John Cridland to quit top lobbyist post at the CBI
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) is looking for a new boss, as its director general John Cridland plans to step down after five years at the top.
The business lobby group began advertising for a replacement yesterday.
Cridland has spent his entire career at the CBI, joining straight from university as a policy adviser in 1982, and rising to take the top job in 2010.
One possible candidate to take over is deputy director general Katja Hall, who had taken an increasingly prominent public role in recent months.
However, Cridland was the first ever internal candidate to be given the role as director general.
So the group may move back to its traditional stance of picking an outsider.
“Someone like Justin King, ex-Sainsbury’s, would tick all the boxes,” said veteran City commentator David Buik, from Panmure Gordon.
“And for a steady pair of political hands, how about Angela Knight?”
The CBI declined to say where Cridland will go next.
“This year marks the CBI’s 50th anniversary, and with the election looming, John remains focused on ensuring the new government delivers pro-enterprise policies and championing British business at home and abroad,” said a spokesman.
“An announcement on a successor will be made in due course.”