Richard Harrington, Lord Harrington of Watford is a British businessman and politician. He was enobled in 2022 with a life peerage after a successful business and political career spanning four decades.

Following a successful 30 year career in business, he took his expertise into politics, where as an MP and Minister, and later appointed a Peer, he delivered on the government’s key objectives from co-writing the Industrial Strategy to implementing the ground-breaking Homes for Ukraine Scheme.

His expertise is in cross government working, being the first ever Minister to hold office in 3 departments together, and on partnerships between the private and public sectors, such as the life sciences sector, DEA.

Most recently he used his unique experience and insight to write a well received report on foreign direct investment for HM Treasury, which was accepted by the Government and Opposition alike.

He currently advises large firms on their growth and engagement strategies as well as being a trustee for an organisation that supports UK start-ups, in addition to being on the board of notable charities and a regular media contributor.

After graduating from Oxford University, with a law degree in 1979, Richard’s aim was to pursue a business career, highly influenced by working in the family shop, since the age of 10. He went into business with two friends from university at the age of 24- and was jointly responsible for a number of enterprises, such as a hotel and resort property business, now owned by Hilton, and a wealth management business in the city, now owned by Canaccord Genuity.

He has extensive experience in property, hospitality and mergers and acquisitions.

Richard was motivated by David Cameron to enter politics and was elected as the MP for Watford in 2010 at the age of 52.

He was appointed a Conservative Peer in 2022, becoming the Minster responsible for delivering the Homes for Ukraine scheme, which ultimately brought 200,000 Ukrainians to safety in the UK. Using his unique experience of cross- departmental working and breaking down government siloes, he was able to implement the ground-breaking scheme, for which he was awarded The Spectator’s Peer of the Year that year.

Serving as MP for Watford from 2010 – 2019, before resigning over the Brexit impasse, Richard held a number of ministerial roles in key departments. Recognised as a politician who knows how business works, he served as Pensions Minister, rolling out auto-enrollment and as Business Minister, negotiating and securing sector deals from Aviation to Nuclear and helping write the 2017 Industrial Strategy.

As MP he also bought record investment to his constituency, securing funding for a new hospital, new transport links and the infrastructure that allowed the world famous Harry Potter studies to be built in Watford.

This experience made him the Chancellor’s choice to author a report on foreign direct investment, written by business, for business, providing concrete recommendations to allow the UK to bring back much needed investment it was losing to international competitors.

Upon leaving politics in 2019, Richard started a portfolio career including becoming UK chair of APCO, a strategic consultancy as well as advising an investment bank and other related jobs. He gave all these up in March 2022 to re-enter the government to supervise the Homes for Ukraine scheme which has led to 150,000 refugees from Ukraine being brought to the UK.

Today, in addition to his work in the House of Lords, Richard is an advisor to large corporate firms, regularly contributes on business matters in the media and actively works to ensure the recommendations of his Review are implemented in government and understood within business and institutions.

He has been a long-term supporter of many charities and today serves on the board of the Follicular Lymphoma Foundation, the Royal Albert Hall, as well as NESTA, which specialises in investing in social impact enterprises.