Simone Finn, Baroness Finn

Simone Jari Finn, Baroness Finn (born 10 June 1968) is a businesswoman and British Conservative politician. A member of the House of Lords since 2015, she is a former government adviser on industrial relations, efficiency and civil service reform. She co-founded Francis Maude Associates, a consultancy firm specialising in government efficiency. In May 2020, she was appointed a non-executive board member for the Cabinet Office.

Early life and education

Simone Finn was born in the US to a Welsh mother and a father who had defected from Communist Czechoslovakia. She grew up in Swansea and attended her local comprehensive school. She graduated from Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University, with a degree in history.[1]

Career

Following university Simone trained and worked as an accountant at Coopers & Lybrand (subsequently PwC). She then joined the Financial Services Authority as a senior accountant regulating insurance companies.[1]

Recruited before the 2010 election by the Conservative Party's Implementation Team, Finn became the Coalition Government's industrial relations adviser. She played a key role in negotiations with the trade unions and helped to agree deals to roughly halve the cost of public sector pensions. The Daily Telegraph described her as the "silk-and-steel adviser behind the Coalition's trade union reforms".[2]

As a special adviser to Francis Maude, the Minister for the Cabinet Office, Finn helped to drive through his efficiency reforms which saved the taxpayer several billion pounds over the course of the 2010-2015 parliament.[3] Finn also helped to set up the Centre for Public Appointments in the Cabinet Office and publish a diversity strategy to encourage more women to apply for public appointments.[4] The proportion of women appointed to the boards of public bodies reached 48.2% in 2015-16 compared with 34.7% in 2009–10.[5]

Political candidate

In the run up to the 2015 general election, Finn was considered as a Conservative candidate for the Kensington constituency.[6] The selected candidate, Victoria Borwick, won the seat, but lost it to the Labour Party in the 2017 election.

In 2018, Finn was included on the longlist for the Conservative Party London Mayoral Candidate.[7] Shaun Bailey was selected as the final candidate.

Elevation to the Lords

In the 2015 Dissolution Honours Finn was elevated to the Lords as Baroness Finn, of Swansea in the County of West Glamorgan.[8] In her maiden speech in the House of Lords, Finn focused on the importance of education as a tool of social mobility, paying tribute to her former deputy headmistress, Iris Williams. She also voiced her support for the Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay, a project for which she has repeatedly advocated.[9]

Finn is a member of the EU Security and Justice Sub-Committee. She was previously a member of the Scrutiny of Secondary Legislation Select Committee, and the EU (External Affairs) Sub Committee.[10]

In May 2020, Michael Gove, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, appointed Finn as a non-executive board member for the Cabinet Office, serving on the audit and risk committee.[11]

Career outside Parliament

Finn is the co-founder and managing director of Francis Maude Associates, which she runs with Lord (Francis) Maude of Horsham. It is a consulting firm specialising in government efficiency and reform, with its work based on Maude and Finn's experience in the Cabinet Office, 2010-15.[12] She is also employed by Arbuthnot Latham, a bank owned by the former Conservative donor, Henry Angest.[13]

Finn is a trustee of the think tank Demos and was visiting parliamentary fellow at St Anthony's, Oxford, 2017-18.[14] She is also a board member of the Conservative Foundation.[15]

Personal Life

Simone Finn is married to Alex Finn. They have two children.[1]

References

1. "Simone Finn". Who's Who 2020. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
2. James Kirkup (25 March 2015). "By 2020, the Conservative Party leader will be... not who you expect". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
   - "Queen's Speech". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). House of Commons. 19 December 2019. col. 17–18.
3. "Efficiency and Reform in the next Parliament" (PDF). Gov.uk. HM Treasury, Cabinet Office. December 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
4. "Teachers: Academies and Free Schools". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). House of Commons. 12 September 2016. col. 1363–1364.
5. Riddell, Peter (October 2016). "The Commissioner for Public Appointments - Annual Report 2015-2016" (PDF). The Commissioner for Public Appointments. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
6. Joshi Herrmann (5 March 2015). "Kensington calling: inside the race for 'the jewel in the Tory crown'". Evening Standard. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
7. Joe Murphy (19 July 2018). "Two businesswomen complete 'diverse' Tory mayoral longlist". Evening Standard. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
8. "No. 61385". The London Gazette. 20 October 2015. p. 19670.
   - "Dissolution Peerages 2015" (Press release). Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street. 27 August 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
   - "Introduction: Baroness Finn". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). House of Commons. 30 November 2015.
9. Cornock, David (13 September 2016). "'We were all Iris's children' - peer recalls teacher". BBC News. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
   - "Teachers: Academies and Free Schools". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). House of Commons. 12 September 2016. col. 1363–1364.
   - "Swansea Tidal Lagoon: Hendry Review". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). House of Commons. 1 May 2018.
10. "Baroness Finn Parliamentary Career". UK Parliament. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
11. "Four new Cabinet Office Non-Executive Board Members appointed". Gov.uk. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
12. "About us". FMA. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
13. "Small World". Private Eye (1523): 16. 5 June 2020.
14. "Our People". Demos. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
    - "Visiting Parliamentary Fellows, Past and Present". St Antony's College. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
15. "People". The Conservative Foundation. Retrieved 30 April 2020.