Derek Laud facts for kids

Derek George Henry Laud (born 9 August 1964) is a British banker, author, and broadcaster. He is also a visiting professor at a university. Derek Laud has many business interests. He advises important people, like Lord Glendonbrook, who used to be in charge of Channel Four TV and owned BMI airlines.

Derek Laud was a main speaker at a big event called the Financial Times Global Wealth Summit in London. He talked about how important it is to have different kinds of people (diversity) and make everyone feel welcome (inclusion) in the world of managing money.

He is the chairman of the Foundation Board at Lucy Cavendish College, which is part of the University of Cambridge. He also leads their North American Committee.

Derek Laud is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. This means he is recognized for his important work in arts, manufacturing, and commerce. He is also a visiting researcher at Oxford University and a pro chancellor at London South Bank University. He is a visiting professor in their Law and Social Sciences department.

He works in private banking and is a senior adviser at Stern & Co, a company that helps wealthy families manage their money. Derek Laud is also on the board of the Overseas Territories group. He has worked as a political adviser and written speeches for important people.

Laud helped start and is an executive director of the New City Initiative. This is a think tank, which is a group that does research and gives advice on financial topics. He is also a partner and director at Stanhope Capital LLP, a company that manages wealth. Derek Laud was the first black member of the Conservative Monday Club, a political group. He was also the first black master of foxhounds in the United Kingdom. In 2005, he was a contestant on the British reality TV show Big Brother.

Early Life and Education

Derek Laud was born on 9 August 1964 in Chelsea, London. He went to Oxford University and played tennis in the yearly tournament between Oxford and Cambridge universities. He has degrees in different subjects, including History. He also studied and did research at Cambridge University.

Career Highlights

Working in Politics

Derek Laud was asked by David Cameron, who was the leader of the Conservative Party, to be their candidate for Mayor of London. He decided not to take the role, and Boris Johnson was chosen instead.

He was the first special adviser for a group in the House of Lords that focused on the countryside economy. He wrote speeches for important people like the Duke of Westminster.

Laud was a member of the Conservative Monday Club for a short time. In 1984, he wrote a paper about law, order, and race relations for the club. He thought of himself as a more open-minded member of the club. He left after disagreeing with their views on apartheid in South Africa. Apartheid was a system of racial separation. He later wrote about how to put pressure on that system. He often spoke out against the British government for not doing enough to end apartheid.

Later in the 1980s, Derek Laud became a researcher and special adviser. He worked for Conservative Members of Parliament and government ministers. He also advised Sir Gordon Downey, who was an important government auditor. He was a private secretary to Lord Rees, a government minister. He also did research for Sir Spencer Perceval, a legal official.

In the late 1980s, he worked as an aide and speechwriter for the Prime Minister at the time, Margaret Thatcher. During this period, Laud also helped write speeches for other important Conservative politicians. He was a campaign helper for Prime Minister John Major in 1990 and during the 1992 general election campaign.

In the 1997 general election, Laud was chosen to be a Conservative candidate for Parliament in Tottenham. This area had many non-white residents. He stepped down from the election shortly before it happened.

In May 2019, Derek Laud ran for the Liberal Democrats in Witney for a local council election. He did this to protest against the Windrush scandal, which affected people from the Caribbean who had come to the UK. He was very critical of Prime Minister Theresa May at the time.

Business Ventures

In the late 1980s, Laud worked as a consultant for Strategy Network International (SNI). This company helped businesses in the mining sector in Southern Africa. He was in charge of the part of the business that dealt with financial rules.

In the late 1990s, Derek Laud was recruited into private equity by Sir John Beckwith. He became a director of companies owned by the Pacific Group. This group invested in many areas, including wealth management, healthcare, and education. Laud was also chairman of the board for the Ravenstone House Group of Schools.

In 1992, Laud helped start a company called Ludgate Laud with Michael Colvin. This company worked to influence decisions for various clients. In 1996, Laud took over part of Ludgate Laud. Their clients included big companies like Johnson and Johnson and British Steel.

He is currently a partner and director at Stanhope Capital LLP, a company that manages wealth.

Laud also helped create and is an executive director of the New City Initiative. This is a think tank that focuses on the independent banking sector. He works as a banker in wealth management and holds other director positions.

Writing and Music

In 2015, Derek Laud published a book called The Problem With Immigrants. He also writes for important newspapers like the Financial Times and The Independent. He knows a lot about tennis and has written regularly about the Wimbledon Championships since 2010.

Recently, Laud has started writing songs. His first song, 'Over My Shoulder', was released in September 2022. It became very popular, with many downloads on Spotify.

Media Appearances

On Big Brother

In 2005, Derek Laud was a contestant on the sixth series of the British reality television show Big Brother. On the show, contestants live in a house and try not to be voted out by the public. He was the tenth person to leave the Big Brother House.

Other TV and Radio

Laud appeared on a special charity episode of the quiz show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in September 2005. He played with Edwina Currie, a former politician. Laud also appeared on the BBC discussion program Question Time in November 2005. He often appears on TV and radio. He is also a special writer about tennis. He chooses his TV appearances carefully, saying that many shows are just "shouting matches" without much intelligent discussion.

Personal Life

Derek Laud enjoys fox hunting. In 1999, he became the Master of Foxhounds for the New Forest Hunt. This made him the first black master of foxhounds in the United Kingdom. He lives in both the Cotswolds countryside and Knightsbridge in London.

Laud supports charities that help people with gambling addiction, like GamCare. He also supports the Dogs Trust, which is a charity that protects dogs. The Dogs Trust was the charity he chose to support when he appeared on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.