The Lord Levene of Portsoken | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2020 | |
| 671st Lord Mayor of London | |
| In office 1998–1999 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Nichols |
| Succeeded by | Clive Martin |
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |
| In office 22 July 1997 – 28 November 2024 Life peerage | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Peter Keith Levene (1941-12-08)8 December 1941 (age 83) Pinner, Middlesex, England |
| Spouse | |
Peter Keith Levene, Baron Levene of Portsoken (born 8 December 1941), is a British businessman who was the chairman ofLloyd's of London from 2003 to 2011 and served asLord Mayor of London from 1998 to 1999. He was a member of theHouse of Lords from 1997 to 2024.
He was educated at theCity of London School and then studied at theUniversity of Manchester where he graduated with a degree in Economics and Political Science.[citation needed]
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Lord Levene is chairman of Starr Underwriting Agents Limited. Previously, he served as chairman of theLloyd's of London insurance and reinsurance market from 2002 to 2011, after having been vice chairman ofDeutsche Bank. Prior to this, he held the position of chairman ofBankers Trust International and was formerly with bothMorgan Stanley andWasserstein Perella. He joinedUnited Scientific Holdings in 1963, a small company which grew into a substantial supplier to UK and overseas Ministries of Defence. He eventually rose to the post of chairman of that group, in 1981.[1]
Subsequently, he was asked by the thenSecretary of State for Defence,Michael Heseltine, to act as his Personal Advisor in theMoD, and then as Permanent Secretary in the role ofChief of Defence Procurement, a position which he held for six years. As UK National Armaments Director, he was appointed as chairman of the European National Armaments Directors 1989–1990. He thereafter held a number of Government posts, as Advisor to theSecretary of State for the Environment; to thePresident of the Board of Trade; and to theChancellor of the Exchequer. He was appointed as Advisor to the Prime Minister (John Major) on Efficiency and Effectiveness from 1992 to 1997, producing a report,Efficiency Scrutiny into Construction Procurement by Government. in 1996.[2] During this period, he also served as chairman of theDocklands Light Railway and then chairman and Chief Executive ofCanary Wharf Ltd. He served as a member of the Board of Directors ofJ Sainsbury plc from 2001 to 2004, and ofTotal S.A., from 2005 to 2011, and was chairman of General Dynamics UK Ltd until 2019.[1]
He served as anAlderman of the City of London from 1994 to 2012 and asSheriff of London from 1995 to 1996. He wasLord Mayor of London for the year 1998–99, in which role he presided over theCorporation of the City of London, and supported and promoted London as an international financial centre. He was appointedKnight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in the1989 New Year Honours[3] and was created alife peer on 22 July 1997 asBaron Levene of Portsoken, ofPortsoken in theCity of London.[4] He sat as acrossbencher in theHouse of Lords until his retirement on 28 November 2024.[5][6]
Levene has held three other non-executive directorships in addition to Starr underwriting, as chairman of Tikehau Capital Europe Ltd, and on the boards ofHaymarket Media Group, andChina Construction Bank. He is a member of the House of Lords Finance Committee and was also a member of the Joint Committee on National Security Strategy. He was appointed by the Secretary of State for Defence in July 2010 to chair theDefence Reform Group, a body set up to review proposals for changes in structure in the UK Ministry of Defence. This body reported in June 2011 and their recommendations are now being implemented. He speaks French, German and Italian.
Lord Levene is married to Wendy, Lady Levene, who is active in many charities. She is a trustee of theJewish Museum. She hadpolymyalgia rheumatica and is a trustee of the associated charity, PMRGCA UK.[7] In 1989, she launchedHMS Argyll, a Royal Navy warship sponsored by theWorshipful Company of Paviors.[8]They have three children – John Levene, born 1968, Nicole Walsh, born 1969, Tim Levene – born 1973, and ten grandchildren.
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Sinister: a Scorpion Or, the Stinger Gules.
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| Civic offices | ||
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| Preceded by |  Lord Mayor of London 1998–1999 | Succeeded by SirClive Martin |
| Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by | Gentlemen Baron Levene of Portsoken | Followed by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
