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MINISTERS ANNOUNCE APPOINTMENT OF NEW CHAIR OF THE DESIGN COUNCIL

Sir Michael Bichard was today appointed as the new Chair of the Design Council. Sir Michael succeeds Sir George Cox and will take up his post in January 2008.

The Design Council is the national strategic body for design. It promotes the use of design throughout the UK's businesses and public services. Through their work they demonstrate that design can play a vital role in strengthening our economy and improving our society.

Announcing the appointment John Denham, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills said:

I am thrilled that Sir Michael Bichard has agreed to take on this important role at a time when design is acknowledged as central to international business competitiveness, innovation performance and wider social well-being.

As a public figure with a world-wide reputation in the fields of education, government and the creative arts, Sir Michael is well placed to tackle the important agenda the Design Council seeks to address.

I would also like to pay tribute to Sir George Cox, whose leadership of the Design Council has been exemplary. His proposals to the Treasury marked a watershed in design and innovation policy resulting in a powerful programme of measures being implemented nationally. These include the Design Council's business programme for SME's and new multidisciplinary university centres where design, technology and business are brought closer together.

James Purnell, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport said:

Sir Michael Bichard is the right man to be heading up the Design Council at a time when the creative industries are becoming more important than ever.

My thanks go to George Cox for his leadership and vision - and in particular for his input into the Creative Economy Green Paper which we aim to publish later this year.

Sir Michael said:

I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to Chair such a successful, dynamic and important institution as the Design Council. Design is one of the most potent forces for innovation and competitiveness. It is recognised by all the world's leading economies and is increasingly the focus for newer rapidly emerging market economies.

As well as its ability to boost company performance and drive innovation, design is providing inspiring solutions to some of society's most pressing problems. I look forward to building on the work of Sir George Cox and supporting David Kester and his able executive team in shaping the design response to our national priorities.

Sir George Cox said:

It's been a tremendous privilege to lead the Design Council over the last three years and to see design move right to the top of the government's agenda for innovation and business. My own review was just one step in the process, and I've been hugely encouraged by the way its recommendations have been embraced, most recently in the review of Government's Science and Innovation policy by Lord Sainsbury. I can think of no better person than Sir Michael Bichard to take this work forward.

Notes to Editors

  1. Biography of Sir Michael Bichard

    Sir Michael Bichard KCB has been Rector of the University of the Arts London since September 2001 and a member of the University's Development Council. Sir Michael has had an outstanding career in the public sector - twenty years in Local Government and nearly ten in Central Government. He was Chief Executive of Brent and Gloucestershire Local Authorities and in 1990 became Chief Executive of the Government's Benefits Agency. In 1995 he was appointed Permanent Secretary of the Employment Department and then the Department for Education and Employment. Michael received a Knighthood in the Queen's Birthday Honours 1999. In May 2001 he left the Civil Service and in September 2001 was appointed Rector of The London Institute, the largest Art and Design Institute in Europe, which in May 2004 became University of the Arts London. In January 2004 he was appointed by the Home Office to chair the Soham/Bichard Inquiry and on 1 April 2005 he became Chair of the Legal Services Commission
  2. The Design Council is a Non-Departmental Public Body funded by Grant-in-Aid from the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS). The post of Chair is unpaid and runs for three years in the first instance.
  3. The Design Council exists to promote design in both the private and public sectors and to improve public awareness of the value of good design. Appointments to the Design Council are made by the Secretaries of State for DIUS and DCMS, in accordance with the Code of Practice issued by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA).
  4. In 2005 Sir George Cox was asked by the then Chancellor to conduct a review of creativity in business. The final report, 'The Cox Review of Creativity in Business: Building on the UK's strengths', was published in December 2005 and was welcomed by government and industry. Its findings are now being implemented.
  5. For further information about this appointment and the work of the Design Council, please contact Matt Barker at DIUS press office on 0203 300 8126, Kate Pike at DCMS press office on 0207 211 6271 and Saskia Sissons at the Design Council on 0207 420 5248.
  6. Further information on the plans and activities of the Design Council can be found at http://www.designcouncil.org.uk