Career
He joined Marks and Spencer plc as a trainee in 1966 and retired his position as joint managing director of the company in 1999. He was created a life peer as Baron Stone of Blackheath, of Blackheath in the London Borough of Greenwich on 29 October 1997. He is currently a director of several non-government organisations, a retail company and is involved in several charities.
He also chairs the charity DIPEx that helps patients gain information on their condition and their options.
He was the non-executive Chairman of Deal Group Media plc until 2007, when he resigned from this position. He has voted strongly for the introduction of a smoking ban and for gay rights.
He is a working Labour Peer and does not usually rebel against his party. But he has voted against the party repeatedly on House of Lords reform as well as on the Prevention of Terrorism Bill and the Hunting Bill.
He is the host and convenor of the annual awards of the International Media Council (now part of the International Council for Press and Broadcasting) based in London.
He lists his political interests as: conflict resolution, art and science, health, ecology. He is currently a Director of North Brown Group PLC He is Chairman of Sindicatum Climate Change Foundation and Chairman of The DIPEx Charity, a charitable health organisation.
He is a Governor of the Weizmann Institute of Science) and Honorary
He is a Patron of Institute for Jewish Policy Research, the Gauchers Association, the New Israel Fund, the Jewish Chernobyl Children, the Orphaids charity, The Forgiveness Project (28/4/04) and LEAD Nepal – Development for the future of Nepalese Youth. He is a Trustee of Prism the Gift Fund and formerly a Trustee of the Olive Tree Educational Trust (now the Olive Tree Programme at City University).