Sir Nigel Wicks | |
|---|---|
| Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister | |
| In office 1985–1988 | |
| Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
| Preceded by | Robin Butler |
| Succeeded by | Andrew Turnbull |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Nigel Leonard Wicks (1940-06-16)16 June 1940 (age 85) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Beckenham and Penge Grammar School |
| Alma mater | Portsmouth College of Technology |
| Occupation | Finance |
| Awards | CBE(1979) CVO(1989) KCB(1992) GCB(1999) |
Sir Nigel Leonard WicksGCB CVO CBE (born 16 June 1940) is a British financier and former senior British civil servant. He also served as Chairman ofEuroclear Group.[1][2]
Educated originally atBeckenham and Penge Grammar School, Wicks joinedBP in 1958 at the age of 18.[3] Whilst at BP, Wicks studied for aUniversity of Londonexternal MA in business administration at thePortsmouth College of Technology, now part of theUniversity of Portsmouth.[4]
After 10 years at BP, Wicks joinedHM Treasury in 1968.[1] At the Treasury, Wicks undertook a number of positions including secondments to thePrime Minister's Office as a Private Secretary to the Prime Minister (1975–1978, underCallaghan andWilson) and at theBritish Embassy in Washington, D.C. asEconomic Minister (and so the UK's Executive Director of theIMF andIBRD) from 1983–1985.[1][3]
In 1985, Wicks took up his position asPrincipal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister,Margaret Thatcher, a post he held for three years until returning to the Treasury as SecondPermanent Secretary with responsibility for International Finance, where he remained for twelve years until reaching mandatory retirement age in 2000.[1][4] After Wicks' retirement, the Treasury's International Finance command was merged into that of Macro-Economic Policy, led byGus O'Donnell (later The Lord O'Donnell).[5]
After retirement, Wicks moved into finance; he served as Chairman ofCRESTCo for a year from 2001 until it merged withEuroclear, where he was Deputy chairman 2002–2006 and since then as chairman. Wicks also served as a non-executive director ofMorgan Stanley for three years from 2004, and of theEdinburgh Investment Trust since 2005.[1][4]
In public appointments, Wicks was appointed Chairman of theCommittee on Standards in Public Life from 2001–2004, as Chair of the panel appointing the initial members of the then-newJudicial Appointments Commission in 2005, and since 2007 has beenCommissioner of theJersey Financial Services Commission.[1][3]
In October 2012, Wicks was appointed chairman of theBritish Bankers' Association.
As well as hisMA degree from theUniversity of London, Wicks holds anMA degree from theUniversity of Cambridge, and honoraryLLD degrees from the Universities ofBath andPortsmouth. He is married with three sons.[1][3]
Wicks was appointed aCommander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) inPrime Minister Callaghan's Resignation Honours list in 1979,[6] aCommander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in the1989 New Year Honours,[7] and aKnight Commander (KCB) in the1992 New Year Honours,[8] and then promoted to aKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in the1999 New Year Honours.[9]
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | Economic Minister,British Embassy in Washington, D.C. 1983–1985 | Unknown |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by | Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister 1985–1988 | Succeeded by |
| SecondPermanent Secretary, HM Treasury 1988–2000 | Succeeded byas managing director, Macro-Economic Policy and International Finance | |
| Preceded by | Chairman of theCommittee on Standards in Public Life 2001–2004 | Succeeded by |
| Business positions | ||
| Preceded by | Chairman,CRESTCo 2001–2002 | Succeeded byas Chairman, Euroclear UK & Ireland |
| New title Position created after merger with CRESTCo | Deputy Chairman,Euroclear Group 2002–2005 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chairman,Euroclear Group 2006–2012 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chairman,British Bankers Association 2012– | Incumbent |