BBC News Online: UK

Curriculum vitae: Sir Clive Thompson

NAME:
Sir Clive Thompson

AGE:55

POSITION:
New President of the CBI
Also known as:
Mr 20% (by city watchers, referring to his ambitious company growth targets)
That Unreconstructed Thatcherite (by trade unionists, referring to his position on labour relations and the minimum wage)

Previous experience:
Chief executive of Rentokil Initial, leading to it being voted Britain's most admired company. It now employs 140,000 and is worth £12bn.

Prepared to do things His Way:
Surprised the rest of the CBI at its annual dinner in May by giving a speech of which Lady Thatcher would have wholeheartedly approved. It was not, to say the least, in line with CBI policy. A CBI spokesman later said Sir Clive was talking "off the cuff".

Really not scared at all to do things His Way:
After years of frosty relations between Industry and the Labour Party, the two have now made friends. Building on that blossoming relationship, one plank of Sir Clive's after dinner speech was to talk of his low opinion of Tony Blair's Third Way. Guest of honour at the dinner: T Blair.

Good sense of humour, and ability to draw on personal experience:
During said speech, he asserted that statutory union recognition should be put in a handbook to help firms improve their pest control techniques. Also present at the dinner: John Monks, TUC general-secretary.

Good shoulder to cry on:
Told the FT: "The most difficult people to motivate are well-adjusted people. Someone who is happy is extremely difficult to motivate."

Not afraid to take a stand on an issue of principle:
Strongly opposes a minimum wage, saying it can price some low-paid workers (typically cleaners and security guards) out of jobs.

Two typical employees of Rentokil Initial
Cleaners and security guards.

Salary:
In 1994, he had a 44% rise in basic salary, plus benefits and bonus, taking his total pay to £1.23m

Pithy comment on social justice:
"People rarely get what they deserve."

Healthy recreational pasttimes.
The stockmarket and current affairs (confessed in Who's Who)

References:
One senior minister, who had just got used to Labour and Business getting along:"It does seem Sir Clive will be a very different proposition."
Investors in Rentokil: "Since I joined the company investors have multiplied their money by 30 times," he said last year.

Availability for work:
Don't touch what you can't afford.

In this section

Next steps for peace
Blairs' surprise over baby
Bowled over by Lord's
Beef row 'compromise' under fire
Hamilton 'would sell mother'
Industry misses new trains target
Quins fightback shocks Cardiff (From Sport)
Vodafone takeover battle heats up (From Business)
IRA ceasefire challenge rejected
Thousands celebrate Asian culture
Christie could get two-year ban (From Sport)
Colleagues remember Compo (From Entertainment)
Mother pleads for baby's return
Toys withdrawn in E.coli health scare
Nurses role set to expand (From Health)
Israeli PM's plane in accident
More lottery cash for grassroots
Pro-lifers plan shock launch
Double killer gets life
Cold 'cure' comes one step closer (From Health)
Straw on trial over jury reform (From UK Politics)
Tatchell calls for rights probe into Mugabe
Ex-spy stays out in the cold
Blair warns Livingstone (From UK Politics)
Smear equipment `misses cancers' (From Health)
Boyzone star gets in Christmas spirit (From Entertainment)
Fake bubbly warning
Murder jury hears dead girl's diary
Germ warfare fiasco revealed (From UK Politics)
Blair babe triggers tabloid frenzy
Tourists shot by mistake
A new look for News Online