Dr Andrew Sentance CBE

Areas of Interest

Business

Honorary Award

Honorary Doctor of Business Administration

Citation

Vice Chancellor, it is my pleasure to read the citation for Dr Andrew Sentance CBE for the award of Honorary Doctor of Business Administration.

Andrew Sentance has enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a business economist. He was a leading member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee during the Global Financial Crisis, he is a Visiting Professorial Fellow at the University of Warwick, Visiting Professor at University of London’s Royal Holloway College, and Senior Economic Advisor at PwC.

Andrew grew up in south-east London where he was a pupil at Eltham College. He went on to study Economics at Clare College, University of Cambridge, and gained his MSc at the London School of Economics, where he remained to complete his PhD. While conducting his studies, he also worked as a petrol station manager where he gained his first hands-on management experience.

In 1986 Andrew joined the Confederation of British Industry as Head of Economic Policy, subsequently taking over as Director of Economic Affairs.

In 1994 he joined the London Business School as Senior Research Fellow, later serving as Director at the Centre for Economic Forecasting – both teaching and researching global economic issues.

In 1998 Andrew was appointed Chief Economist at British Airways, with a particular focus on environmental strategy, and later acting as a member of the high-profile 'gang of 5' which redirected company strategy after the turmoil that followed the 9/11 attacks.

He was a founder member of the Treasury's Panel of Independent Forecasters, which provided advice to the Chancellor of the Exchequer during the Conservative Government in the 1990s. And he acted as a Government adviser on official statistics and corporate social responsibility in the 1990s and 2000s.

In October 2006, Andrew was appointed as one of the external members of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England – where he came to be associated with hawkish views on the control of inflation, and for emphasising the strong influence of the global economy on UK economic prosperity. He is one of the longest serving and best known external members of the MPC – his period of office spanning the financial crisis, the ensuing recession, and the beginnings of economic recovery.

In 2011, Andrew joined PwC as Senior Economic Advisor – helping clients to adapt their strategies and operations to a changing economic environment.

In 2013, he published his book, Rediscovering growth: after the crisis, which explores the prospects for the UK and other western economies in the aftermath of the financial crash.

And in 2016 he was appointed to chair the Essex Economic Commission – which provides insight to national government, local authority leaders and business on how and where the Essex economy can grow, and where investment should be focussed.

Andrew continues to take a keen interest in environmental affairs and also in charity work. He is a trustee of Build It International - a development charity that creates opportunities for young people and their communities in Zambia. And he is a former trustee of the charity Harvest Help – now known as Self Help Africa.

In the 2012 New Years Honours list, Andrew was awarded a CBE for services to the economy.

Andrew’s other passion in life is his music. He is a part-time church organist, and he has performed as a singer, bass guitarist and rhythm guitarist with a number of bands, including Revelation, a rock band which performed regularly at events in south Essex from 2005 to 2015.

As a hugely respected economist, adviser, author and academic, Andrew will be an outstanding role model to our students.

We are delighted to welcome Andrew to our Anglia Ruskin community.

Vice Chancellor, it is my pleasure to present Andrew Sentance CBE for the award of Doctor of Business Administration, honoris causa.