David Ord Explained

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.

Career

He is the co-owner and Managing Director of the Bristol Port Company,[1] [2] which owns Royal Portbury Dock and Avonmouth Docks which make up the modern Port of Bristol.[3] 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.[4] [5] 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.[6] [7]

He was non-executive chairman of Mitie from 2003 to 2008 and was the south west regional treasurer of the Conservative Party from 1999.[8] 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]

Ord is a Director of FIRST CORPORATE CONSULTANTS LTD, Company number 02155845 . FIRST CORPORATE CONSULTANTS LTD

donated £100,000 to Reform UK on December 11, 2023 .

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.” [20]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Honorary degrees awarded at the University of Bristol – Friday, 17 July. University of Bristol. 18 July 2015.
  2. News: Ribbeck. Michael. Bristol Port boss David Ord accused of using influence as a Tory donor to sway David Cameron against Severn barrage. 18 July 2015. Bristol Post. 12 February 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20150720013410/http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Bristol-Port-boss-David-Ord-accused-using/story-18124862-detail/story.html. 20 July 2015. dead.
  3. News: David Ord. https://web.archive.org/web/20150721143911/http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/business/BusinessRichList/article162552.ece. dead. 21 July 2015. 18 July 2015. Sunday Times. 26 April 2009.
  4. Web site: Britain's most centrally located deep sea port. Bristol Port Company. 18 July 2015.
  5. Web site: Bristol (Avonmouth). Ports and Harbours of the UK. 18 July 2015.
  6. Web site: Bristol mayor George Ferguson to sell Avonmouth docks freehold. South West Business. 18 July 2015.
  7. News: Murray Brown. John. Bristol Port diversifies away from coal. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221211221241/https://www.ft.com/content/062430d0-78f0-11e2-930b-00144feabdc0#axzz3gEsr5VQ8. 11 December 2022. subscription. live. 18 July 2015. Financial Times. 17 February 2013.
  8. Web site: David Ord. Conservative Foundation. 18 July 2015.
  9. Web site: Current Members. Society of Merchant Venturers. 18 July 2015.
  10. News: Shipton. Martin. Conservative MP 'unspeakably sorry' over failure to declare donations linked to Severn Barrage project. 18 July 2015. Wales Online. 9 April 2014.
  11. Web site: Charlotte Leslie MP apologises over donations error. BBC. 18 July 2015.
  12. News: Bristol North West MP Charlotte Leslie cleared of wrongdoing over donations. 18 July 2015. Western Daily Press. 22 July 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20150722030244/http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/MP-cleared-wrongdoing-donations/story-21739577-detail/story.html. 22 July 2015. dead.
  13. Web site: Ms Charlotte Leslie MP: Resolution letter. Parliament UK. 18 July 2015.
  14. News: Morris. Nigel. Revealed: Wealthy donors who dined with David Cameron gave £1m to the Tories. 18 July 2015. Independent. 13 August 2013.
  15. News: Grimston. Jack. Tory donor lobbied against Severn barrage. https://web.archive.org/web/20150721143914/http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/Politics/article1211149.ece. dead. 21 July 2015. 18 July 2015. Sunday Times. 10 February 2013.
  16. News: From chill to charm. 18 July 2015. Telegraph. 11 March 2007.
  17. Web site: About the TPRC. Trade Policy Research Centre. 18 July 2015.
  18. Web site: Our Members. 2020-06-15. The Society of Merchant Venturers. en-US.
  19. Web site: FAQ. 2020-06-15. The Society of Merchant Venturers. en-US.
  20. Web site: Company boss who gave £930,000 to Tory party receives knighthood. The Guardian.

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