John Kingman (businessman)
John Kingman | |
|---|---|
| Born | John Oliver Frank Kingman April 24, 1969 |
| Occupation(s) | Civil servant, businessman |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Known for | Chair of Legal & General Group Plc; Deputy Chair of the National Gallery; founding Chair of UK Research and Innovation; Second Permanent Secretary at HM Treasury |
| Notable work | Review of the Financial Reporting Council (2018) |
Sir John Oliver Frank Kingman KCB FRS FMedSci (born 24 April 1969) has held the position of Chair at Legal & General Group Plc since 2016. Additionally, he leads Barclays UK, the retail banking division of Barclays PLC that operates within a ring-fenced structure, and is a member of the Barclays PLC board.
Since 2018, he has served as Deputy Chair of the National Gallery and has undertaken two separate terms as acting Chair.
Kingman formerly held the role of Second Permanent Secretary at HM Treasury. From 2016 until 2021, he was the founding Chair of UK Research and Innovation, managing government investments in science and innovation amounting to approximately £8 billion annually. He is recognized as an Honorary Fellow by the Academy of Medical Sciences.
In 2018, Kingman conducted a significant review of the Financial Reporting Council, advocating for extensive reforms and the termination of self-regulation among leading audit firms.
He also participates as a member of the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy Advisory Council.
Education
Kingman attended Westminster School as a Queen’s Scholar and was awarded the Casberd Scholarship at St John's College, Oxford, where he graduated with first-class honours in Modern History. He currently holds the status of Honorary Fellow at the college.
Career
At the outset of his professional journey (1995–97), Kingman contributed as a Financial Times Lex columnist and was part of BP’s Chief Executive office from 1997 to 1998.
During the financial crisis spanning 2007 to 2009, he played a pivotal role in the nationalisation process of Northern Rock and spearheaded negotiations for a £37 billion recapitalisation involving RBS, Lloyds, and HBOS. Subsequently, he became the inaugural chief executive of UK Financial Investments, overseeing government holdings in banks.
While at HM Treasury, Kingman directed significant transactions including the sale of £16 billion worth of Lloyds shares, the initial divestment of RBS shares, and orchestrated the UK's largest privatisation involving £13 billion in mortgage assets. His leadership extended to reforms such as deregulating the annuity market, establishing the National Infrastructure Commission, and securing Greater Manchester’s devolution agreement that introduced an elected Mayor. Earlier in his career, he contributed to reforming UK competition legislation through the 2001 Enterprise Act and initiated the Highly Skilled Migrants Programme. He was instrumental in directing science funding through five spending reviews and led a decade-long cross-government science and innovation strategy launched in 2004. Between 2003 and 2006, Kingman served on the board of directors at the European Investment Bank.
From 2010 to 2012, he held the position of Global Co-head of Financial Institutions Group at Rothschild.
Affiliations
Kingman is recognized as a World Fellow by Yale University and holds a Visiting Fellowship at Nuffield College, Oxford. His past roles include Trustee of the Royal Opera House from 2014 to 2021. He has also contributed to advisory bodies such as the Prime Minister's Council for Science and Technology, participated in the Trilateral Commission, engaged with Oxford University's Centre for Corporate Reputation, and supported fundraising efforts for the £37 million refurbishment project at St-Martin-in-the-Fields. Furthermore, he chaired the panel judging the Wolfson Economics Prize in 2017.
Personal life
He is the son of mathematician Sir John Frank Charles Kingman FRS. His partner, Diana Gerald MBE, serves as CEO of BookTrust, a charitable organisation. The family lives in central London with their daughter.