Robin Ibbs
Encyclopedia
Sir John "Robin" Ibbs, KBE
(born 21 April 1926) is an English
banker. He was Chairman of Lloyds Bank
from 1993 to 1997 and of Lloyds TSB
Group PLC from 1995 to 1997.
T. L. Ibbs MC
DSc, and of Marjorie Ibbs (née
Bell). He was educated at West House School, Gresham's School
, Upper Canada College
, Toronto
, the University of Toronto
, and Trinity College, Cambridge
, where he graduated MA
in Mechanical Sciences.
From 1947 to 1949 Ibbs served in the Royal Navy
as an Instructor Lieutenant, then worked for C. A. Parsons & Co. Ltd, from 1949 to 1951 while also reading for a career as a barrister
at Lincoln's Inn
. He was called to the Bar in 1952. He joined ICI
in 1952 and was a Director from 1976 to 1980 and again from 1982 to 1988, serving the two intervening years on secondment as Head of the Central Policy Review Staff
in the Cabinet Office
.
From 1983 to 1988, Ibbs was also a part-time advisor to Margaret Thatcher
on Efficiency and Effectiveness in Government. On 10 April 1984, Gordon Brown
asked the Prime Minister in the House of Commons "whether her efficiency adviser Sir Robin Ibbs has the status of a temporary civil servant, what are the terms and conditions of appointment, including the salary paid, of her adviser on efficiency Sir Robin Ibbs; if she will publish the formal exchange of letters which preceded the appointment of Sir Robin Ibbs as her adviser on efficiency." Mrs Thatcher replied that "Sir Robin Ibbs is not a civil servant. His appointment as my adviser on efficiency is on a part-time basis, and is unpaid. It would not be appropriate to publish the exchange of letters on appointment."
Ibbs was appointed as Chairman of Lloyds Merchant Bank Holdings in 1989, continuing until 1992, and was simultaneously Deputy Chairman of Lloyds Bank Canada, from 1989 until 1990. He was Deputy Chairman of Lloyds Bank
from 1988 to 1993 and Chairman from 1993 to 1997, and also Chairman of Lloyds TSB
Group PLC from 1995 to 1997.
Outside his professional career, Ibbs was a member of the Council of the Confederation of British Industry
from 1982 to 1887, of the Court of the Cranfield Institute of Technology from 1983 to 1988, and Chairman of the Council of University College, London, from 1989 to 1995.
In 1952 Ibbs married firstly Iris Barbara Hall, and they had one daughter. Lady Ibbs died in 2005. In 2006, he married secondly Penelope Ann, daughter of Captain H. C. Buckland.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 21 April 1926) is an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
banker. He was Chairman of Lloyds Bank
Lloyds Bank
Lloyds Bank Plc was a British retail bank which operated in England and Wales from 1765 until its merger into Lloyds TSB in 1995; it remains a registered company but is currently dormant. It expanded during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and took over a number of smaller banking companies...
from 1993 to 1997 and of Lloyds TSB
Lloyds TSB
Lloyds TSB Bank Plc is a retail bank in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1995 by the merger of Lloyds Bank, established in Birmingham, England in 1765 and traditionally considered one of the Big Four clearing banks, with the TSB Group which traces its origins to 1810...
Group PLC from 1995 to 1997.
Life
Born in 1926, Ibbs was the only son of ProfessorProfessor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
T. L. Ibbs MC
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
DSc, and of Marjorie Ibbs (née
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Bell). He was educated at West House School, Gresham's School
Gresham's School
Gresham’s School is an independent coeducational boarding school in Holt in North Norfolk, England, a member of the HMC.The school was founded in 1555 by Sir John Gresham as a free grammar school for forty boys, following King Henry VIII's dissolution of the Augustinian priory at Beeston Regis...
, Upper Canada College
Upper Canada College
Upper Canada College , located in midtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is an independent elementary and secondary school for boys between Senior Kindergarten and Grade Twelve, operating under the International Baccalaureate program. The secondary school segment is divided into ten houses; eight are...
, Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, and Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, where he graduated MA
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in Mechanical Sciences.
