David Sainsbury, Baron Sainsbury of Turville
Encyclopedia
David John Sainsbury, Baron Sainsbury of Turville, FRS
(born 24 October 1940), is a British
businessman
and politician
. From 1992 to 1997, he served as the Chairman of Sainsbury's (a supermarket chain established by his great-grandfather John James Sainsbury
in 1869). He was made a life peer
in 1997, and currently sits in the House of Lords
as a member of the Labour Party
. He served in the government as the Minister for Science and Innovation from 1998 and 2006.
On 16 October 2011, he was elected the Chancellor of the University of Cambridge.
and Lisa Sainsbury. His elder sister was Elizabeth (Elizabeth Clark 19 Jul 1938 – 14 Aug 1977) and his younger sisters are Celia and Annabel. He is the nephew of Lord Sainsbury
. His cousins are the Conservative peer Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover
, Simon Sainsbury
, and former Tory MP Sir Tim Sainsbury
. His great-grandparents, John James Sainsbury and Mary Ann Staples, established a grocer's at 173 Drury Lane
in 1869 which became the British supermarket chain Sainsbury's.
He attended Eton College
before going on to the University of Cambridge
, where he earned a degree in History & Psychology at King's College
. He then completed an MBA
at Columbia Business School
in the United States
.
He and his wife Susie (a former teacher) have three daughters, one of whom is Clare Sainsbury, who wrote 'Martian in the Playground' to help people understand Asperger's syndrome.
He lives in the Manor of Turville in Turville
, Buckinghamshire
. The Manor once belonged to the abbey at St Albans, but was seized by the Crown in the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1547. The manor house has since been rebuilt as Turville Park, a fine stately home in the village.
He was made a life peer as Baron Sainsbury of Turville in the County of Buckinghamshire in 1997, following the Labour Party's election victory.
On 10 September 2007, he was awarded an honorary degree in science by University College London
and in 2008 he was awarded an honorary degree in science by the University of Bath
.
When the company listed on the London Stock Exchange
on 12 July 1973, which was at the time the largest floatation ever, his family at the time retained control with an 85% stake. His father Sir Robert Sainsbury gave almost his entire stake in the company to David Sainsbury, his only son, whereas his uncle Alan Sainsbury split his stake in the business between his sons John Davan Sainsbury, Simon Sainsbury and Tim Sainsbury. John Davan Sainsbury became Chairman in 1969 on Sir Robert Sainsbury's retirement.
He was the group's Finance Director from 1973 to 1990, during which time the Company grew rapidly. He was Chairman of Savacentre
from 1984 to 1993, during which time the hypermarkets business grew slowly. He was Deputy Chairman from 1988 to 1992. On JD Sainsbury's retirement as Chairman and Chief Executive on 2 November 1992, David Sainsbury became Chairman.
In 1996, Sainsbury's announced its first drop in profits in 22 years, and the first of three profits warnings during David's chairmanship was issued. Although there were senior management changes, which included David relinquishing the Chief Executive's role to Dino Adriano and becoming Non-Executive Chairman, there were no new directors or outsiders appointed to the senior management team. Profits fell the next year, but rose in 1998. At this point, David Sainsbury, who had wanted to step down at the end of 1997, made a surprise announcement of his retirement as Chairman to pursue his long-held ambition to have a career in politics, after "32 enjoyable and fulfilling years" working for Sainsbury's. Sainsbury's share price increased on the day of this announcement.
On his retirement as Chairman, to avoid any conflict of interest, David Sainsbury placed his then 23% stake in Sainsbury's into a "blind" trust, to be administered by lawyer Judith Portrait. When David Sainsbury announced his intention to give away £1billion to charity in 2005, his 23% stake got sold down, eventually to 12.9% by early 2007. His beneficial holding became just 7.75% when he re-gained control of his shares in February 2007 following his decision to step down as Science and Innovation Minister in November 2006. During the private equity takeover bid in the first half of 2007, David indicated he was willing to let the Sainsbury's board open its books for due diligence if someone offered him a price of 600 pence per share or more.
As of August 2009, David Sainsbury retains a sizeable shareholding in his family's Sainsbury's supermarket chain (around 5.85%). To further his philanthropy interests, he placed 92million of his shares (representing 5.28% of the Company's share capital), into his investment vehicle, Innotech Advisers Ltd (which donates all its dividends to charity), meaning his beneficial stake is just 0.57% (lower than JD's 1.6% beneficial interest). The Sainsbury family
as a whole control approximately 15% of Sainsbury's. In the Sunday Times Rich List 2008
his family fortune was estimated at £1.3 billion.
