Alma mater Salford University | Occupation Businessman | |
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Education Smithills Moor Grammar School Known for Director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce, 2011-16 | ||
John Longworth (born May 1958) is a British business consultant, and was the director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce from September 2011 until March 2016. His career spanned operational roles including global quality management and supplier development, through corporate, M&A, law, marketing and PR.
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Early life
John Longworth was born in May 1958, and educated at Smithills Moor Grammar School, Bolton, followed by bachelor's and master's degrees from Salford University. He is a chartered company secretary and has a post graduate certificate in microbiology.
Career
He has been an executive main board director at Asda, operating board director at Tesco and senior manager at the CWS.
In 2010 he co-founded SVA Ltd, serving as chairman until leaving in 2015.
He was a director at Barts NHS Trust in 2009/10, having been asked to look at commercialisation opportunities to help fund the Trust's debts.
He has been a non-executive director of several organisations, including; British Retail Consortium, Association of American Chamber Chief Executives, UK India Business Council, Cooperative Food Retail Ltd, Nichols Plc. He was also a Council Member of the World Chambers Federation.
Regular media commentator and writer, he now advises organisations in the Financial Sector and others.
He has contributed to public life, Chairing the Health and Safety Executives Audit Committee and as a Health and Safety Commissioner for six years, he also served as a Panel Member of the Competition Commission.
In March 2016, he became the first leader of a major business group, the BCC, to back Brexit. He volunteered to lead the successful business campaign to leave the EU, as Chairman of the Vote Leave Business Council and is now Co Chairman of Leave means Leave a lobby group set up to promote a "clean" Brexit. In March 2016, Mr Longworth resigned from the BCC in order to speak freely on Brexit.
Honours
He has an honorary doctorate from the private University, BPP.