Press Releases

PRESS RELEASE : Business and Trade Department announces new Non-Executive Directors [May 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Business and Trade on 19 May 2023.

The Business and Trade Secretary has appointed five Non-Executive Members to the Department’s Board.

Today (Friday 19 May) the Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch has announced the appointment of five non-executive members of the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) Board.

The new board members are:

  • Stephen Hill OBE as Lead Non-Executive Director
  • Karina McTeague as Chair of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee (ARAC)
  • Robert Leeming as Non-Executive Director
  • Lord Syed Kamall as Non-Executive Director
  • Peter Fleet as Non-Executive Director

The board will also include Sir Stephen O’Brien and Noel Harwerth, who previously sat on the former Department for International Trade Board.

The new members have been appointed for at least 3 years and will provide independent advice, support and scrutiny on the department’s work, to help deliver the Government’s ambitious business and trade agenda.

The Business and Trade Secretary, Kemi Badenoch said:

The Department’s new non-executive directors bring with them a wealth of knowledge and expertise and will help us to grow the UK economy, support UK businesses and create jobs and opportunities across the country.

Background

  • Non-Executives are experts from outside government who provide oversight and challenge to the department in the development of policy and the management of resources.

Biographies

  • Stephen Hill was previously a Non-Executive Director of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). As part of his role, Stephen Hill will also chair the Nominations and Governance Committee. Stephen has extensive board level experience. He was awarded an OBE in 2017 for his work in philanthropy, particularly for those with hearing impairments.
  • Karina McTeague previously served as a Member of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee at the Home Office. Ms McTeague has a background in law and in the financial sector. She was previously Chief Risk Officer at Visa Europe. She also worked as a Director of Supervision for the Retail Banking and Payments sectors and Director of General Insurance and Conduct Specialists at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
  • Robert Leeming has been a partner at the private equity firm, Charterhouse Capital Partners, since 2007. He was previously a partner at EPIC Private Equity and an associate at PwC. He is also Chairman of the Autism Research Trust.
  • Lord Syed Kamall is a Professor of Politics and International Relations at St Mary’s University, Twickenham and a member of the House of Lords Communications Digital Committee. He was previously Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and also the Department of Health and Social Care. He was made a life peer on 11 February 2021.
  • Peter Fleet is a former Group Vice President at Ford Motor Company. He was most recently President of Ford Asia Pacific and Chairman and CEO of Ford Motor China. He now has a portfolio of non-executive roles.