David Ord

Sir David Charles Ord (born July 1948) is a British businessman.

Early life and education

Ord graduated from University College London and was a Sloan Fellow of the London Business School.[1]

Career

He is the co-owner and Managing Director of the Bristol Port Company,[2][3] which owns Royal Portbury Dock and Avonmouth Docks which make up the modern Port of Bristol.[4] The docks were operated by the Port of Bristol Authority, part of Bristol City Council, until 1991, when the council granted a 150-year lease to the Bristol Port Company.[5][6] In 2014 the council sold the freehold of the port to the company for £10 million, but retained a 12.5% non voting stake in the company.[7][8]

He was non-executive chairman of Mitie from 2003 to 2008 and was the south west regional treasurer of the Conservative Party from 1999.[1] He is a member of the Society of Merchant Venturers.[9] He made donations to the local Conservative party, which led to member of parliament Charlotte Leslie, being accused of not declaring these as being potentially relevant to her opposition to the Severn Barrage.[10][11] She was later cleared of wrongdoing in relation to the declaration of the donations.[12][13]

His larger donations, estimated to be £77,500 in 2013,[14] to the national conservative party led to speculation about his influence in connection with plans for the barrage.[15] He is a director of Open Europe, a think tank promoting ideas for economic and political reform of the European Union.[16] He is chairman of the Trade Policy Research Centre.[17]

Since 1998, Ord has been a member of The Society of Merchant Venturers, a private club whose membership is invited "from individuals who have been successful in their chosen area of business".[18][19]

Honours

Ord was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by the University of Bristol on 17 July 2015.[2]

In the 2017 New Year Honours, Ord was knighted for political service and service to the community in the South West.[20]

Controversies

Prior to his knighthood in the 2017 New Year Honours, David Ord has donated more than £930,000 to the Conservative Party since 2013. Jeremy Corbyn has said “The Conservatives are making a mockery of our honours system. Every crony appointment is an insult to the incredible people from right across Britain who are rewarded for the great contributions they make to our national life.” A Downing Street source has defended the honours for Conservative donors, saying: “Being involved in political parties is generally considered to be an important part of civic society, and the alternative is having state funding for political parties, which is not where the consensus lies. When people dedicate their time and service to civil society it’s appropriate they can be honoured.” [21]

References
  1. "David Ord". Conservative Foundation. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  2. "Honorary degrees awarded at the University of Bristol – Friday, 17 July". University of Bristol. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  3. Ribbeck, Michael (12 February 2013). "Bristol Port boss David Ord accused of using influence as a Tory donor to sway David Cameron against Severn barrage". Bristol Post. Archived from the original on 20 July 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  4. "David Ord". Sunday Times. 26 April 2009. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  5. "Britain's most centrally located deep sea port". Bristol Port Company. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  6. "Bristol (Avonmouth)". Ports and Harbours of the UK. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  7. "Bristol mayor George Ferguson to sell Avonmouth docks freehold". South West Business. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  8. Murray Brown, John (17 February 2013). "Bristol Port diversifies away from coal". Financial Times. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  9. "Current Members". Society of Merchant Venturers. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  10. Shipton, Martin (9 April 2014). "Conservative MP 'unspeakably sorry' over failure to declare donations linked to Severn Barrage project". Wales Online. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  11. "Charlotte Leslie MP apologises over donations error". BBC. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  12. "Bristol North West MP Charlotte Leslie cleared of wrongdoing over donations". Western Daily Press. 22 July 2014. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  13. "Ms Charlotte Leslie MP: Resolution letter" (PDF). Parliament UK. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  14. Morris, Nigel (13 August 2013). "Revealed: Wealthy donors who dined with David Cameron gave £1m to the Tories". Independent. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  15. Grimston, Jack (10 February 2013). "Tory donor lobbied against Severn barrage". Sunday Times. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  16. "From chill to charm". Telegraph. 11 March 2007. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  17. "About the TPRC". Trade Policy Research Centre. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  18. "Our Members". The Society of Merchant Venturers. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  19. "FAQ". The Society of Merchant Venturers. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  20. "No. 61803". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2016. p. N2.
  21. "Company boss who gave £930,000 to Tory party receives knighthood". The Guardian.
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