From 1947 to 1949 Ibbs served in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
as an Instructor Lieutenant, then worked for C. A. Parsons & Co. Ltd, from 1949 to 1951 while also reading for a career as a 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...
at Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
. He was called to the Bar in 1952. He joined ICI
Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries was a British chemical company, taken over by AkzoNobel, a Dutch conglomerate, one of the largest chemical producers in the world. In its heyday, ICI was the largest manufacturing company in the British Empire, and commonly regarded as a "bellwether of the British...
in 1952 and was a Director from 1976 to 1980 and again from 1982 to 1988, serving the two intervening years on secondment as Head of the Central Policy Review Staff
Central Policy Review Staff
The Central Policy Review Staff , nicknamed the "Think-Tank", was an independent unit within the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom tasked with developing long term strategy and co-ordinating policy across government departments...
in the Cabinet Office
Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for supporting the Prime Minister and Cabinet of the United Kingdom....
.
From 1983 to 1988, Ibbs was also a part-time advisor to Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
on Efficiency and Effectiveness in Government. On 10 April 1984, Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
asked the Prime Minister in the House of Commons "whether her efficiency adviser Sir Robin Ibbs has the status of a temporary civil servant, what are the terms and conditions of appointment, including the salary paid, of her adviser on efficiency Sir Robin Ibbs; if she will publish the formal exchange of letters which preceded the appointment of Sir Robin Ibbs as her adviser on efficiency." Mrs Thatcher replied that "Sir Robin Ibbs is not a civil servant. His appointment as my adviser on efficiency is on a part-time basis, and is unpaid. It would not be appropriate to publish the exchange of letters on appointment."
Ibbs was appointed as Chairman of Lloyds Merchant Bank Holdings in 1989, continuing until 1992, and was simultaneously Deputy Chairman of Lloyds Bank Canada, from 1989 until 1990. He was Deputy Chairman of Lloyds Bank
Lloyds Bank
Lloyds Bank Plc was a British retail bank which operated in England and Wales from 1765 until its merger into Lloyds TSB in 1995; it remains a registered company but is currently dormant. It expanded during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and took over a number of smaller banking companies...
from 1988 to 1993 and Chairman from 1993 to 1997, and also Chairman of Lloyds TSB
Lloyds TSB
Lloyds TSB Bank Plc is a retail bank in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1995 by the merger of Lloyds Bank, established in Birmingham, England in 1765 and traditionally considered one of the Big Four clearing banks, with the TSB Group which traces its origins to 1810...
Group PLC from 1995 to 1997.
Outside his professional career, Ibbs was a member of the Council of the Confederation of British Industry
Confederation of British Industry
The Confederation of British Industry is a British not for profit organisation incorporated by Royal charter which promotes the interests of its members, some 200,000 British businesses, a figure which includes some 80% of FTSE 100 companies and around 50% of FTSE 350 companies.-Role:The CBI works...
from 1982 to 1887, of the Court of the Cranfield Institute of Technology from 1983 to 1988, and Chairman of the Council of University College, London, from 1989 to 1995.
In 1952 Ibbs married firstly Iris Barbara Hall, and they had one daughter. Lady Ibbs died in 2005. In 2006, he married secondly Penelope Ann, daughter of Captain H. C. Buckland.
Honours
- Knight BachelorKnight BachelorThe rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
, 1982 - Hon. Doctor of Sciences, University of BradfordUniversity of BradfordThe University of Bradford is a British university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The University received its Royal Charter in 1966, making it the 40th University to be created in Britain, but its origins date back to the early 1800s...
, 1986 - Knight of the Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, 1988 - Hon. Doctor of Laws, University of BathUniversity of BathThe University of Bath is a campus university located in Bath, United Kingdom. It received its Royal Charter in 1966....
, 1993 - Hon. Bencher of Lincoln's InnLincoln's InnThe Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
, 1999 - Hon. FellowFellowA fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of University College, London, 1993
Publications
- Improving Management in Government: The Next Steps (HMSOOffice of Public Sector InformationThe Office of Public Sector Information is the body responsible for the operation of Her Majesty's Stationery Office and of other public information services of the United Kingdom...
, February 1988)