Gordon Brown's new CEO

"He is a very hard worker and works people hard ... If there is any fault, it is that he drives himself too hard," one former colleague said. His "restlessness ... can be tiring for the rest of us," said another. So Gordon Brown was looking in the mirror when he appointed Stephen Carter as his new chief of strategy and principal adviser this afternoon.

Crucially, this new post will report directly to the Prime Minister, so this is a significant and powerful job - and may put one or two existing noses out of joint. It is also a political (special adviser) appointment rather than a Civil Service one - but without the powers to instruct the Whitehall machine enjoyed by his predecessor, Jonathan Powell.

Mr Carter, 43, was the first chief executive of Ofcom, the communications regulator, then went off to Brunswick, the uber financial public relations firm (a post he took only last March). He resigned from the latter today. Expect every Brunswick client and their links to government to be looked at by the media and opposition, although Downing Street will be anticipating this.

What do we know about him?

*When he ran Ofcom he kept a life-size poster of Michael Caine, star of the British gangster movie Get Carter, behind his office desk.

*Until today, he was also a non-executive director of Royal Mail and the building company Travis Perkins. He stays as chairman of Ashridge Business School and governor of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

*He used his post-Ofcom, pre-Brunswick gardening leave to help out the Cabinet Office with the capability reviews, a department-by-department audit of government.

*Harry Macauslan, the vice-chairman of EMEA, compares Carter with a "swan, with lots going on under water". Macauslan, who remembers Carter as a fresh-faced graduate, said in 2004 that he believed that the industriousness ran deeper than pure ambition. "Scottish puritanism runs through him. He does things because he thinks he should."

*Lord Currie of Marleybone said that he is a great networker. He took up golf because he considered it a "social tool", said Macauslan. "He is not a great hedonist and very rarely lets go .... He is always in control. He's a bit scary in that way."

*Carter said of politics: "I have a great interest in politics as an area for study and always have done, and I have a number of politicians as friends. But is it a career path for me? No, and it never has been."

*Mr Carter was born and educated in Scotland, graduating from Aberdeen University with a law degree. He began his career as a trainee at J Walter Thompson, the advertising agency. Mr Carter became managing director of NTL, the cable company, in 2000, and helped to build up its broadband market share.

Sources: The Times, The Sunday Times, The Guardian, Marketing Week

Comments

[Richard]

Great ! Yet another Scot in the Cabinet, who is also a control freak and a bit scary...Here's hoping he has no other similarities to Mr. Bean.

[Bob t]

Hello Richard-Yes, I agree. But until you sassenachs can produce people of the calibre of Mr Carter, then I am afraid you will just have to continue playing second fiddle. The quicker you folk get your act together then the faster we can go back north and leave you alone to govern yourselves.
Thank you.

[Richard]

Haha !! Thanks, Bob ! Fret not about 'fiddles', the Metropolitan Police are on this government's 'case'.

I know we sassenachs have done some terrible wrongs in the past. Apparently the scientists have discovered it's in our DNA to be warrior-like as we had to constantly face down threats of invasion from the Continent.
That said, the last ten years have been punishment enough from you Jocks.
Take them back PLEASE !!!
Enough is enough !!

[Bob T]

Me again Richard-I'm sorry, but I WILL have to continue fretting about "Fiddles" especially after you reminding me about the Met police!

Nuff said?

Go on, have a lie down and think of England!

Thank you for listening

[Richard]

I see now why you are continually fretting about 'Fiddles', Bob.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3177616.ece

Nuff said ? Oh yes, I certainly think so.

Just lie down and pray it all goes away...