Directorships for the boys

[Elusive]

This weeks Private eye has come up with an interesting fact. A certain Air Marshall with a knighthood has picked up a Non Executive Directorship with SERCO. Call me a bluff old traditionalist but isn't that a conflict of interest? Anyone know the rules on this? Are there any rules?

[Talking Radalt]

Yes there are rules and they were probably written by:
A certain Air Marshall with a knighthood who has picked up a Non Executive Directorship with SERCO

...which means the only person to understand them will probably be:
A certain Air Marshall with a knighthood who has picked up a Non Executive Directorship with SERCO

:(

[DrSyn]

Really sorry to be picky chaps, but I think the operative word is Marshal. On the other hand, a Marshall is responsible for providing protection, etc. Clearly a contradiction of terms, these days :)

[Elusive]

I wonder how many others are eyeing up a nice little earner for when they leave? set up any nice contracts recently?

[Ali Barber]

It may be out of date, but I think the rules are that you had be 2 years out of a "related" post before you could work for a company you'd dealt with. So, if you've helped to buy Brit Wastaspace's latest sgruggs wunderjet, you could work for Boeing but would have to rely on envelopes full of readies left in the loo at Waterloo from BWS. Can anyone name names and say if there is any link to SERCO. Either way, it smells a bit to me!

[PICKS135]

according to 'PRIVATE EYE' the man is

Air Marshall Sir Timothy Jenner, deputy CinC Strike Command.

Also according to 'PRIVATE EYE',
the former deputy chief of defence procurement Air Marshall Sir Peter Norris is now an adviser to defence firm 'Alenia Marconi Systems'

[Jackonicko]

Star-laden contacts tell me that Tim Jenner was a bloody good bloke and a great officer, and also decent and honourable. Never met him myself but understand him to have been cut from a different cloth to Rotten and Day and the B-word. It seems peculiar for a Journo to be asking whether there's really any point of dragging his name through the mud.

But someone should.

[teeteringhead]

Have to agree with you Jacko (and I'm NOT star-laden), Jenner indeed a top bloke, who always seemed to maintain something of the flying officer about him - and not only the haircut! I always thought he'd finish up doing something to do with performance cars - he's quite a petrolhead: races a Lotus/Vauxhall methinks - and may still own a very tasty Mk II Jag. I'm sure he will sort SERCO to the RAF's advantage.

Remember seeing him in '99 after a Dining-in-Night at Aldergrove (celebrating 72's 30 years in NI), joining in the broomstick tug-of-war and taking no prisoners.

Mind you, John Day was in the same team - he's not as bad as some paint him either IMHO..........(gets flak vest and runs to bunker!)

[Ivchenko]

Elusive et al

Just a small point, but I've worked with a number of retiring officers at this level, helping them develop second, portfolio careers. Without exception, my experience (and it's only of some, not all) is that they are, at the very least, extremely unwilling to exploit the contacts and inside knowledge they have in order to find cushy little earners.

I could (but can't for obvious reasons) cite examples where they have flatly declined well paid proposals to do so. Very high moral standards and greater loyalty to their former service than to their own interests.

[BEagle]

I notice that the other ex AM isn't getting much anecdotal support...

Knew him as one of those 'instructors' on the Buccaneer OCU in 1976.

'Nuff said.....

[Jackonicko]

BEagle: That's cos he's a twit...... (or so my sources tell me)

[canberra]

yes the b word is a strange man i could put somehing here about how he tried to stitch his predecessor at leuchars but i wont. on the other hand i found his successor even more strange. he had a 4 day ex while the gulf war was raging, and after the war he had an ex the week after 43 got back to work. and he wondered why 43 werent taking the ex seriously!

[Elusive]

I'm glad that at least one is a decent bloke.