Brian Griffiths, Baron Griffiths of Fforestfach
Brian Griffiths, Baron Griffiths of Fforestfach | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 27, 1941 |
| Occupation(s) | Economist, academic, politician |
| Known for | Chief policy adviser to Margaret Thatcher; Director of Number 10 Policy Unit; Vice-chairman of Goldman Sachs International; Chair of Centre for Policy Studies |
Brian Griffiths, Baron Griffiths of Fforestfach (born 27 December 1941) is a distinguished British economist, academic, and Conservative life peer.
Early life
Griffiths received his education at Dynevor School, Swansea before attending the London School of Economics (LSE), where he completed both a BSc(Econ.) and an MSc(Econ.).
Career
Starting his academic journey in 1965, Griffiths worked as an assistant lecturer in economics at LSE. By 1968, he had moved to City University, initially as a lecturer and later elevated to Professor of Banking and International Finance in 1977. Between 1982 and 1985, he held the position of Dean at City University's Cass Business School.
Griffiths has contributed extensively to discussions on the relationship between Christian beliefs and economic and political life, authoring the 1984 work The Creation of Wealth: A Christian's Case for Capitalism. Drawing inspiration from Rousas J. Rushdoony, he taught biblical economics at Regent College in 1979 and presented the 2011 Niblett Memorial Lecture at Sarum College entitled "A Christian Reflection on the Financial Crisis".
In the corporate arena, Griffiths was vice-chairman at Goldman Sachs International, where he defended the firm's remuneration strategies as essential for sustaining competitiveness and employment within the UK. He supported the notion that accepting income disparities is a necessary step toward achieving widespread economic success.
Additionally, Griffiths plays a prominent role as Co-Conference Host at the St. Gallen Symposium, collaborating with influential business leaders such as Roshni Nadar and Dominic Barton.
Political career
In 1985, Griffiths left his academic roles to become chief policy adviser to Margaret Thatcher. He continued as Director of the Number 10 Policy Unit throughout Thatcher's administration. From 1991 to 2001, he chaired the Centre for Policy Studies and served on the board of the Conservative Christian Fellowship between 2000 and 2002. His public service also includes membership on the European Union Sub-Committee F (Social Affairs, Education and Home Affairs) from 1999 to 2003, as well as participation in the Religious Offences Committee from 2002 to 2003. He holds the position of vice-president at the Nature in Art Trust.
Griffiths stood as the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Blyth during both general elections in 1974. On 5 February 1991, he was ennobled as a life peer with the title Baron Griffiths, of Fforestfach in the County of West Glamorgan.
In 2004, he chaired the Griffiths Commission on Personal Debt.
External links
- Profile on the UK Parliament Webpage
- Brian Griffiths at millbanksystems.com