Confederation of British Industry
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) was formed in 1965 and exists as a pressure group and a lobbying organisation for its members. It is apolitical, i.e. it remains politically neutral. It works with the UK government, international legislators and policy-makers to help UK businesses compete more effectively. Its forerunner was the Federation of British Industry, established in 1916 to provide employers with a national voice.
CBI aims
The CBI champions causes favourable to owners of British businesses
The stated aim of the CBI is to help create and sustain the conditions in which the UK can compete and prosper. Its policies are determined directly by its members.
Membership
The CBI owes its strength to the size and diversity of its membership. It represents 200,000 businesses based in the UK. Membership includes all sectors of business – retail, financial services, construction, utilities, professional firms, manufacture, agriculture, IT and eBusiness, creative and communications, management, consultancy, transport and tourism.
It speaks for all sizes of business from multi-national organisations to start-up firms. Approximately 85% of the FTSE 100 companies are CBI members and 60% of the FTSE 300.
Most of its larger members and many of the medium-sized and smaller ones operate internationally.
Membership of the CBI is corporate: organisations and companies are members, not the individuals nominated to represent them.
The CBI offers the following benefits to its members:
Policy and lobbying
- Being the largest lobbying organisation in the UK, the CBI has a substantial weight to its voice.
- It also has well established networks across Europe and the rest of the World. No other business organisation has such an extensive network of contacts with government ministers, MPs, civil servants, opinion formers and the media.
Networking and best practice exchange
- The best-networked companies are the most successful.
- Opportunities for members to meet and excahange view and ideas with other companies, particularly those in their own business sector.
- Discussions of:
- Business States
- Managment Issues
- Impending Legislation
Research
- The CBI conducts numerous surveys and reports which are of particular use to its members. Any research conduct is immediately made available to the relevant sections of its membership.
Organisation
contact details
The CBI divides the UK into 12 Regions. It also has offices in Brussels and Washington D.C.. However, its main office is situated in London at Centre Point.
- CBI
- Centre Point
- 103 New Oxford Street
- London
- WC1A 1DU
Personnel
- John Sunderland, President
- Sir John Egan, Deputy President
- Digby Jones, Director-General
- John Cridland, Deputy Director-General
- Susan Anderson, Director, Human Resources Policy
- Andy Scott, Director, International Competitiveness
- Ian McCafferty, Chief Economic Adviser
- Michael Roberts, Director, Business Environment
- John Williams, Director, Public Services
Former Director-Generals include: