Andrew Summers works as chairman, board member and advisor to companies and governments worldwide. His current roles include chairman of Companies House, the government body which is the foundation for company information exchange in the UK, director of Whitbybird Ltd, a leading engineering consultancy, chairman of Design Partners, the industry/government body which promotes UK design internationally, and Deputy President of the Royal Society of Arts.

His background is in strategic management in both the private and public sectors. He was Chief Executive of the Design Council until 2003 where he led major redirection of the government body promoting UK competitiveness through the best use of design by business, education and government. Previously he was Chief Executive of the Management Charter Initiative developing the first management standards of best practice. He has also been a board member of the DTI Small Business Service and of British Trade International and chairman of the DTI European Trade Committee. His earlier experience was in the food industry, where he was Managing Director of Sharwood's, Managing Director of RHM Foods and a director of New Covent Garden Foods. He was chairman of strategy consultancy Brandsmiths until 2006.

His non-executive roles now include board member of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education and governor of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama. He also acts as policy advisor to the UK Department of Trade & Industry and to the Hong Kong and Philippine governments.

He has a Natural Sciences and Economics degree from Cambridge University and has also studied at Harvard Business School. He has an honorary doctorate from the University of Westminster, is Adjunct Professor at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, is senior fellow at the Design Management Institute (USA) and is a Companion of the Chartered Management Institute. He was awarded the CMG in 2001 for his work in promoting UK design internationally.

February 2007