' in an advertisement in The Guardian
on 5 February 1981; he went on to be a member of the Social Democratic Party
formed by the authors of the Declaration. After the 1983 election Sainsbury prompted the party to give more priority to recruiting members and finding a firm financial base; he was by far the biggest donor to the party, giving about £750,000 between 1981 and 1987. Sainsbury's donations were typically earmarked to specific projects rather than general day-to-day operations.
Along with David Owen
, Sainsbury opposed merging the SDP with the Liberal Party after the 1987 election, and provided office space for Owen to help him re-establish a separate political party, the "continuing" SDP
, which was created in 1988.
That party was wound up in 1990, and Sainsbury subsequently changed allegiance back to the Labour Party
, rejoining them in 1996. A year later, he entered the House of Lords
as a Labour peer.
It was reported that in April 2006, Sainsbury, "faced a possible probe into an alleged breach of the ministerial code after admitting he had failed to disclose a £2 million loan he had made to the Labour Party - despite publicly stating that he had." He subsequently apologised for "unintentionally" misleading the public, blaming a mix-up between the £2 million loan and a £2 million donation he had made earlier.
In July 2006, he became the first government minister to be questioned by police in the "Cash for Peerages
" inquiry. On 10 November 2006, he resigned as Science Minister stating that he wanted to focus on business and charity work. He categorically denied that his resignation had anything to do with the "Cash for Peerages" affair, stating that he was "not directly involved in whether peerages were offered for cash", although this was contradicted by subsequent press reports attributed to "Labour insiders", which suggested that that his resignation was indeed a direct consequence of the affair.
at the Department of Trade and Industry, as the Minister for Science and Innovation in the House of Lords
, a government position for which he accepted no salary.
He was the Blair government's third-longest-serving minister after Tony Blair himself, and Gordon Brown. Because of his importance to the Labour Party as a donor, contemporary press reports described him as "unsackable." He has argued that there are "far too many reshuffles
", and that there were considerable benefits to his remaining in post for so long.
and Progress
. In 2009 he created the Institute for Government
with £15 million of funding, through the Gatsby Charitable Foundation
, to help government and opposition politicians to prepare for political transitions and government.
in 1967. In 1993 he donated £200m of Sainsbury's shares to the Foundation's assets. By 2009 the foundation had given £660m to a range of charitable causes. In 2009 he allocated a further £465 million to the foundation, this will make him the first Briton to donate more than £1 billion to charity.
He set up the Sainsbury Management Fellowship
scheme in 1987 to develop UK engineers into leaders in industry.
He was made an honorary fellow of the Royal Society
in May 2008.
Sainsbury has donated £127 million of the Gatsby Charitable Foundation's money to Cambridge University in the last decade: he gave £45 million to Cambridge University's Botanical Gardens in August 2005. In April 2011, Cambridge's new Sainsbury Laboratory
was opened, named after Lord Sainsbury, and paid for by an £82 million donation from the Gatsby Foundation made in November 2008. It was hailed by the Financial Times
as "one of the biggest donations ever made to a British university...surpassed only by a 2000 gift to the university by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation."
On 20 May 2011, Lord Sainsbury was formally proposed by the Nominations Board of Cambridge University to succeed the Duke of Edinbugh as Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. If his election had not been contested by 17 June, he would have assumed office on 1 July. However, his nomination became the first in 163 years to be contested by another candidate
. On 29 May his nomination was contested by local shopkeeper
Abdul Arain, who was standing against Sainsbury in protest against a planning application for a Sainsbury's Local
branch in Cambridge's Mill Road
district, triggering a contest that would have to wait until an October ballot. Four days later, a group of Cambridge University alumni successfully drafted actor
Brian Blessed
as an alternative candidate. On 20 June, radical
socialist barrister
Michael Mansfield
became the third candidate to oppose Sainsbury. An election between the four candidates took place on 14 and 15 October 2011.Although the October election turnout was very low (2.5% of eligible to vote taking part), Lord Sainsbury won the election with 52% of the votes (2893 votes out of 5558) and was confirmed to the position on 16 October 2011.
