Ethics and Public Policy

Standards in public life and ethics in public policy have been major concerns in recent years. Tackling such concerns and the impact they have on public trust is a significant challenge. Sir Laurie Magnus, who has been the Prime Minister's Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards since being appointed by Rishi Sunak on 22 December 2022, is uniquely placed to reflect on such matters.

Ethics is a key dimension of contemporary policymaking. We are therefore delighted that the University of Westminster's new MA Public Policy and Management (see Public Policy and Management MA - Courses | University of Westminster, London) is being launched with a talk which addresses such a central issue from such an expert perspective.

Laurie started his career as a corporate finance adviser at Samuel Montagu & Co (subsequently HSBC Investment Bank) specialising in mergers and acquisitions, fundraising and restructuring, before moving into insurance and fund management. He is currently Chair of The City of London Investment Trust plc and he is a senior adviser at Evercore, the investment banking group.

Laurie has also had a distinguished record of public service. This includes serving as Chair of Historic England from 2013 - 2023 and as Chair of the Heritage of London Trust since 2023.