Shriti Vadera, Baroness Vadera

Shriti Vadera, Baroness Vadera is a UK government minister, and former advisor and UBS Warburg investment banker. From April 1999 to June 2007 she was an adviser to Gordon Brown during his time as Chancellor of the Exchequer and a member of the Treasury's Council of Economic Advisers. Brown appointed her as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for International Development on 29 June 2007. Lady Vadera was appointed Parliamentary under Secretary of State for the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform at the January 2008 reshuffle. In October 2008 she also became a Parliamentary Under Secretary in the Cabinet Office, in addition to her previous role.

Private Sector Career

For over 14 years Vadera was employed at investment bank UBS. She worked in the firm's banking, project finance, sovereign advisory and privatisation teams and, shortly before her move to the Treasury, was responsible for developing its business with the South African Government and the public sector.

Public Sector Career

Vadera has been involved in a number of high-profile public private partnership consultations in Britain, most notably the part-privatisation of the London Underground.Fact|date=July 2008

She was involved with the decision of then Transport Secretary Stephen Byers to apply to the High Court for Railtrack to be placed into Railway Administration on 7 October 2001, and was labelled "The Chancellor's representative on earth" by the Conservatives in a Commons debate surrounding the circumstances of this decision.Fact|date=July 2008

She played a key role in a number of high profile development issues, in particular the cancellation of poor country debts agreed by the G8 in 2000 and 2005.Fact|date=July 2008

Following his appointment as Prime Minister, Gordon Brown appointed her as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for International Development. [http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page12225.asp] As a Minister, she had to go into Parliament, and, lacking a seat in the House of Commons, she was created a life peer on 11 July 2007 as Baroness Vadera. She took her seat in the House of Lords that same day. The Sunday Times reported that the Cabinet Secretary "flatly refus [ed] to allow her to cross the threshold of No 10 as policy enforcer" and "no Permanent Secretary could stand her" - although the Cabinet Secretary denied making these comments. [Simon Jenkins The Times July 8 2007 [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/simon_jenkins/article2042242.ece Brown’s brain and his hand are not always connected] ] After six months at DFID she was moved to the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.

References

External links

* [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Gordon_Brown_appoints_Shriti_Vadera_to_key_post/articleshow/2162601.cms Gordon Brown appoints Shriti Vadera to key ministerial post, "The Times of India"]