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
(born 24 October 1940), is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
businessman
Businessperson
A businessperson is someone involved in a particular undertaking of activities for the purpose of generating revenue from a combination of human, financial, or physical capital. An entrepreneur is an example of a business person...
and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. From 1992 to 1997, he served as the Chairman of Sainsbury's (a supermarket chain established by his great-grandfather John James Sainsbury
John James Sainsbury
John James Sainsbury was the founder of the Sainsbury's supermarket chain.-Early and private life:John James Sainsbury was born on 12 June 1844 at 5 Oakley Street, Lambeth, to John Sainsbury , ornament and picture frame maker, and his wife Elizabeth Sarah, née Coombes...
in 1869). He was made a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
in 1997, and currently sits in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
as a member of the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
. He served in the government as the Minister for Science and Innovation from 1998 and 2006.
On 16 October 2011, he was elected the Chancellor of the University of Cambridge.
Early and private life
He is the son of Sir Robert SainsburyRobert Sainsbury
Sir Robert Sainsbury , was the son of John Benjamin Sainsbury , and along with his wife Lisa began the collection of modern and tribal art housed at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich.-Early and family life:Robert Sainsbury was educated at Haileybury College and Pembroke...
and Lisa Sainsbury. His elder sister was Elizabeth (Elizabeth Clark 19 Jul 1938 – 14 Aug 1977) and his younger sisters are Celia and Annabel. He is the nephew of Lord Sainsbury
Alan Sainsbury, Baron Sainsbury
Alan John Sainsbury, Baron Sainsbury was a British business executive and a leading member of the supermarket Sainsbury family.-Early and private life:...
. His cousins are the Conservative peer Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover
John Sainsbury, Baron Sainsbury of Preston Candover
John Davan Sainsbury, Baron Sainsbury of Preston Candover, KG is the President of J Sainsbury, a British businessman and politician. He sits in the House of Lords as a member of the Conservative Party.-Early and private life:...
, Simon Sainsbury
Simon Sainsbury
The Hon Simon David Davan Sainsbury was a British businessman, philanthropist and art collector.-Early and private life:...
, and former Tory MP Sir Tim Sainsbury
Tim Sainsbury
Sir Timothy Alan Davan Sainsbury is a politician and businessman in the United Kingdom.-Early life:Sainsbury is the youngest son of Lord Sainsbury and his wife Doreen...
. His great-grandparents, John James Sainsbury and Mary Ann Staples, established a grocer's at 173 Drury Lane
Drury Lane
Drury Lane is a street on the eastern boundary of the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster....
in 1869 which became the British supermarket chain Sainsbury's.
He attended Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
before going on to the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, where he earned a degree in History & Psychology at King's College
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
. He then completed an MBA
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
at Columbia Business School
Columbia Business School
Columbia Business School is the business school of Columbia University in Manhattan, New York City. It was established in 1916 to provide business training and professional preparation for undergraduate and graduate Columbia University students...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
He and his wife Susie (a former teacher) have three daughters, one of whom is Clare Sainsbury, who wrote 'Martian in the Playground' to help people understand Asperger's syndrome.
He lives in the Manor of Turville in Turville
Turville
Turville is a village and civil parish within Wycombe district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located in the Chiltern Hills, about five miles west of High Wycombe and five miles north of Henley-on-Thames....
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. The Manor once belonged to the abbey at St Albans, but was seized by the Crown in the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1547. The manor house has since been rebuilt as Turville Park, a fine stately home in the village.
He was made a life peer as Baron Sainsbury of Turville in the County of Buckinghamshire in 1997, following the Labour Party's election victory.
On 10 September 2007, he was awarded an honorary degree in science by University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
and in 2008 he was awarded an honorary degree in science by the University of Bath
University of Bath
The University of Bath is a campus university located in Bath, United Kingdom. It received its Royal Charter in 1966....
.
Business career
David Sainsbury joined the family firm, then known as 'J. Sainsbury Ltd.', in 1963, working in the personnel department. He became a director in 1966. He was Financial Controller from 1971 to 1973, just before the Company's floatation.When the company listed on the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
on 12 July 1973, which was at the time the largest floatation ever, his family at the time retained control with an 85% stake. His father Sir Robert Sainsbury gave almost his entire stake in the company to David Sainsbury, his only son, whereas his uncle Alan Sainsbury split his stake in the business between his sons John Davan Sainsbury, Simon Sainsbury and Tim Sainsbury. John Davan Sainsbury became Chairman in 1969 on Sir Robert Sainsbury's retirement.
