Make UK appoints its next Chair

Manufacturers’ organisation Make UK has announced the appointment of former Business Secretary Lord Hutton as its next Chair, succeeding Dame Judith Hackitt who has stepped down after six years in the role.

Lord Hutton has extensive background in business and industry, having served as Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform from 2007 to 2008 and then as Defence Secretary until 2009.

Between 2012 and 2018 he was Chair of the Nuclear Industries Association and, most recently, chaired Energy UK. He was elected to Parliament as Labour MP for Barrow in Furness in 1992, and was made a Life Peer in 2010 having retired from Parliament.

Lord Hutton said: “Having sat at the Cabinet table as Business Secretary I am acutely aware that Britain’s manufacturing industries have long been one of the most important pillars on which our economy and wider society has been based.

“The excellence, resilience and innovation represented by UK manufacturers has helped shape our history and it will continue to do so, helping to solve the immense societal challenges we face. I am delighted to be joining Make UK at such an important and exciting time for the manufacturing sector.”

He thanked Dame Judith Hackitt for the key role she has played in leading Make UK. Dame Judith commented: “It has been a privilege to represent such a key sector of our economy, especially during the last couple of years when I’ve seen at first hand the vital work Britain’s great manufacturers have done to support the country during the pandemic. I’ve no doubt the organisation and sector can only go from strength to strength under Lord Hutton’s leadership.”