Division of General Counsel, Governance and Compliance

Mr Chris Brodie

Photo of Council MemberMember elected by Council (first appointed: 27 March 2009, re-appointed for a third term of two years on 1 August 2016, end of tenure: 31 July 2018).

Chris Brodie holds the position of Chair of Council at the University of Sussex, a position he has held since 1 August 2013..

 

 

Christian Brodie read law at Magdalen College, Oxford. He graduated in 1978. Whilst at university, he represented British Universities at cross country running and won silver and bronze medals at the British Universities Championships in that sport. He also represented Oxford University against Cambridge and was therefore awarded blues in athletics, cross country running and modern pentathlon. He is currently ranked 8th in the World by UIPM (the World governing body of Modern Pentathlon) in the 60 and over age group in Laser Run.

He passed the solicitors’ professional exams with distinction in 1979 and then worked for Herbert Smith & Co. as a corporate finance lawyer in the City of London and New York.

In 1985 he joined S.G. Warburg & Co. Ltd. This firm was ultimately acquired by UBS which became the largest financial services organisation in the world in terms of client funds under management. He retired from UBS in 2013. At UBS he served in a variety of senior management positions including as a member of the Group Management Board, Vice Chairman of the Investment Bank, head of Investment Banking in Europe, Middle East and Africa and head of Investment Banking in Australia and New Zealand. He was ranked the top adviser in Europe in the Industrial Sector by value of transactions in 2000 by Thomson Financial, the league table compilers.

Following his retirement from UBS, he has taken on a number of non executive roles. He chairs or has chaired a number of organisations including: the Chelsea & Westminster Health Charity which is the NHS Charity associated with the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, Greensage Limited which is a private property and investment company, the Council of the University of Sussex (as well as being the Pro Chancellor), the South East Local Enterprise Partnership, the Student Loans Company, Pentathlon GB which is the governing body in the UK of the Olympic Sport of Modern Pentathlon, the Public Chairs Forum which exists to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the delivery of public services in the United Kingdom, the BIS Partnership Organisations Chairs Forum, the Regulatory Partnership Group for Higher Education and the Council of UCAS, which is the Universities and Colleges Application Service. He serves on the board of the Universities and Colleges Employers Association. He is a member of the Financial Sustainability Strategy Group of HEFCE, the Higher Education Funding Council of England. He has been a member of the finance and grants committees of the Wates Foundation, his family foundation that has donated more than £100 million to charitable causes mainly in London and the South East. He has served on the Public Leaders Editorial Board of the Guardian and on the Executive Committee of the Committee of University Chairs. He is a member of the UK Government’s Sports Business Council and Co-Chairs the working group on the Sports Economy. He has also served as a Governor of Tonbridge School and on the Finance and Judd Foundation Committees of the Skinners Company. Finally he is a member of the West Anglia Taskforce, the Governor Development Advisory Forum of the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education and the Greater Anglia Stakeholders’ Board.

His publications include contributing to the chapter on corporate governance of Gore Brown, the leading corporate law practitioners’ text book and editing the text book on the law and practice on Mergers and Acquisitions in Europe.

Member of the following Committees:
Nominations Committee (Chair)
Remuneration Committee (Ex-Officio)
Honorary Degrees Committee (Ex-Officio)

Declaration of interest and other Directorships:
Member of the Sports Business Council
Co-Chair of Sports Economy Working Group
Member of the Chartered Trading Institute's Strategic Business Group
Member of the Governor Development Advisory Forum of The Leadership Foundation for Higher Education
Chair of Pentathlon GB
Chair of South East LEP (Local Enterprise Partnerships)
Chair of the UCAS Council (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service in the UK)
Chair of Public Chairs' Forum
Board Member of UCEA (Universities and Colleges Employers' Association)
Non Executive Chairman of the Student Loans Company Ltd
Chair of Greensage Ltd
Partner of CGB Properties
Partner of CNBrodie (1998) Settlement
Grants Committee Member of Wates Foundation
Trustee of the Chadhurst Trust
Member of the Greater Anglia Stakeholder Advisory Board
Member of the West Anglia Taskforce
Member of the Financial Sustainability Strategy Group of HEFCE (Higher Education Funding Council of England)