Former Serco boss Rupert Soames appointed as CBI president

(Sharecast News) - Former Serco boss Rupert Soames has been appointed as President of the scandal-ridden Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the lobby group announced on Tuesday.

Soames, grandson of former British prime minister Winston Churchill, will take over from Brian McBride after the CBI was rocked by claims of sexual misconduct which threatened its very existence due to its handling of the allegations, which included rape.

Several long-standing members including the John Lewis Partnership and Aviva quit the organisation, while others suspended or paused their membership including carmakers BMW, Ford and Jaguar Land Rover and supermarkets Tesco and Sainsbury's.



Director-general Tony Danker was sacked after an inquiry into his behaviour, although Danker accused the organisation of "throwing me under a bus."

In a statement on his appointment, Soames said: "I am pleased and honoured to have been nominated to be the next President of the CBI. After a decade of disruption and distraction due to Brexit, Covid, inflation and labour shortages, business and government need to work closely together to deliver a prosperous future where economic growth will lift living standards and sustainably fund the UK's vital public services."

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com