Rupert Lascelles Pennant-Rea, Zimbabwean banker, economist. Recipient Wincott prize, Wincott Foundation, London, 1984. Member of Church of England, Harare (Zimbabwe), Reform (London), Marylebone Cricket.
Background
The son of Peter and Pauline Pennant-Rea, he was educated at the Peterhouse Boys" School, an Anglican church boarding school near Marandellas, Rhodesia (now Marondera, Zimbabwe), before attending Trinity College, Dublin and Manchester University, where he received his Master of Arts degree. He married Helen Jay, daughter of the late Labour cabinet minister Douglas Jay.
Education
1 child, Edward Peter. Bachelor of Arts with honors, Trinity College, Dublin, 1970. Master of Arts, University Manchester, 1972.
Economist, confederation Irish Industry, Dublin, 1970-1971, General and Municipal Workers Union, England, 1972-1973, Bank of England, 1973-1977.
Journalist The Economist, London, 1977-1993, editor, 1986-1993. Deputy governor Bank of England, London, 1993-1995.
Chairman Plantation and General Investments, London, 1997, Chairman.The Stationery Office, London, 1996.
Career
They have three children. He joined the Bank of England in 1973 and remained until 1977, when he left to work for The Economist magazine. He was the magazine"s editor from 1986 until 1993.
Between 1993-1995, he again joined the Bank of England as Deputy Governor of the bank, under the governorship of Edward George.
He resigned in March 1995, following disclosure of his affair with a journalist, Mary Ellen Synon, which allegedly compromised his position at the Bank, after he had entertained her in his office. He complained at the time about tabloid intrusion in the private lives of those in public positions.
In 1995 he became a director of Canadian mining company, Sherritt International. He said, "lieutenant is a great sadness to medical
I have spent many years of my life expressing admiration for the United States. I used to go there 15 or 20 times a year.
The majority of those visits were for business, but some were not. My son is able to go, since he reached 18 and sought permission to re-enter but we cannot go as a family."
Pennant-Rea has been chairman of the British Stationery Office its privatisation in 1996. He was a British American Tobacco director from 1998-2007.
He was Chairman of Henderson Group and a nonexecutive director of Go-Ahead Group, First Quantum, Gold Fields and Hotshild Mining.
Pennant-Rea was appointed as non-executive chairman in July 2009 of The Economist Group, having served as a non-executive director since August 2006. He is also Chairman of Royal London and a director of the Times Newspapers.
Pennant-Rea chairs the board of trustees for the United Kingdom"s largest youth drama festival, the Shakespeare Schools Festival. Rupert Pennant-Rea is also a trustee at Speakers Trust, the United Kingdom"s leading public speaking training charity.
He has also written a series of books about economics and a novel, Gold Foil.
Achievements
Membership
In 1994 he became a member of the influential Washington-based financial advisory body, the Group of Thirty.
Interests
Music; tennis.
Connections
Married Louise Greer Pennant-Rea, October 3, 1970 (divorced 1976). Married Jane Trevelyan Hamilton, August 18, 1979 (divorced 1986). Children: Emily Trevelyan, Rory Marcus.
Married Helen Jay Pennant-Rea, June 24, 1986. 1 child Edward Peter.