Bob Wigley

Bob Wigley, BSc, HonDBA, FCA, is Chairman of Tantalum Corporation plc, Stonehaven Search LLP [1], NetOTC [2], Captive Minds Communications Group Ltd [3], Justinvesting Ltd [4] and is an investor and entrepreneur. He is a Non Executive Director of the Qatar Financial Centre and Chairman of its Audit Committee. He sits on the Advisory Boards of the venture capital firm Bluegem [5] and TheCityUK and is a Trustee of the Peter Jones Foundation [6]. He is a member of the Advisory Boards of Cranfield School of Management’s Doughty Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility [7], Tetronics International Ltd [8] and is a Visiting Fellow of Oxford University and Chairman of Oxford University’s Centre for Corporate Reputation. He chairs the Courtyard Appeal for the Royal College of Music and sits on its Council. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and has a business degree and an honorary doctorate from the University of Bath.

He was an Ambassador for UK Business for the Prime Minister, David Cameron in 2011. He chaired the UK Green Investment Bank Commission for the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne during 2009/2010 which reported in July 2010. In 2008, he chaired a panel of leading London financial services company CEO’s for the incoming Mayor of London, Boris Johnson producing a major report on how to maintain London’s competitiveness in global terms for the decade ahead and now sits on the Mayor’s Panel of Economic Advisers. In 2007, he authored a report for the Prime Minister on how to improve school governance using lessons from the corporate world. He is a Past Master of the Court of the Worshipful Company of International Bankers . Between 2011 and 2014, he was a member of the international advisory board of British Airways.

Between 2006 and 2009, Bob Wigley was a member of the Court of the Bank of England and of its Risk policy and Audit Committees, prior to which he was a Non Executive Director of Royal Mail Group plc and Chairman of its Audit Committee for 3 years. Between 2009 and 2014, Bob was Chairman of Yell Group plc (subsequently renamed Hibu plc) and of Expansys plc until they were both taken private. Hibu subsequently entered into administration. Between 2009 and 2011, Bob was the European Financial Services Operating Partner of Advent International. Between 2008 and 2011, Bob was Chairman of the National Education Employer Partnership Taskforce. From 2009 until its takeover by Grainger plc in 2010, Bob was Chairman of Sovereign Reversions plc. Between 2004 and 2010, he was Deputy Chairman of Business in the Community (the UK’s leading corporate social responsibility organisation). Previous roles included being a Trustee of Terence Conran’s Design Museum [1] for 7 years and a Trustee of Whizz-Kidz [2] for 6 years.

In January, 2009, Bob resigned as Chairman of Merrill Lynch Europe, Middle East and Africa following the completion of the takeover by Bank of America. Since 2004, Bob had chaired Merrill Lynch’s EMEA Region Executive Committee with responsibility for a business with $6bn of revenue, $3bn of pretax income and 8,000 employees in 23 countries. He also sat on Merrill Lynch’s Global Operating Committee and Client Coverage Council. During this time, he was a member of the Senior Practitioner Committee of the Financial Services Authority, the FSA’s nominated representative on the Market Consultative Panel of the Committee of European Securities Regulators, sat on the boards of LCH.Clearnet plc (Chairing its nomination committee) and Euroclear plc (and its strategy committee), was a member of the Chancellor’s “wise men” group representing key financial stakeholders in London, was a member of the Chairman’s Committee of the London Investment Banking Association [3], a member of the Panel on Takeovers and Mergers (and its remuneration committee) and on the EU Advisory Panel of the City of London Corporation. Previous roles at Merrill Lynch included Chairman of European Investment Banking, Global Head of Telecoms, Media and Technology Investment Banking, Head of UK Investment Banking and Head of Corporate Broking.

Despite being a member of the panel of takeovers and mergers (who's regulatory role it is to see shareholders are treated fairly), Bob controversially engineered a takeover of HIBU (yell group) which saw shareholders removed completely, and the company handed over to creditors. Prior to this takeover he had purchased debt in the group and became an owner of the company.