He was the group's Finance Director from 1973 to 1990, during which time the Company grew rapidly. He was Chairman of Savacentre
SavaCentre
Sainsbury’s SavaCentre was a chain of 13 hypermarkets and later a further seven discount supermarkets operated by Sainsbury's and BHS, then later by Sainsbury's alone, from 1977 until 2005. The stores have now been integrated into the Sainsbury's supermarket brand. The hypermarket stores ranged in...
from 1984 to 1993, during which time the hypermarkets business grew slowly. He was Deputy Chairman from 1988 to 1992. On JD Sainsbury's retirement as Chairman and Chief Executive on 2 November 1992, David Sainsbury became Chairman.
In 1996, Sainsbury's announced its first drop in profits in 22 years, and the first of three profits warnings during David's chairmanship was issued. Although there were senior management changes, which included David relinquishing the Chief Executive's role to Dino Adriano and becoming Non-Executive Chairman, there were no new directors or outsiders appointed to the senior management team. Profits fell the next year, but rose in 1998. At this point, David Sainsbury, who had wanted to step down at the end of 1997, made a surprise announcement of his retirement as Chairman to pursue his long-held ambition to have a career in politics, after "32 enjoyable and fulfilling years" working for Sainsbury's. Sainsbury's share price increased on the day of this announcement.
On his retirement as Chairman, to avoid any conflict of interest, David Sainsbury placed his then 23% stake in Sainsbury's into a "blind" trust, to be administered by lawyer Judith Portrait. When David Sainsbury announced his intention to give away £1billion to charity in 2005, his 23% stake got sold down, eventually to 12.9% by early 2007. His beneficial holding became just 7.75% when he re-gained control of his shares in February 2007 following his decision to step down as Science and Innovation Minister in November 2006. During the private equity takeover bid in the first half of 2007, David indicated he was willing to let the Sainsbury's board open its books for due diligence if someone offered him a price of 600 pence per share or more.
As of August 2009, David Sainsbury retains a sizeable shareholding in his family's Sainsbury's supermarket chain (around 5.85%). To further his philanthropy interests, he placed 92million of his shares (representing 5.28% of the Company's share capital), into his investment vehicle, Innotech Advisers Ltd (which donates all its dividends to charity), meaning his beneficial stake is just 0.57% (lower than JD's 1.6% beneficial interest). The Sainsbury family
Sainsbury family
The Sainsbury family founded Sainsbury's, the UK's third largest supermarket chain...
as a whole control approximately 15% of Sainsbury's. In the Sunday Times Rich List 2008
Sunday Times Rich List 2008
The Sunday Times Rich List 2008 was published on 27 April 2008.Since 1989 the UK national Sunday newspaper The Sunday Times has published an annual magazine supplement to the newspaper called the Sunday Times Rich List...
his family fortune was estimated at £1.3 billion.
Early politics - Labour, SDP, Continuing SDP, then Labour again
David Sainsbury joined the Labour Party in the 1960s, but was one of the 100 signatories of the 'Limehouse DeclarationLimehouse Declaration
The Limehouse Declaration was a statement issued on 25 January 1981 by four senior British Labour politicians, all MPs or former MPs and Cabinet Ministers: Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams...
' in an advertisement in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
on 5 February 1981; he went on to be a member of the Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party (UK)
The Social Democratic Party was a political party in the United Kingdom that was created on 26 March 1981 and existed until 1988. It was founded by four senior Labour Party 'moderates', dubbed the 'Gang of Four': Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams...
formed by the authors of the Declaration. After the 1983 election Sainsbury prompted the party to give more priority to recruiting members and finding a firm financial base; he was by far the biggest donor to the party, giving about £750,000 between 1981 and 1987. Sainsbury's donations were typically earmarked to specific projects rather than general day-to-day operations.
Along with David Owen
David Owen
David Anthony Llewellyn Owen, Baron Owen CH PC FRCP is a British politician.Owen served as British Foreign Secretary from 1977 to 1979, the youngest person in over forty years to hold the post; he co-authored the failed Vance-Owen and Owen-Stoltenberg peace plans offered during the Bosnian War...
, Sainsbury opposed merging the SDP with the Liberal Party after the 1987 election, and provided office space for Owen to help him re-establish a separate political party, the "continuing" SDP
Social Democratic Party (UK, 1988)
A Social Democratic Party was formed in the United Kingdom in 1981 by a group of dissident Labour Party Members of Parliament : Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams, who became known as the "Gang of Four"....
