Business lobby group the CBI has appointed Tony Danker – a former government adviser – as its new director general.
Danker, 48, will replace Dame Carolyn Fairbairn at the helm of the UK’s foremost business lobby group when she steps down in November after five years in the pivotal industry role.
He is currently chief executive of Be the Business, a government and industry-funded organisation launched by George Osborne with the aim of boosting the productivity of British companies.
Danker was previously chief strategy officer at Guardian News and Media, the publisher of the Guardian and Observer.
The appointment comes at a critical moment for companies around the country as the coronavirus crisis plunges Britain’s economy into the deepest recession in living memory, and as the country gears up for leaving the EU at the end of the Brexit transition period in December.
Against a backdrop of mounting job losses as businesses fight to stay afloat, the CBI has taken a key role alongside other business groups and trade unions in shaping the government’s economic response to the crisis.
As an organisation with a direct line into government to lobby on behalf of 190,000 businesses, employing 7 million people between them, the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, publicly thanked the CBI and unions for helping to design the Covid-19 furlough scheme.
However, the CBI has faced criticism in recent years over its stance on Brexit, as one of the most vocal supporters of the remain campaign before the 2016 referendum and as one of the leading organisations warning against a no-deal exit.
The lobby group also clashed with Labour ahead of the 2019 election after it was found to have exaggerated claims over the cost of Jeremy Corbyn’s renationalisation plans.
Danker will be expected to draw on experience at Be the Business in attempting to fix Britain’s dismal productivity record of the past decade as the country recovers from the Covid-19 recession.
He also takes over as demands grow on business to better serve society at large, rather than simply lining the pockets of investors and top executives. Pressure is mounting on firms to pay fair taxes, tackle the climate emergency, reduce inequality and boost diversity in the workplace.
The CBI said more than half of the candidates considered to lead the organisation were female, while a 10th were from a black, Asian or minority ethnic background.
Danker said: “It is an honour to be asked to lead the CBI, which is doing vital work in response to Covid-19. Meanwhile, Be the Business is also working to support thousands of businesses around the country through challenging times, helping them emerge resilient. This is my total focus until October.”
Before his time at the Guardian between 2010 to 2017, Danker was a policy adviser to the government of Gordon Brown, working in the Cabinet Office and Treasury. Born in Belfast, he now lives in London.
