Sam Gyimah
Encyclopedia
Samuel Phillip Gyimah (born 10 August 1976) is a British
Conservative Party
politician. He was elected as the Member of Parliament
(MP) for East Surrey
at the 2010 general election.
, a selective co-educational state boarding school in the town of Achimota
, near to Accra
, the capital city of Ghana
in west Africa, and Ward Freman Upper School (renamed Freman College
in 1999), a co-educational comprehensive school in the market town
of Buntingford
in Hertfordshire
in southern England, followed by Somerville College
at the University of Oxford
in the city of Oxford
, where he read Politics, Philosophy and Economics, and where he was elected President of the Oxford Union
in Michaelmas 1997.
as an investment banker, leaving the company in 2003. In 2005, he was awarded the Real Business
/CBI
Entrepreneur of the Future award.
s.
report, From the Ashes: the future of the Conservative Party. He subsequently was elected chairman of the Conservative think tank
, the Bow Group from 2006 to 2007.
Gyimah stood unsuccessfully for election in Kilburn
ward in the Camden Council election, 2006
. He subsequently attempted to become the Conservative General Election candidate for Gosport
in 2009, but lost the nomination to Caroline Dinenage
.
Elected as the MP for East Surrey at the 2010 general election, Gyimah made his maiden speech on 29 July 2010. Gyimah sits on the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission.
Gyimah been a volunteer and fundraiser for Crisis, the Down Syndrome Association and St Catherine's Hospice, Surrey. He is a Vice President of the National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy (NYCPE) in Lingfield.
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...
Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician. He was elected as the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for East Surrey
East Surrey (UK Parliament constituency)
East Surrey is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
at the 2010 general election.
Education
Gyimah was educated at Achimota SchoolAchimota School
Achimota School , is an elite and highly selective co-educational secondary school located at Achimota in Accra, Ghana. It was established and commenced operations in 1924 and formally opened in 1927 by Sir Frederick Gordon Guggisberg -- then governor of the Gold Coast...
, a selective co-educational state boarding school in the town of Achimota
Achimota
Achimota is a town in Greater Accra Region, Ghana just north of the capital Accra....
, near to Accra
Accra
Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
, the capital city of Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
in west Africa, and Ward Freman Upper School (renamed Freman College
Freman College
Freman College is a mixed upper school in Buntingford, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom for 13-18 year olds. Of the 788 students at the school in 2006, 198 were enrolled in the Sixth form....
in 1999), a co-educational comprehensive school in the market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
of Buntingford
Buntingford
Buntingford is a small market town and civil parish in the district of East Hertfordshire and county of Hertfordshire in England. It lies on the River Rib and on the Roman road Ermine Street. As a result of its location, it grew mainly as a staging post with many coaching inns and has an 18th...
in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
in southern England, followed by Somerville College
Somerville College, Oxford
Somerville College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, and was one of the first women's colleges to be founded there...
at the 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...
in the city of Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, where he read Politics, Philosophy and Economics, and where he was elected President of the Oxford Union
Oxford Union
The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford, Britain, whose membership is drawn primarily but not exclusively from the University of Oxford...
in Michaelmas 1997.
Life and career
On graduation, Gyimah joined Goldman SachsGoldman Sachs
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American multinational bulge bracket investment banking and securities firm that engages in global investment banking, securities, investment management, and other financial services primarily with institutional clients...
as an investment banker, leaving the company in 2003. In 2005, he was awarded the Real Business
Real Business
Real Business is a monthly business-to-business magazine, serving the United Kingdom small and medium enterprises market.The magazine was launched in 1997, and is published by Caspian Publishing and its circulation is 41,136 . The magazine is edited by Kate Pritchard....
/CBI
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...
Entrepreneur of the Future award.
Election campaign
Gyimah's nomination as candidate for East Surrey was controversial as he had not been a local resident. The local association had been given an emergency shortlist to put MPs from non-traditional backgrounds in safe seatSafe seat
A safe seat is a seat in a legislative body which is regarded as fully secured, either by a certain political party, the incumbent representative personally or a combination of both...
s.
Parliamentary career
In September 2005 Gyimah edited a Bow GroupBow Group
The Bow Group is one of the oldest think tanks in the United Kingdom. Taking its name from the Bow area of London where it first met, it was founded in 1951...
report, From the Ashes: the future of the Conservative Party. He subsequently was elected chairman of the Conservative think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
, the Bow Group from 2006 to 2007.
Gyimah stood unsuccessfully for election in Kilburn
Kilburn
Kilburn is an area of north west London, England, which is divided between three London Boroughs, Brent, Camden, and a small part in Westminster. The main thoroughfare running northwest-southeast is Kilburn High Road, part of the modern A5 road which forms the boundary between the boroughs of Brent...
ward in the Camden Council election, 2006
Camden Council election, 2006
The 2006 Camden Council election took place on 4 May 2006 to elect members of Camden London Borough Council in London, England. The whole council was up for election and the Labour party lost overall control of the council to no overall control.-Background:...
. He subsequently attempted to become the Conservative General Election candidate for Gosport
Gosport
Gosport is a town, district and borough situated on the south coast of England, within the county of Hampshire. It has approximately 80,000 permanent residents with a further 5,000-10,000 during the summer months...
in 2009, but lost the nomination to Caroline Dinenage
Caroline Dinenage
Caroline Julia Dinenage is an English Conservative Party politician. She was elected as Member of Parliament for Gosport in 2010.-Early life:...
.
Elected as the MP for East Surrey at the 2010 general election, Gyimah made his maiden speech on 29 July 2010. Gyimah sits on the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission.
Personal life
Gyimah's interests include skiing, cooking, running (London Marathon 2008), and he is an Arsenal supporter.Gyimah been a volunteer and fundraiser for Crisis, the Down Syndrome Association and St Catherine's Hospice, Surrey. He is a Vice President of the National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy (NYCPE) in Lingfield.
External links
- Sam Gyimah MP official constituency website
- Sam Gyimah on TwitterTwitterTwitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...