Francis Maude

The Rt Hon Francis Maude MP was appointed non-executive chairman of Incepta on 1 March 2004. Aged 50, he is currently Chairman of Prestbury Holdings, Deputy Chairman and Senior Independent Director of Benfield Group, and Chairman of The Jubilee Investment Trust. He was a non-executive director of ASDA Group from 1992 to 1999; and of Gartmore Shared Equity Trust from 1997 to 1999. From 1992 to 1993, he was a director of Salomon Brothers and a Managing Director of Morgan Stanley & Co. Limited from 1993 to 1997.

A barrister by training, Francis was first elected to Parliament in 1983 as MP for North Warwickshire and from 1987 to 1992 was successively Minister for Corporate and Consumer Affairs at the DTI, Minister of State at the Foreign Office and Financial Secretary to the Treasury. Following the 1997 election, he was Shadow Secretary for Media, Culture and Sport from 1997 to 1998, Shadow Chancellor from 1998 to 2000 and Shadow Foreign Secretary from 2000 to 2001. He is currently MP for Horsham.