, which was created in 1988.
That party was wound up in 1990, and Sainsbury subsequently changed allegiance back to the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
, rejoining them in 1996. A year later, he entered the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
as a Labour peer.
Labour party donor, 1996-2008
Between 1996 (the year he rejoined Labour) and 2006 (when he stood down as a government minister), Sainsbury donated £16 million pounds to the Labour Party, usually in batches of £1 million or £2 million each year. Since then, he has donated a further £2 million on 7 September 2007 (cancelling out a previous £2 million loan into a donation), stating that he was impressed by Gordon Brown's leadership, and donated the money as he believed "that Labour is the only party which is committed to delivering both social justice and economic prosperity". He gave an extra £500,000 on 15 December 2008, towards Labour's campaigns, making a total of £18.5 million. This makes him by a wide margin the largest donor in the history of the Labour Party.It was reported that in April 2006, Sainsbury, "faced a possible probe into an alleged breach of the ministerial code after admitting he had failed to disclose a £2 million loan he had made to the Labour Party - despite publicly stating that he had." He subsequently apologised for "unintentionally" misleading the public, blaming a mix-up between the £2 million loan and a £2 million donation he had made earlier.
In July 2006, he became the first government minister to be questioned by police in the "Cash for Peerages
Cash for Peerages
Cash for Honours is the name given by some in the media to a political scandal in the United Kingdom in 2006 and 2007 concerning the connection between political donations and the award of life peerages...
" inquiry. On 10 November 2006, he resigned as Science Minister stating that he wanted to focus on business and charity work. He categorically denied that his resignation had anything to do with the "Cash for Peerages" affair, stating that he was "not directly involved in whether peerages were offered for cash", although this was contradicted by subsequent press reports attributed to "Labour insiders", which suggested that that his resignation was indeed a direct consequence of the affair.
Minister for Science, 1998-2006
From July 1998 to November 2006, he held the post of Parliamentary Under-Secretary of StateParliamentary Under-Secretary of State
A Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State is the lowest of three tiers of government minister in the government of the United Kingdom, junior to both a Minister of State and a Secretary of State....
at the Department of Trade and Industry, as the Minister for Science and Innovation in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
, a government position for which he accepted no salary.
He was the Blair government's third-longest-serving minister after Tony Blair himself, and Gordon Brown. Because of his importance to the Labour Party as a donor, contemporary press reports described him as "unsackable." He has argued that there are "far too many reshuffles
Cabinet shuffle
In the parliamentary system a cabinet shuffle or reshuffle is an informal term for an event that occurs when a head of government rotates or changes the composition of ministers in their cabinet....
", and that there were considerable benefits to his remaining in post for so long.
Other political initiatives
David Sainsbury has also been associated with the Institute for Public Policy ResearchInstitute for Public Policy Research
The IPPR is the leading progressive think-tank in the UK. It produces research and policy ideas committed to upholding values of social justice, democratic reform and environmental sustainability. IPPR is based in London and IPPR North has branches in Newcastle and Manchester.It was founded in...
and Progress
Progress (organisation)
Progress is a political organisation linked to the Labour Party in the United Kingdom, founded in 1996. It is broadly viewed as supportive of the leadership of the party, being pro-former leader Tony Blair...
. In 2009 he created the Institute for Government
Institute for Government
The Institute for Government is an United Kingdom independent charity that aims to improve government effectiveness created in 2008. It was initially funded with about £15 million by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, at the instigation of Lord David Sainsbury.....
with £15 million of funding, through the Gatsby Charitable Foundation
Gatsby Charitable Foundation
The Gatsby Charitable Foundation is an endowed grant-making trust, based in London. The organisation is one of the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts, set up to provide funding for charitable causes. Although the organisation is permitted in its Trust Deed to make general grants within this broad...
, to help government and opposition politicians to prepare for political transitions and government.
Charitable works
David Sainsbury is a noted philanthropist and founded the Gatsby Charitable FoundationGatsby Charitable Foundation
The Gatsby Charitable Foundation is an endowed grant-making trust, based in London. The organisation is one of the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts, set up to provide funding for charitable causes. Although the organisation is permitted in its Trust Deed to make general grants within this broad...
in 1967. In 1993 he donated £200m of Sainsbury's shares to the Foundation's assets. By 2009 the foundation had given £660m to a range of charitable causes. In 2009 he allocated a further £465 million to the foundation, this will make him the first Briton to donate more than £1 billion to charity.
