Vikas Shah and Stephen Hill appointed to BEIS Board

The Business Secretary has appointed Vikas Shah MBE and Stephen Hill OBE as non-executive members of the BEIS Board, following an open competition for the roles.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has today (13 May 2021) appointed Vikas Shah MBE and Stephen Hill OBE as non-executive board members at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

Vikas and Stephen will help to steer the department’s board as BEIS tackles key issues facing the UK, including the economic recovery from coronavirus, efforts to combat climate change and promote science, research and innovation, while ensuring the UK is a great place to work and to grow a business.

Both appointees bring a wealth of experience to their roles. Vikas Shah was awarded an MBE for Services to Business and the Economy in 2018, and is the Managing Director of Swiscot Group, and President of the North West Region chapter of TiE – the world’s largest entrepreneurs network.

Stephen Hill was awarded in OBE in 2017 for his work in philanthropy, particularly for those with hearing impairments, is currently the Chairman of the Alzheimer’s Society, and non-executive director of investment holding company Applerigg Ltd.

An open competition will be launched later in the summer to appoint a further board member to concentrate on energy and climate change policy.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said:

Both Vikas and Stephen will be fantastic assets to the Department, bringing enormous experience and expertise to support our work as we help businesses across the UK recover and build back better from the pandemic. I look forward to working with both of them, and the rest of our board, to deliver on the people’s priorities.

Vikas Shah MBE, non-executive board member at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said:

I am delighted to accept this important role to help BEIS deliver on its key priorities, including supporting businesses as we build back from the pandemic, and unleashing a new generation of entrepreneurs across the UK.

Stephen Hill, non-executive board member at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said:

I am honoured to have been offered the position as a non-executive member of the board and I am very much looking forward to supporting the Department to level up every region of the UK, support businesses and build a green economy.

• Non-executive board members are experts from outside government who provide oversight and challenge to the department in the development of policy and the management of resources
• Vikas Shah was awarded an MBE for Services to Business and the Economy in 2018
• Mr Shah is CEO of Swiscot Group, a Manchester based textiles & commodities trading firm. He is also an Honorary Professor of Business at the University of Manchester’s Alliance Business School and a Non-Executive Director of the Solicitors Regulation Authority
• Mr Shah is a Board Member of TiE (the north west chapter of TiE; the world’s largest network of entrepreneurs), Chair of global charity In Place of War and a Trustee of Mustard Tree (a poverty alleviation charity). He is also a speaker and commentator on entrepreneurship, business and social issues. He was previously a Digital Advisor to the British Council
• Stephen Hill was awarded an OBE in 2017 for his work in philanthropy, particularly for those with hearing impairment
• Mr Hill is the chairman of the Alzheimer’s Society, a non-executive director of Applerigg Ltd, an investment holding company, and has served as an independent director on the boards of Channel Four Television, Royal SunAlliance PLC, Psion plc, Aztec Ltd and IG Group plc in the UK and as Chairman of the Board of Interactive Data Inc in the US. He was also an independent member of the board of OFCOM