David Arculus
Encyclopedia
Sir David Arculus is a British media figure, business
man and advisor to Government who has appeared several times in The Sunday Times
Power 100, ranked at number 39 in 2005.
Educated at Bromsgrove School
(Wendron House) and Oriel College, University of Oxford
and the London Business School
, he started his career as a writer and was a producer for the BBC
from 1968 to 1974. He joined EMAP
in 1972, and took it from being a small regional newspaper publisher to a large media group. He was involved in launching many new magazines – for instance, Smash Hits
, a journal that printed words to pop songs, which went from an initial circulation of 10,000 to one million within a year, which provided the cash which helped Emap to subsequently become a leader in the world of business communications encompassing magazines, events, exhibitions and data products.
As a result of these successes Arculus worked his way up to Group Managing Director in 1989, leaving Emap in 1997.
He subsequently became Chief Operating Officer of United News and Media and then became Chairman of IPC Media which at the time was Britain’s largest management buy-out. Arculus also headed Earls Court
and Olympia Ltd and is a Non-Executive Director of Pearson
plc.
Away from the media sector, he was a Non-Executive Director of Severn Trent
plc from 1996, serving as Chairman from 1998 until 2004. Arculus held a range of further non-executive jobs of which perhaps the most noteworthy was Barclays Bank plc from 1997 to 2006.
He joined the Board of O2 plc in 2003, and in 2006 as Chairman was responsible with the management team for the sale of O2 to Telefónica
of Spain. At £18bn this was the largest cash deal ever done in Europe, and the second biggest in the world. He remains a Director of O2 plc and also of Telefonica and currently leads a number of private equity backed businesses mainly in the media field.
From 2002 to 2006 Arculus was Tony Blair’s "Red Tape Czar" as Chairman of the British Government’s Better Regulation Task Force, where he helped bring about a number of regulatory initiatives intended to reduce burdens on business. These included improved impact assessments; the introduction of common commencement dates and the measurement of administrative burden in the UK economy which led to government imposing a 25% red tape reduction across all departments. He also led the effort during the UK Presidency to reduce EU bureaucratic burdens which resulted in the notable claim from MEPs that "the European Parliament now has nothing to do".
Sir David Arculus is currently Chairman of ExCeL Exhibition Centre
Arculus has also been a member of the National Consumer Council and chairs both the Royal Institution
and the Advisory Council of The British Library
as well as being a Trustee of various charitable organisations.
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
man and advisor to Government who has appeared several times in The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times (UK)
The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper, distributed in the United Kingdom. The Sunday Times is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International, which is in turn owned by News Corporation. Times Newspapers also owns The Times, but the two papers were founded...
Power 100, ranked at number 39 in 2005.
Educated at Bromsgrove School
Bromsgrove School
Bromsgrove School, founded in 1553, is a co-educational independent school in the Worcestershire town of Bromsgrove, England. The school has a long history and many notable former pupils.-History:...
(Wendron House) and Oriel College, University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
and the London Business School
London Business School
London Business School is an international business school and a constituent college of the federal University of London, located in central London, beside Regent's Park...
, he started his career as a writer and was a producer for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
from 1968 to 1974. He joined EMAP
EMAP
Emap Limited is a British media company, specialising in the production of business-to-business magazines, and the organisation of business events and conferences...
in 1972, and took it from being a small regional newspaper publisher to a large media group. He was involved in launching many new magazines – for instance, Smash Hits
Smash Hits
Smash Hits was a pop music based magazine, aimed at teenagers and young adults and originally published in the United Kingdom by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006 and was issued fortnightly for most of that time...
, a journal that printed words to pop songs, which went from an initial circulation of 10,000 to one million within a year, which provided the cash which helped Emap to subsequently become a leader in the world of business communications encompassing magazines, events, exhibitions and data products.
As a result of these successes Arculus worked his way up to Group Managing Director in 1989, leaving Emap in 1997.
He subsequently became Chief Operating Officer of United News and Media and then became Chairman of IPC Media which at the time was Britain’s largest management buy-out. Arculus also headed Earls Court
Earls Court
Earls Court is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It is an inner-city district centred on Earl's Court Road and surrounding streets, located 3.1 miles west south-west of Charing Cross. It borders the sub-districts of South Kensington to the East, West...
and Olympia Ltd and is a Non-Executive Director of Pearson
Pearson PLC
Pearson plc is a global media and education company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is both the largest education company and the largest book publisher in the world, with consumer imprints including Penguin, Dorling Kindersley and Ladybird...
plc.
Away from the media sector, he was a Non-Executive Director of Severn Trent
Severn Trent
Severn Trent plc is a British public utility. It is traded on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.Severn Trent is a group of companies employing more than 15,000 people across the UK, US and mainland Europe, with some involvement in the Middle East.The main...
plc from 1996, serving as Chairman from 1998 until 2004. Arculus held a range of further non-executive jobs of which perhaps the most noteworthy was Barclays Bank plc from 1997 to 2006.
He joined the Board of O2 plc in 2003, and in 2006 as Chairman was responsible with the management team for the sale of O2 to Telefónica
Telefónica
Telefónica, S.A. is a Spanish broadband and telecommunications provider in Europe and Latin America. Operating globally, it is the third largest provider in the world...
of Spain. At £18bn this was the largest cash deal ever done in Europe, and the second biggest in the world. He remains a Director of O2 plc and also of Telefonica and currently leads a number of private equity backed businesses mainly in the media field.
From 2002 to 2006 Arculus was Tony Blair’s "Red Tape Czar" as Chairman of the British Government’s Better Regulation Task Force, where he helped bring about a number of regulatory initiatives intended to reduce burdens on business. These included improved impact assessments; the introduction of common commencement dates and the measurement of administrative burden in the UK economy which led to government imposing a 25% red tape reduction across all departments. He also led the effort during the UK Presidency to reduce EU bureaucratic burdens which resulted in the notable claim from MEPs that "the European Parliament now has nothing to do".
Sir David Arculus is currently Chairman of ExCeL Exhibition Centre
ExCeL Exhibition Centre
ExCeL London is an exhibitions and conference centre in the London Borough of Newham, England. It is located on a site on the northern quay of the Royal Victoria Dock in London Docklands, between Canary Wharf and London City Airport.- History :The centre was built by Sir Robert McAlpine, opened...
Arculus has also been a member of the National Consumer Council and chairs both the Royal Institution
Royal Institution
The Royal Institution of Great Britain is an organization devoted to scientific education and research, based in London.-Overview:...
and the Advisory Council of The British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
as well as being a Trustee of various charitable organisations.