Nigel Clifford
{{Short description|British businessman (born 1959)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Nigel Richard Clifford
| honorific_suffix = {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|FRGS|FRSA|FRICS}}
| other_names =
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1959|06}}
| birth_place =
| occupation = Businessman
| employer = British Telecom
Glasgow Royal Infirmary
Symbian Ltd.
Micro Focus International
Procserve
Marlin Equity Partners
Cable & Wireless plc
Tertio
Geospatial Commission
Royal Geographical Society
Lincoln College, Oxford
| nationality = British
| alma_mater = Portsmouth Grammar School
Downing College, Cambridge
University of Strathclyde (MBA)
}}
Nigel Richard Clifford (born June 1959) is a British businessman and academic administrator who is the 40th Rector of Lincoln College, Oxford.{{cite web |title=Mr Nigel Clifford, FRGS, FRSA, FRICS |url=https://lincoln.ox.ac.uk/people/mr-nigel-clifford-frgs-frsa-frics}} He is formerly president of the Royal Geographical Society, the deputy chair of the UK's Geospatial Commission, and operating executive for Marlin Equity Partners.{{Cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/nigel-clifford |title=Nigel Clifford |author= |date= |website=Gov.UK |access-date=17 February 2022}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.marlinequity.com/team/ |title=Team |author= |date= |website=Marlin Equity Partners |publisher=Marlin Management Company |access-date=17 February 2022}}
He formerly held several chief executive and senior positions, mainly in technology companies. He has also been chief executive of Great Britain's Ordnance Survey and Glasgow Royal Infirmary NHS Trust.{{cite web |url=https://www.alliancepharmaceuticals.com/investors/governance/our-board/nigel-clifford |title=Nigel Clifford, Non-Executive Director |website=Alliance Pharma |access-date=17 February 2022}}
Early life
Nigel Clifford was born in June 1959. He attended Portsmouth Grammar School before obtaining a degree from Downing College, Cambridge in Geography and an MBA from the University of Strathclyde.{{cite news |last=Lea |first=Robert |date=19 August 2017 |work=The Times |page=57 |title=When you are head of Ordnance Survey, it pays to know where you are going |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/when-you-are-head-of-this-business-it-pays-to-know-where-you-are-going-ztgcvb3jp |access-date= 12 October 2024}}
Career
He worked for British Telecom in a variety of roles from 1981 to 1992. He was chief executive of Glasgow Royal Infirmary NHS Trust from 1992 to 1998.{{cite web |url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/aberdeen/a-remote-meeting-of-minds-1.423773 |title=A remote meeting of minds |website=HeraldScotland.com |date=3 December 1996 |access-date=21 August 2017}} From 1998 to 2000 he was service delivery director at Cable & Wireless plc. He was chief executive of Tertio from 2000 to 2005.
From 2005 to 2008 he was chief executive of Symbian Ltd. (a joint venture of handset vendors) which was eventually sold and integrated into Nokia in 2008.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7470772.stm |title=Nokia in full buy-out of Symbian |website=BBC News: Business |date=24 June 2008 |access-date=21 August 2017}} He was technology director at Nokia in 2009 and chief executive of Micro Focus International from 2010 to 2011. He was CEO of Procserve, a cloud based e-commerce network, from 2012 to 2015 until its sale to Basware.
He has held non-executive director positions at Anite, and Alliance Pharma.{{cite web |url=http://www.alliancepharma.co.uk/alliance/en/investors/financialnews?id=69 |title=Regulatory News |website=Alliancepharma.co.uk |access-date=21 August 2017 |archive-date=11 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150211194451/http://www.alliancepharma.co.uk/alliance/en/investors/financialnews?id=69 |url-status=dead }}
He was chief executive officer of Ordnance Survey, Great Britain's national mapping agency, from 2015 to 2018{{cite web |title=Business Minister Matthew Hancock Announces the Appointment of Nigel Clifford as the New Chief Executive of Ordnance Survey |url=https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/about/news/2015/business-minister-announces-new-os-ceo.html |website=Ordnance Survey |access-date=6 March 2015}} before joining Marlin Equity Partners as Operating Executive until 2023. From 2018 to 2023 he was deputy chair of the Geospatial Commission, part of the Cabinet Office. From 2021 to 2024 he was President of the Royal Geographical Society.{{Cite web |url=https://www.rgs.org/geography/news/meet-our-new-president,-nigel-clifford/ |title=Royal Geographical Society - Meet our new President, Nigel Clifford}}
In July 2023, he was elected as the next rector of Lincoln College, Oxford.{{cite web |title=Nigel Clifford Elected as Lincoln's 40th Rector |url=https://lincoln.ox.ac.uk/news/nigel-clifford-elected-as-lincolns-40th-rector |website=Lincoln College |publisher=University of Oxford |access-date=12 October 2024 |date=25 July 2023}} He succeeded Henry Woudhuysen as the college's 40th rector in September 2024.{{cite web |title=A warm welcome to Nigel Clifford, Lincoln's 40th Rector |url=https://lincoln.ox.ac.uk/news/a-warm-welcome-to-nigel-clifford-lincolns-40th-rector |website=Lincoln College |publisher=University of Oxford |access-date=12 October 2024}}
In 2025, Clifford was appointed an honorary fellow of Downing College, Cambridge.{{Cite web |title=Downing alumnus becomes Honorary Fellow {{!}} Downing College Cambridge |url=https://www.dow.cam.ac.uk/news/downing-alumnus-becomes-honorary-fellow |access-date=2025-06-07 |website=www.dow.cam.ac.uk}}
Professional memberships
Honorary Fellow – Downing College, Cambridgeurl=https://www.dow.cam.ac.uk/people/fellows-directory/honorary-fellows
CGeog – Chartered Geographer, Royal Geographical Society{{cite web |url=https://www.rgs.org/about/the-society/our-people/patrons,-presidents-and-directors/nigel-clifford/ |title=Nigel Clifford |website=rgs.org |access-date=2023-03-18}}
FRICS – Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
FRGS - Fellow of Royal Geographical Society
FRSA - Fellow of The Royal Society of Arts
FCMI - Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute
Personal life
He is married and has three adult children. His personal interests include fell-walking, running, and kayaking.{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/11939740/Why-apps-wont-be-ousting-maps-any-time-soon-as-Ordnance-Survey-chief-charts-a-digital-future.html |title=Why apps won't be ousting maps any time soon as Ordnance Survey chief charts a digital future |website=The Daily Telegraph |date=18 October 2015 |access-date=19 October 2015}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{RGSPresidents}}
{{Psion–Symbian}}
{{Rectors of Lincoln College, Oxford}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clifford, Nigel}}
Category:British chief executives
Category:Presidents of the Royal Geographical Society
Category:Alumni of Downing College, Cambridge
Category:Alumni of Strathclyde Business School
Category:People educated at The Portsmouth Grammar School
Category:National Health Service people
Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Arts
Category:Fellows of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors