Overview

Bob Wigley is Chairman of the Global Advisory Board of the Centre for Corporate Reputation.
 
Bob is Chairman elect of Yell Group plc, an investor and entrepreneur. He is an investor in and on the Advisory Board of the venture capital firm Bluegem LLP and the financial services operating partner of Advent International plc. He is Deputy Chairman of Business in the Community (the UK corporate social responsibility organization), and sits on the Government’s National Council for Education Excellence in which capacity he has recently authored a report for the Prime Minister on how to improve school governance using lessons from the corporate world.  He is Chairman of the National Education Employer Partnership Taskforce, an independent body which is seeking to establish an effective education business partnership in every school in the UK. He is a member of the Senior Practitioner Committee of the Financial Services Authority and the Advisory Council of Business for New Europe. In 2008, he chaired a panel of leading London financial services company CEO’s for the incoming Mayor of London, Boris Johnson looking at how to maintain London’s competitiveness in global terms for the decade ahead and now sits on the Mayor’s panel of economic advisers. He is an Ambassador for the children’s mobility charity, Whizz-kidz, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce and is a member of the Court of the Guild of International Bankers.  He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and has a business degree and an honorary doctorate from Bath University. He is Master Elect of the Worshipful Company of International Bankers. He is married with three children. 

In January, 2009, Bob resigned as Chairman of Merrill Lynch Europe, Middle East and Africa following the completion of the takeover by Bank of America. Since 2004, Bob had chaired Merrill Lynch’s EMEA Region Executive Committee and sat on Merrill Lynch’s Global Operating Committee and Client Coverage Council. During this time, he also sat on the boards of LCH.Clearnet plc (Chairing its nomination committee) and Euroclear plc (and its strategy committee), was a member of the Chancellor’s “wise men” group representing key financial stakeholders in London, was a member of the Chairman’s Committee of the London Investment Banking Association, a member of the Panel on Takeovers and Mergers (and its remuneration committee) and on the EU Advisory Panel of the London Corporation. Previous roles at Merrill Lynch included Chairman of European Investment Banking, Global Head of Telecoms, Media and Technology Investment Banking, Head of UK Investment Banking and Head of Corporate Broking.

Between 2006 and 2009, Bob was a member of the Court of the Bank of England and of its Audit Committee.