Brian McBride (businessman)

Brian McBride (born 15 October 1955) is a UK businessman, who was appointed President of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) in June 2022.

Early life
Born in Glasgow on 15 October 1955, Brian McBride grew up in a council home along with his seven siblings, his mother (a nurse) and his father (a teacher).

He attended the neighbourhood state school, Lourdes Secondary School, before going on to Glasgow University, where he earned a degree in Economic History and Politics.

Career
McBride started his working life with Xerox, selling photocopiers. He was CEO of Amazon.co.uk from 2006 to 2011. He held senior roles at IBM in USA and UK, VP UK and Northern Europe for Dell Computers and as Managing Director of T-Mobile (UK). In his non-executive career, he was Chairman of ASOS PLC from 2012 to 2018. He has been a Non-Executive Director of Celtic Football Club PLC, SThree PLC, Computacenter PLC, AO.com, Kinnevik AB, and Abrdn PLC (was Standard Life). He has served as a Non-Executive Director on the Board of the BBC, a member of the Huawei Advisory Board and a Senior Adviser to Lazard’s Global Financial Advisory business.

Currently he is Chair at Trainline PLC and Lead Non-Executive Director on the Board of the UK’s Ministry of Defence, a UK Government appointment. He is also a Senior Adviser with Scottish Equity Partners. He has recently stepped down as President of the CBI having led the organisation through the greatest crisis in its history.

Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Presidency
On 28 June 2022, McBride was chosen at the CBI’s AGM to serve as CBI President, primarily due to his experience in digital and innovation – areas that the CBI believes are key to growth in the UK.

Personal life
In his free time, he enjoys playing golf and tennis, listening to music, and spending time with his grandchildren at the weekends.