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Science and Innovation Minister, Malcolm Wicks today announced the appointment of Lord Adair Turner as the new Chair of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

Lord Turner will succeed Frances Cairncross on 1 April 2007. The appointment is for four years.

Malcolm Wicks said:

"I am delighted to welcome Adair Turner as Chair of the Economic and Social Research Council. His high level experience of business, government and academia makes him well qualified to provide a strong contribution to the leadership and work of ESRC".

Lord Turner said:

"I am delighted to be taking over from Frances Cairncross as Chair of the ESRC. The Council plays a major role in supporting vibrant and high quality economic and social science in the UK, which is vital to our understanding of the challenges facing society and business and to sound public policy decisions."

Notes to Editors
The appointment has been made in accordance with the requirements of the Code of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Lord Turner has not been involved in any relevant political activities in the last five years. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the Nolan recommendations there is a requirement for appointees' political activity to be made public. Lord Turner has been a member of the ESRC since 2003 for which he receives an honorarium of £6410 pa. He will give up this appointment on becoming Chair. As Chair he will receive an honorarium of £15,410 pa. He holds no other ministerial appointments.

Lord Turner has combined careers in business, public policy and academia. He worked for British Petroleum and Chase Manhattan Bank before joining McKinsey & Company in 1982. He became a partner in 1988 and a director in 1994. From 1995 to 1999 he was Director General of the Confederation of British Industry. Adair Turner chaired the Low Pay Commission from 2002 until 2006 and the Pensions Commission until August 2006. He was vice-chair of Merrill Lynch Europe from 2000 until 2006. He is currently a non-executive director Standard Chartered, Siemens Holdings plc, United Business Media plc and Paternoster Ltd. He is also a visiting professor at the London School of Economics and CASS Business School, City of London. He was appointed as an independent cross bench peer in 2005. Adair Turner is a trustee of the World Wide Fund for Nature, Save the Children UK.

The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is the UK's leading publicly funded economic and social research organisation. ESRC provides the highest-quality research on issues of importance to business, the public sector and government. It produces world-class social scientists through its commitment to excellence in training. ESRC promotes public awareness of economic and social science. ESRC works alongside other Research Councils with responsibility for other areas of research. The Research Councils work collectively on issues of common concern via Research Councils UK. More information about ESRC can be found at www.esrc.ac.uk