FOREWORD


WELCOME JOHN CRIDLAND Director-general of the CBI


It is an honour and a privilege to be Director- general of the CBI at any time, but particularly as the organisation celebrates its 50th anniversary. As a historian, I can think of no better way of marking the occasion than pausing to recall the many groundbreaking developments during this dramatic period – in the world of business and beyond – as seen through the eyes of some of the country’s greatest business success stories. As the first home-grown director-general,


I have had the benefit of the CBI’s unique vantage point at the heart of public policy and political thinking, both at home and increasingly around the world. As UK global champions have striven to extend their reach, the CBI has worked to extend its influence on behalf of its members. I never cease to marvel at the achievements of a small island of 94,500 sq miles and 61 million people. We have some of the best universities in the world, lead the way in so many areas – from pharmaceuticals to high-end manufacturing, music and film production – and our highly


talented engineers and architects have designed iconic buildings from South America to Saudi Arabia. And there is nothing quite like the sense of national pride that comes when the latest Nobel prizes are announced or you hear of major medical breakthroughs that enable someone to walk again after years of seemingly irreversible paralysis. The UK and its businesses comprise a nation


of problem solvers, innovators, entrepreneurs and creatives. So when disaster strikes – as it did most recently in 2008, the worst economic crisis since the Second World War – we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down and begin the long, hard process of rebuilding. It has been a tough journey and many


families have suffered a great deal. It has to be said, too, that business did not cover itself in glory during the downturn. Although the recovery is now established and we are on a more positive trajectory, and better placed than many of our competitors, there is much work to do to win back public confidence.


I am optimistic, and the CBI’s Great Business


Debate and A Better Off Britain research, which offer recommendations to improve the lives of low- income and working families, will definitely help. In the final weeks of the Scottish Independence


Referendum, it was also encouraging that the Business Voice, honest and upfront about the everyday impact of such a change on everything from food in the supermarket to credit card charges and mortgage payments, helped secure the Union. As we look forward and anticipate the UK’s


future economic success, the $64,000 question is how and where that success will come from. A rebalanced economy that focuses on


increased exports and investment is the most likely way to create the growth and jobs that will be needed, together with a thriving stream of entrepreneurs pushing the envelope on new innovation. But we will also need a fit-for- purpose education system that produces rounded and grounded young people who can fully realise their potential in the workplaces of tomorrow.


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