Andreas Whittam Smith

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy datesTemplate:Use British English Template:Infobox officeholder Sir Andreas Whittam Smith, Template:Post-nominals (born 13 June 1937)<ref>The Making of the Independent, Michael Crozier, G. Fraser, 1988, p. 9</ref> is an English financial journalist, who was one of the founders of The Independent newspaper, which began publication in October 1986 with Whittam Smith as editor. He is a former president of the British Board of Film Classification.

Early life and education

Whittam Smith was born in Macclesfield, son of Rev. Canon J. E. Smith, a vicar at Macclesfield; the family moved to Birkenhead in 1940 when his father took over a dockland parish.<ref name=Anglican>Why I am still an Anglican, Continuum, 2006, page 67</ref> J. E. Smith was from a working-class family from Manchester, going from there to St John's College, Durham; his wife was daughter of a mill owner.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Smith was educated at Birkenhead School, and Keble College, Oxford.

Career

Most of his career has been spent in the city in journalism, including as city editor of The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph, and as editor of the Investors Chronicle from 1970 to 1977,<ref name="Wilkinson2009">Template:Cite book</ref> and Stock Exchange Gazette. With Matthew Symonds, he was a co-founder of The Independent newspaper and was its first editor from 1986 to 1993.<ref name=Courier>Template:Cite news</ref> He still contributes articles on a regular basis.

Whittam Smith was chairman of the Financial Ombudsman Service from 2001 to 2003. He is also a director of Independent News and Media (UK), Vice Chairman of Tunbridge Wells Equitable Friendly Society, and a vice-president of the National Council for One Parent Families. He was appointed president of the British Board of Film Classification in 1998, instigating liberalisation of film and video censorship, a post from which he resigned in 2002.<ref name=BBFC>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore</ref> He has been on the Board of Trustees of The Architecture Foundation.

Whittam Smith was interviewed by National Life Stories (C467/08) in 2007 for the 'Oral History of the British Press' collection held by the British Library.<ref name=oralhistory>National Life Stories, 'Whittam Smith, Andreas (1 of 4) National Life Stories Collection: 'Oral History of the British Press', The British Library Board, 2007. Retrieved 10 October 2017.</ref>

Church of England

On 6 March 2002, Whittam Smith was appointed the First Church Estates Commissioner, a senior lay person in the Church of England.<ref name=Anglican /> As such, he is Chairman of the Church Commissioners' Assets Committee (an investment portfolio of £7 billion), and a member of the Church Commissioners' Board of Governors, the General Synod of the Church of England, and the Archbishops' Council.<ref name="to step down">Template:Cite web</ref> It was announced in September 2016 that he would be stepping down as First Church Estates Commissioner in June 2017.<ref name="to step down" />

Democracy 2015

In 2012 Whittam Smith started the Democracy 2015 movement to attempt to reform how British democracy functions.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The movement's stated aim was to achieve a House of Commons majority in 2015 and form a reformist government independent of parliamentary parties and composed of non-politicians volunteering to stand for a single term only. The movement said that politics should be public service, not a career move.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The movement stood a candidate, Adam Lotun, in the Corby by-election on 15 November 2012. He came 13th out of 14 candidates, with 35 votes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Honours

In 1988 Whittam Smith was awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws (LL.D) by the University of Bath.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In the 2003 New Year Honours, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) "for services to the Film Industry."<ref name=GBR>Template:London Gazette</ref> In the 2015 Birthday Honours, he was knighted "for public service, particularly to the Church of England", and therefore granted the title "Sir".<ref name="LG 13 June 2015">Template:London Gazette</ref>

In July 2017, he was awarded the Canterbury Cross for Services to the Church of England by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

External links

• Democracy 2015