James Timpson
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Official portrait, 2024
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| Minister of State for Prisons, Parole and Probation | |
| Assumed office 5 July 2024 | |
| Prime Minister | Keir Starmer |
| Preceded by | Edward Argar |
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |
| In office TBD | |
| CEOofTimpson (retailer) | |
| In office 2002 – July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Sir John Timpson CBE |
| Succeeded by | Sir John Timpson CBE |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1971-09-17) 17 September 1971 (age 52) Knutsford, Cheshire, England |
| Relations | Edward Timpson (brother) |
| Parent(s) | Alex Timpson John Timpson |
| Education | Uppingham School |
| Alma mater | Durham University (BA) |
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William James Timpson OBE DL (born 17 September 1971) is a British businessman, philanthropist, and politician serving as Minister of State for Prisons, Parole and Probation since 2024. He was the chief executive of the Timpson Group, owned by his father John Timpson, from 2002[1] to July 2024[2]
Timpson was born in Knutsford, Cheshire, son of John and Alex; his younger brother Edward was a Conservative MP from 2019 to 2024. He attended Uppingham School.[1] He was awarded a Bachelor of Arts in geography from Durham University before joining his family business.[1]
Known for advocating the employment of former prisoners, he was the Chair of the Employers Forum for Reducing Re-offending (EFFRR) until 2016, and became Chair of the Prison Reform Trust[1] that same year. He also founded the Employment Advisory Board network across the prison estate, which links prisons with employers to improve the employment opportunities for ex-offenders upon release.[3]
In November 2018, Timpson was selected to co-chair one of five new business councils by the Prime Minister, to advise on how to create the best conditions for UK businesses after Brexit. He was the co-chair of the Small Business, Scale ups and Entrepreneurs Council, alongside Brent Hoberman and Emma Jones.[4]
In March 2021, he was reappointed by the then Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, as trustee of the Tate for a four-year period in March 2021.[5] He replaced Jonathon PorrittasChancellorofKeele University in June 2022.[6]
Timpson wrote a column on business and leadership for The Sunday Times[7] throughout 2021, and this inspired his book The Happy Index: Lessons in Upside-Down Management, which was published in February 2024.[8]
In February 2024, Timpson made comments suggesting only a third of prisoners should be in prison.[9]
In July 2024, he was appointed Minister of State for Prisons, Parole and Probation in the Starmer ministry by the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer.[10][11] He is due to be appointed to a life peerage.[11] Because of this appointment, Timpson stepped down as chief executive officer of Timpson and stepped down as chair from the Prison Reform Trust.[12]
He was appointed as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the Civil Division in the 2011 Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to training and employment for disadvantaged people. He was appointed as a deputy lieutenant (DL) of Cheshire on 11 October 2019.[13][14]
| Academic offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Chancellor of Keele University 2022–present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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