OREANDA-NEWS James Timpson is Chief Executive of Timpson, a family retail business based in Manchester. The business trades from 1,725 shops across country, comprising of 920 Timpson outlets and a mix of Max Spielmann and Snappy Snaps photo shops (also including the Johnsons the Cleaners and Jeeves of Belgravia businesses). The company turnover is in excess of £200m and employs some 4,500 people. James’s passion and enthusiasm for business, people, his team and the wider community was recognised in the 2011 Queen’s Birthday Honours List, where he was awarded an OBE for services to training and employment for disadvantaged people.

The following year he was appointed the David Goldman Visiting Professor of Innovation for 2012-13, at the Newcastle University Business School. In 2015 James was appointed the HRH Prince of Wales Ambassador for responsible business in the North West in 2015. The same year he received the Albert Medal from the Royal Society of Arts and in 2016 appeared in the Sunday Times 500 Most Influential list, acknowledging his recruitment of ex-offenders. Away from Timpson James is Chair of the Prison Reform Trust and was, until 2016, Chair of the Employers Forum for Reducing Re-offending (EFFRR), a group of likeminded employers who offer a second chance to people with a criminal conviction. EFFRR members actively encourage other employers to be more willing to recruit ex-offenders and are on hand to help guide businesses along the way to help maximize the success of any placements.

The role is not remunerated and this appointment has been made in accordance with the OCPA Code of Practice. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. Mr Timpson has declared that the company of which he is a CEO (Timpson Ltd) has made recordable donations to Mr Edward Timpson MP over the past five years - details of which can be obtained from the Electoral Commission website.