Hugh Robertson (politician)

The Right Honourable Sir Hugh Robertson KCMG DL
Robertson in 2010
Chairman of the British Olympic Association
Incumbent
Assumed office 24 November 2016
President	The Princess Royal
Preceded by	The Lord Coe
Minister of State for Middle East and North Africa
In office 7 October 2013 – 14 July 2014
Prime Minister	David Cameron
Preceded by	Alistair Burt
Succeeded by	Tobias Ellwood
Minister for Sport
In office 14 May 2010 – 7 October 2013
Prime Minister	David Cameron
Preceded by	Gerry Sutcliffe
Succeeded by	Helen Grant
Member of Parliament for Faversham and Mid Kent
In office 7 June 2001 – 30 March 2015
Preceded by	Andrew Rowe
Succeeded by	Helen Whately
Personal details
Born	(1962-10-09) 9 October 1962 (age 62) Canterbury, Kent, England
Political party	Conservative
Spouse	Anna Copson ​ (m. 2002)​
Children	1
Education	The King's School, Canterbury
Alma mater	University of Reading
Website	www.hughrobertson.co.uk
Military service
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch/service	British Army
Years of service	1982–1995
Rank	Major
Unit	The Life Guards

Sir Hugh Michael Robertson KCMG PC DL^[1][2] (born 9 October 1962) is a British businessman and former politician who is the current Chair of the British Olympic Association and of Birmingham Airport. He was Chair of Camelot Group, operator of the National Lottery, between 2018 and 2023.

He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Faversham and Mid Kent from 2001 to 2015.^[3]

He was Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs until July 2014, having previously been the Minister for Sport and for the Olympics.^[4]

Education

The King's School, Canterbury

Robertson was educated at The King's School, Canterbury. He read Land Management at the University of Reading from 1982 to 1985, obtaining a BSc (Hons) degree, before attending the RMA Sandhurst between 1985 and 1986.^[4]

In March 2014, Robertson was awarded a Distinguished Fellowship by the University of Reading in recognition of the role he played in the London 2012 Olympics.^[5]

Career

Robertson served as an officer in the Life Guards from 1982 to 1995, rising to the rank of Major. Robertson saw active service in Northern Ireland, Cyprus, The Gulf War and served with the UN peacekeeping force UNPROFOR in Bosnia and Herzegovina. ^[4] In 1993, he commanded the Household Cavalary for the Queen's birthday parade at the state opening of Parliament.^[6]

From 1995 until 2001, he was a banker with the investment management division of Schroders, then head of new business development for the property division.^[7]

Parliamentary career

Robertson was the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Faversham and Mid Kent from 2001-2015.^[3]

Having shadowed this post in Opposition, he was appointed a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State as the Minister for Sport and the Olympics in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in May 2010.^[8]

In September 2012, he was appointed as Minister of State in the Department of Culture, Media and Sport as the Minister for Sport, Olympic Legacy Tourism,^[3] and was sworn as a Privy Councillor in October.^[9][10]

In October 2013, he was appointed Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. ^[3]

He stood down from government in the 2014 reshuffle and was knighted for his work as Minister for the Olympics during London 2012 and his work in the Middle East.^[11]

In January 2015 Robertson announced that he would stand down from Parliament at the next general election.^[12]

Post-Parliamentary appointments

In June 2015, Robertson was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Kent.^[2] In November 2016, he succeeded Sebastian Coe as Chair of the British Olympic Association.^[13]

From 2017 to 2023 Robertson served as the Independent Chair of the Sports Honours Committee.^[14]

In June 2018, Robertson was announced as the Chair of Camelot Group.^[15] He joined Genius Sports as a Board Advisor in May 2022.^[16]

In January 2023 Robertson stepped down as Chair of Camelot.^[17] In June 2023, he was announced as the new Chair of Birmingham Airport.^[18] In 2024, Robertson became a member of the International Olympic Committee.^[19]

Personal life

Robertson married Anna Copson in May 2002. The wedding had to be rescheduled at short notice after the death of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.^[6] They have one son.^[3]

Honours

Sir Hugh has received the following decorations:

• KCMG
• General Service Medal
• UNFICYP Medal
• Gulf War Medal
• UNPROFOR Medal (Bosnia)
• NATO Medal (Former Yugoslavia)
• Brunei Meritorious Service Medal.^[20]

References

1. "No. 59418". The London Gazette. 13 May 2010. p. 8742.
2. "No. 61275". The London Gazette. 24 June 2015. p. 11528.
3. "MPs and Lords: Sir Hugh Robertson". members.parliament.uk. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
4. "The Rt Hon Hugh Robertson". Retrieved 10 April 2014.
5. "University honours key figures from London Olympics". archive.reading.ac.uk. 25 March 2014. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
6. Assinder, Nick (10 May 2002). "Blair fights on in media battle". BBC News.
7. Dods Parliamentary Companion
8. Gibson, Owen (14 May 2010). "Conservative MP Hugh Robertson to be confirmed as new sports minister". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
9. "Privy Council members". privycouncil.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
10. "Scanned Document: Orders Approved At the Privy Council Held by The Queen at Buckingham Palace on 17th October 2012" (PDF). privycouncil.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
11. "AN INTERVIEW WITH THE RIGHT HONOURABLE SIR HUGH ROBERTSON KCMG DL". The Guards Magazine.
12. "Hugh Robertson, former Conservative minister, to stand down". BBC News. 15 January 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
13. "Sir Hugh Robertson to replace Sebastian Coe as BOA chairman". The Guardian. 24 November 2016.
14. "Guidance - Honours Committees". gov.uk. 5 March 2024.
15. "Camelot appoints Sir Hugh Robertson as new chairman - Gaming Intelligence". 28 June 2018.
16. "Former UK Minister for Sport Sir Hugh Robertson joins Genius Sports' Business Advisory Council". Genius Sports Press. 31 May 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
17. Leader, Alice (25 January 2023). "Camelot CEO and chairman to step down amid management shake-up". The Grocer. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
18. "Birmingham Airport Announces Appointment of New Chairman". Birmingham Airport. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
19. "IOC Session in Paris elects two new Vice-Presidents and eight IOC Members". Olympics.com. 24 July 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
20. Pingat Indah Kerja Baik

External links

• Sir Hugh Robertson official site
• Debrett's People of Today
• Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Hugh Robertson MP
• TheyWorkForYou.com - Hugh Robertson MP
• BBC Politics page^{[permanent dead link‍]}

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Andrew Rowe	Member of Parliament for Faversham and Mid Kent 2001–2015	Succeeded by Helen Whately
Political offices
Preceded by Gerry Sutcliffe	Minister for Sport 2010–2013	Succeeded by Helen Grant
Preceded by Alistair Burt	Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 2013–2014	Succeeded by Tobias Ellwood