] in 2000. He was Chairman of the National Lottery Commission between 2000 and 2001. He was appointed Independent Adviser to the Secretary of State in 2003 for the BBC Charter Review. [ cite web |url=http://www.bbccharterreview.org.uk/independent_advisor/ia_home.html |title=BBC Charter Review - Independent Advisor |accessdate=2007-05-25]

Business

Lord Burns was appointed a Non-Executive Director of Pearson plc in 1999, and Senior Independent Director in 2004. [ cite web |url=http://www.pearson.com/index.cfm?pageid=106 |title=Pearson - Non-Executive Directors |accessdate=2007-05-26] He was also a Non-Executive Director of Legal and General Group plc between 1999 and 2001, and of The British Land Company plc between 2000 and 2005. In July 2000 he was appointed Non-Executive Chairman of Glas Cymru. [ cite web |url=http://www.dwrcymru.co.uk/English/Company/Glascymru/Directors/ |title=Glas Cymru - Directors |accessdate=2007-05-26] He was named Chairman of Abbey National plc in February 2002, and a Non-Executive Director of Banco Santander Central Hispano S.A. in December 2004. [ cite web |url=http://193.127.192.27/csgs/Satellite?c=GSAgrupAsset&cid=1077210868570&pagename=AboutAbbey/GSAgrupAsset/PAAI_direcNoExecCentre&printable=si |title=Abbey National plc - Board Directors |accessdate=2007-05-26] He became Chairman of Marks and Spencer plc in 2006 after serving as Deputy Chairman since 2005. [ cite web |url=http://www.marksandspencer.com/gp/browse.html/ref=sc_ca_c_1_53288031_1/203-5755787-4922357?ie=UTF8&node=46012031&no=53288031&mnSBrand=core&me=A2BO0OYVBKIQJM |title=Marks and Spencer plc - Board Member Biographies |accessdate=2007-05-26]

Professional

Lord Burns has been President of the "Society of Business Economists" since 1998, previously serving as Vice-President since 1985. [ cite web |url=http://www.sbe.co.uk/admin/officers.htm |title=Society of Business Economists - SBE Officers |accessdate=2007-05-26] He has been President of The National Institute of Economic and Social Research since 2003, previously serving as a Governor. [ cite web |url=http://www.niesr.ac.uk/staff/com.php |title=National Institute of Economic and Social Research - Council of Management |accessdate=2007-05-26] He is also a Fellow of the London Business School, and a Vice-President of the Royal Economic Society. [ cite web |url=http://www.res.org.uk/society/about.asp |title=Royal Economic Society - RES Council |accessdate=2007-05-26]

Other

Lord Burns chaired the Government Inquiry into Hunting with Dogs in England and Wales in 1999-2000, was named Chairman of the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra in 2001 after serving as a Trustee since 1998 and was appointed Chairman of the Governing Body of the Royal Academy of Music in 2002 after being a Governor since 1998.

He was Non-Executive Director of Queens Park Rangers FC between 1996 and 2001. In 2004 he was appointed Chairman of the FA Structural Review by The Football Association, and delivered his Final Report on 12 August 2005. [ cite web |url=http://www.thefa.com/TheFA/StructualReview/ |title=The FA - The FA Structural Review |accessdate=2007-05-26]

Honors

He was knighted in 1983, received the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in 1995, and was made a life peer as Baron Burns, of Pitshanger in the London Borough of Ealing, on 13 June 1998. [ cite news|url=http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld199798/minutes/980729/ldminute.htm |title=Minutes of Proceedings |date=29 July 1998 |accessdate=2007-05-25 |work=House of Lords Minutes and Order Paper]

He holds honorary doctorates and professorships from five British universities.

Personal life

The son of Patrick Owen Burns and Doris Burns, he was educated at the Houghton-le-Spring Grammar School and the University of Manchester, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in economics in 1965. He has been married to Anne Elizabeth Powell since 1969. They have a son and two daughters.

Works

*Britton, A., Randolph Quirk, Terence Burns, P. Mathias, John Mason, "The Interpretation and Use of Economic Predictions: Discussion", Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Volume 407, Issue 1832, (1986), 1986RSPSA.407..123B
*"The UK Government's Financial Strategy" (1988)

References

*cite web | url= http://www.dodonline.co.uk/engine.asp?lev1=4&lev2=38&menu=81&biog=y&id=26832| title= DodOnline| accessdate= 2007-03-26

External links

*dmoz|Science/Social_Sciences/Economics/People/Burns,_Terence|Terence Burns