He set up the Sainsbury Management Fellowship
Sainsbury Management Fellowship
The Sainsbury Management Fellowship scheme was setup in 1987 by David Sainsbury to develop UK engineers into leaders in industry and thereby to improve the competitiveness of UK engineering, manufacturing and construction businesses...
scheme in 1987 to develop UK engineers into leaders in industry.
He was made an honorary fellow of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
in May 2008.
Sainsbury has donated £127 million of the Gatsby Charitable Foundation's money to Cambridge University in the last decade: he gave £45 million to Cambridge University's Botanical Gardens in August 2005. In April 2011, Cambridge's new Sainsbury Laboratory
Sainsbury Laboratory (Cambridge)
The Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University or is located in the heart of Cambridge University Botanic Garden in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire.The aim of the Laboratory is to elucidate the regulatory systems underlying plant growth and development....
was opened, named after Lord Sainsbury, and paid for by an £82 million donation from the Gatsby Foundation made in November 2008. It was hailed by the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
as "one of the biggest donations ever made to a British university...surpassed only by a 2000 gift to the university by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation."
On 20 May 2011, Lord Sainsbury was formally proposed by the Nominations Board of Cambridge University to succeed the Duke of Edinbugh as Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. If his election had not been contested by 17 June, he would have assumed office on 1 July. However, his nomination became the first in 163 years to be contested by another candidate
University of Cambridge Chancellor election, 1847
An election for the Chancellor of the University of Cambridge was held on 25-27 February 1847, after the death of the Duke of Northumberland. Many senior figures in the university hoped that Prince Albert, the Prince Consort could be persuaded to stand and elected unopposed, but a group from St...
. On 29 May his nomination was contested by local shopkeeper
Shopkeeper
A shopkeeper is an individual who owns a shop. Generally, shop employees are not shopkeepers, but are often incorrectly referred to as shopkeepers. Today, a shopkeeper is usually referred to as a manager, though this term could apply to larger firms .*In many south asian languages like Hindi, Urdu,...
Abdul Arain, who was standing against Sainsbury in protest against a planning application for a Sainsbury's Local
Sainsbury's Local
Sainsbury’s Convenience Stores Ltd is a chain of 343 convenience stores operated by the UK's third largest supermarket chain Sainsbury's. Sainsbury's Local stores have different branding and fascia to the company's supermarkets.-History:In 1998, Sainsbury’s piloted its first Local store in...
branch in Cambridge's Mill Road
Mill Road, Cambridge
Mill Road is a street in southeast Cambridge, England. It runs southeast from near to Parker's Piece, at the junction with Gonville Place, East Road, and Parkside. It crosses the main railway line and links to the city's ring road . It passes through the wards of Petersfield and Romsey, which are...
district, triggering a contest that would have to wait until an October ballot. Four days later, a group of Cambridge University alumni successfully drafted actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
Brian Blessed
Brian Blessed
Brian Blessed is an English actor, known for his sonorous voice and "hearty, king-sized portrayals".-Early life:The son of William Blessed, a socialist miner, and Hilda Wall, Blessed was born in the town of Goldthorpe, West Riding of Yorkshire, England...
as an alternative candidate. On 20 June, radical
Radical
Radical, from Late Latin radicalis "of roots" and from Latin radix "root", may refer to:In chemistry:*A radical is an atom, molecule, or ion, that is likely to take part in chemical reactionsIn mathematics:...
socialist barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
Michael Mansfield
Michael Mansfield
Michael Mansfield QC is an English barrister. A republican, vegetarian, socialist, and self-described "radical lawyer", he has participated in prominent and controversial court cases and inquests involving accused IRA bombers, the Bloody Sunday incident, and the deaths of Jean Charles de Menezes...
became the third candidate to oppose Sainsbury. An election between the four candidates took place on 14 and 15 October 2011.Although the October election turnout was very low (2.5% of eligible to vote taking part), Lord Sainsbury won the election with 52% of the votes (2893 votes out of 5558) and was confirmed to the position on 16 October 2011.
External links
- Gatsby Charitable Foundation
- Lord (David) Sainsbury of Turville – DTI ministers
- The Sainsbury Family and Lord (David) Sainsbury
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- Profile of the Sainsbury family
- The Sainsbury Laboratory funded by The Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts
- The Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health, funded by The Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts