Jeremy Middleton

Jeremy Middleton CBE (born 19 November 1960) is a British businessperson, angel investor and former Conservative politician.

Jeremy Middleton
Born	19 November 1960 Burton on Trent, England
Nationality	British
Education	Tettenhall College
Alma mater	University of Kent
Occupation	Businessperson
Spouse(s)	Catherine Smith (m. 1988)

Early life

Middleton was born on 19 November 1960 in Burton upon Trent to Dennis Middleton and Vivienne Middleton.[1] He was educated at Tettenhall College before studying History at the University of Kent.[1][2] He married Catherine Smith in 1988, with whom he has two children.[1]

Business career

Middleton started his career in 1984 as a brand manager at Procter & Gamble, a role he held until he became a consultant at Price Waterhouse in 1988.[1][3] He co-founded emergency repairs company Homeserve in 1990, and has served on its executive committee since 1992.[1][4]

He has been managing director of investment company Middleton Enterprises since 1990, which funds new companies in the North East and part funded the film The Liability.[1][4][5] He started the Middleton Community Enterprise Fund in 2007, to give money to charities to support their commercial work.[4]

In 2008, he was listed as the 1,259th richest person in the United Kingdom by the Times, with wealth valued at £60 million.[6]

From 2012 to 2016, Middleton served on the board of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership.[1] From 2013 to 2017 he served on the board of energy consultancy Utilitywise.[7]

He is also governor of Studio West School and a board member of a charity for the homeless, Changing Lives.[3]

Political career

Middleton contested Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend in the 1997 general election, losing to Nick Brown.[1] He has five times unsuccessfully contested seats on Newcastle upon Tyne City Council. In the 2004 European Parliament election he was listed second on the Conservative list in the North East region but again failed to be elected. He was the Conservative candidate in the 2004 Hartlepool by-election, where he came fourth.

Middleton served as President of the National Conservative Convention from 2008 to 2009. In April 2009, he was elected onto the board of the Conservative party as Chairman of the National Convention, a role he held until 2012.[1]

In February 2016, Middleton became the first candidate to enter the North East mayoral race and subsequently resigned from the Conservative Party.[8][9] The elections were subsequently cancelled after North East councils failed to agree on the central government's devolution package.

Honours

He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2012 Birthday Honours for political and charitable services.[10]

References

1. "Middleton, Jeremy Peter, (born 19 Nov. 1960), Managing Director, Middleton Enterprises Ltd, since 1990 | WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO". doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-253977. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
2. "BBC - People educated at Tettenhall College". BBC. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
3. Upex, Angela (27 September 2017). "Most Influential 2017: Here's the list from L to M". nechronicle. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
4. Administrator, journallive (15 February 2010). "Jeremy Middleton, FTSE-200 company co-founder". journallive. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
5. Upex, Angela (7 May 2013). "Jeremy Middleton debuts in the film industry". journallive. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
6. "Jeremy Middleton". The Sunday Times. 27 April 2008. ISSN 0956-1382. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
7. Ltd, Insider Media. "Utilitywise chairman to step down". Insider Media Ltd. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
8. "Middleton runs to become North East Major". Chronicle Live. Archived from the original on 20 February 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
9. Hill, Laura (3 June 2016). "North East mayoral hopeful Jeremy Middleton quits the Conservative Party". nechronicle. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
10. "No. 60173". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 June 2012. p. 8.