Chancellor, I present Lawrence Churchill, CBE, experienced Chair and Non-Executive of pivotally important social organisations, and my friend and colleague, for the award of Doctor of Business Administration.

Lawrence was born and grew up in proud and colourful Birkenhead, Merseyside, close to the Cammell Laird shipyard, Mersey docks – where his father worked, Tranmere Rovers football stadium, and Birkenhead Park – famed for inspiring New York’s Central Park.From there to here commands attention to two intellectual passions: leading financial companies and working in the community for wider social purpose. Today we honour Lawrence for the way he combined the two into a unique style, thereby making a substantial positive difference at the intersection of finance and society for the public good.

Following graduation from St John’s College at the University of Oxford, Lawrence steadily rose to become an accomplished Director and CEO in the UK insurance company sector, including CEO of Zurich Financial Services and Nat West Life and Investments. These challenging senior appointments, discharged with great success, mark the first half of Lawerence’s career. Remarkably, his latter work, that is best known today, has barely begun.

Alongside leading financial organisations, Lawrence sought out and helped Business in the Community, Race for Opportunity, Age Irrelevance, and Employment Opportunities - a charity supporting disabled people into work. That Lawrence found time for very personal involvement in a range of charities is a measure of the importance he places on wider social purpose.

In the early 2000s, Lawrence combined the acumen from leading financial institutions and his moral compass to serve the community to embark on a non-executive career. Lawrence only took roles that reflected his authentic self. His service to the UK’s beacon institutions that use finance to solely serve society is exceptional.

In 2004 Lawrence became founding Chairman of the Pension Protection Fund (PPF), known as the UK’s pensions lifeboat. The PPF financially supports members of public whose salary related company pension fund becomes insolvent. Many experts said the concept could not work. Lawrence ensured the PPF won support intellectually and evidentially. Today the organisation stands strong, and 300,000 people who would otherwise have less financial security in retirement receive a regular payment from the PPF.

In 2010, Lawrence became Chair of the National Employment Savings Trust (NEST). NEST is a low-cost pension fund open to everyone, built by Government, to support workplace pension auto-enrolment. NEST went live during the period Lawrence was Chair. It was critical to the financial security of many millions of working people that NEST was a success. Today, around 1 in 3 employed people in the UK are members of NEST and it has a reputation as a well governed, excellent, pension fund. I first met Lawrence in 2012 when I worked part-time at NEST. In my outside work, Lawrence would always write a personal letter of support when I applied to undertake special projects to use investment to benefit society. I am witness to the encouragement Lawrence gives to those working to serve the public. Coincidently, we both lived in Bath and travelled by train while working in London. Lawrence’s character in and out of the workplace are indistinguishable - caring, considerate, personable.

From 2012 to 2018 Lawrence was Chairman of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, the nation’s compensation back-stop for consumers who lose out if a regulated financial company becomes insolvent. Today, Lawrence continues to Chair and direct organisations that help savers and investors achieve better financial outcomes.

Chancellor, for contributing to the success of our nation’s financial institutions purposed to serve the public good, and advancing the financial security of millions of people, I present to you Lawrence Churchill, for admission to the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration, honoris causa.