Maleiha Malik and Sir Derek Higgs appointed to the Scott Trust

Maleiha Malik, University Lecturer at the School of Law, King’s College London, and Sir Derek Higgs, Chairman of Alliance & Leicester, have been appointed as new members of the Scott Trust.

The Scott Trust is the owner of Guardian Media Group plc (‘GMG’). GMG’s portfolio includes the Guardian and Observer newspapers, the Guardian Unlimited network of websites, the Manchester Evening News and other local and regional newspapers, a number of regional radio stations and Trader Media Group, publisher of the Auto Trader magazine and website.

The Trust was created in 1936 to secure the financial and editorial independence of the Guardian in perpetuity.

Maleiha has been in her current post at King’s College London since 1995. Her main teaching, research interests and publications are in political and legal philosophy, feminist theory and discrimination law.

Maleiha is a former member of the Governing Council of Liberty, an independent human rights organisation. From 2000 to 2005 she was a member of the Home Secretary’s Steering Group on the implementation of the recommendations of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry. Since 1998 she has been on the editorial board of the international journal Social and Legal Studies. She is co-author of Discrimination Law: Theory and Context (2008).

Sir Derek is a chartered accountant and former investment banker. His previous career included five years as a director of Prudential plc and Chairman of its fund management business, and 24 years with the Warburg Group. He is also Chairman of Bramdean Asset Management LLP. His other appointments include a non-executive directorship at Jones Lang LaSalle Inc.

Formerly he was Chairman of Business in the Environment, and a member of the Financial Reporting Council and the UK government’s Advisory Committee on Business and the Environment. He is also a Pro-Chancellor of the University of Bristol and author of The Role and Effectiveness of Non-Executive Directors,a review commissioned in 2002 by the UK government, which led to a major revision of the Combined Code.

Liz Forgan, Chair of the Scott Trust, said: “I am delighted to welcome two people of such distinction in widely different fields to the Scott Trust. Both are long-standing Guardian readers but will bring a valuable outside perspective to the work of the Trust in a rapidly changing media world.”

Separately, Martin Scott has retired after 17 years as a Trustee. Martin worked for the company in Manchester from 1965 to 1978, and is now a speaker and consultant at Ashridge and other business schools. He is the great-grandson of CP Scott, the celebrated editor of the Manchester Guardian.

Liz Forgan said: “Martin has been a devoted and passionate supporter of the Scott Trust, its values and its connection with the Scott family. The Trust thanks him for his tremendous support over the years.”

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Further information: Chris Wade 07740 595 563 / 020 7713 4041
www.gmgplc.co.uk

Notes for editors
The Scott Trust is the sole shareholder in Guardian Media Group plc (‘GMG’). GMG’s portfolio includes: the Guardian and Observer newspapers and Guardian Unlimited network of websites; regional and local newspapers in the North West and South of England; a number of regional radio stations across the UK; a majority stake in Trader Media Group, publisher of the Auto Trader magazine and website; and a property services division comprising software providers Vebra and Core, and consumer-facing portal thinkproperty.com.

The Scott Trust is a unique form of media ownership in the UK. It was formed in 1936 to secure the journalistic and commercial legacy of CP Scott, the Manchester Guardian’s editor of more than 50 years, and also for many years its proprietor.

The Trust is chaired by Liz Forgan and consists of executives within Guardian Media Group, external members, members of the Scott family and a member of the Guardian’s editorial staff.

The formal responsibilities of the Trustees are:

to secure the Trust’s own continuity by renewing its membership and by dealing with threats to its existence;
to monitor the organisation, financial management and overall strategy of the Group, holding the Board accountable for its performance;
to appoint and ‘in extreme circumstances’ to dismiss the editors of the Guardian, the Manchester Evening News and the Observer;
to act as a ‘court of appeal’ in the event of any dispute between the editorial and managerial sides of the operation.