The Lord St John of Bletso is a crossbench (independent) peer with Special Parliamentary Interests that include FinTech, education, Southern Africa, wildlife conservation and the environment. He is also a highly respected businessman, solicitor, philanthropist and Extra Lord in Waiting to HM King Charles III.
Anthony St John took up his seat in the House of Lords in 1978 and has served on many Select Committees including on Artificial Intelligence/Robotics, Communications, and is a Past President of Friends of South Africa. He is currently Vice Chairman of All Party Parliamentary Groups on South Africa, Zimbabwe, Endangered Species, and a Council Member of the Parliamentary Information Technology Committee.
Anthony was educated in South Africa where he qualified as an attorney (solicitor). He began his career at Shell, working as a legal adviser and auditor before moving to the UK to complete his Master of Laws (LLM) at the LSE. Following his admittance as a Registered Representative of the London Stock Exchange, Anthony worked for over 20 years in financial services, initially...The Lord St John of Bletso is a crossbench (independent) peer with Special Parliamentary Interests that include FinTech, education, Southern Africa, wildlife conservation and the environment. He is also a highly respected businessman, solicitor, philanthropist and Extra Lord in Waiting to HM King Charles III.
Anthony St John took up his seat in the House of Lords in 1978 and has served on many Select Committees including on Artificial Intelligence/Robotics, Communications, and is a Past President of Friends of South Africa. He is currently Vice Chairman of All Party Parliamentary Groups on South Africa, Zimbabwe, Endangered Species, and a Council Member of the Parliamentary Information Technology Committee.
Anthony was educated in South Africa where he qualified as an attorney (solicitor). He began his career at Shell, working as a legal adviser and auditor before moving to the UK to complete his Master of Laws (LLM) at the LSE. Following his admittance as a Registered Representative of the London Stock Exchange, Anthony worked for over 20 years in financial services, initially as an oil analyst for County NatWest Securities. He went on to work for Smith New Court before acting as senior consultant to Merrill Lynch, focussing on Southern Africa, the Far East and Parliamentary liaison.
He has served on the boards of both public and private companies and is currently Chairman of Yellow Cake plc, Integrated Diagnostic Holdings plc and Strand Hanson Ltd. Anthony also advises and mentors several SMEs, with a particular focus on FinTech and Southern Africa.
Anthony is a dedicated philanthropist and acts as a Trustee to six charities including the Nick Maughan Foundation, the Berkshire Youth Trust, and The Life Neurological Research Trust.
In 1998 Lord St John was appointed as Extra Lord in Waiting to HM Queen Elizabeth II, a position he continues to hold as Lord in Waiting to HM King Charles III.READ MOREVIEW LESS
Anthony took his seat in the UK Parliament’s House of Lords in 1978. He sits as a Crossbencher, or Independent, and is not aligned to any political party.
Anthony acted as a consultant to Smith New Court until 1996, and thereafter Merrill Lynch International. His work focused on corporate broking, particularly in Southern Africa and the Far East, as well as Parliamentary liaison.
Smith New Court
1989
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1991
London, UK
Smith New Court was the UK's biggest independent stockbroker. It was acquired by Merrill Lynch in 1995. Anthony coordinated UK and European Equity Sales to Japanese institutional clients as an FSA Registered Representative.
Anthony worked for County NatWest Securities as an oil analyst specialising in sales to the Far East. County NatWest merged with the company's foreign exchange and treasury departments in the early 1990s, forming NatWest Markets.
Shell is a petrochemicals and energy conglomerate that has a global presence in more than 70 countries. Anthony worked as an internal auditor and legal adviser in South Africa.
Gulf Marine Services (GMS) manages a fleet of versatile self-propelled lift boats. In March 2014 the company was listed on the London Stock Exchange. Anthony St John was appointed Senior Independent Director in August 2023, having served as a Non-Executive Director since 2021.
Choice International Mauritius Limited is a FinTech solutions provider with expertise in cost-effective and rapid international trade payments available to businesses in Africa and Southern Asia.
Integrated Diagnostics Holdings is the largest medical diagnostics business in the Middle East and South Asia. IDH provides superior medical diagnostics services to more than 5 million patients annually.
Empati is a private company seeking to promote renewable energy solutions in emerging markets.
Falcon Group
Non-Executive Director
2016
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2021
Dubai, AE
A specialist finance company providing tailored and flexible financing options that enable mid-cap companies to grow quickly and efficiently, as well as assisting large corporations to enhance growth.
Globix built and managed the largest data centre in the UK.
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Current Advisory Roles
Shyft
Advisor
2020
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Present
London, UK
Shyft Network is a secure blockchain-based ecosystem solution that enables KYC/AML attested data transfers between those who own the data, and those who use it.
Bell Integration has provided data centre solutions since 1996. With an experienced team of over 450 employees, Bell Integration is able to offer multiple services to optimise IT within companies.
BetWay
Advisor
2015
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Present
London, UK
BetWay is a a global online sports betting and gaming company providing entertainment across a number of brands.
Roc Technologies
Advisor
2015
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Present
Newbury, UK
Roc is a multi-award winning business and technology services provider. Roc helps senior business leaders change, challenge their assumptions and continuously improve.
WET Holdings
Advisor
2016
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Present
London, UK
Anthony acts as an unpaid advisor to WET Holdings (Global) - water enhanced technology.
Harpenden Spotlight in Africa is a charitable organisation that is focused on the health, development and education of children and communities in Eastern Uganda.
Christel House helps disadvantaged children all around the world to escape the cycle of poverty and develop into self-sufficient, contributing members of their communities.
Television Trust for the Environment (TVE) works with filmmakers and partners worldwide to make and distribute films that put the environment and sustainability on the global agenda.
Established in 1994, Afrika Tikkun (previously known as MaAfrika Tikkun) is a charitable organisation with an aim to enable the development and transformation of disadvantaged communities in South Africa.
The Life Neurological Research Trust
Trustee
London, UK
The Life Neurological Research Trust's mission is to raise awareness for neurological diseases and to fund research and targeted projects.
Founded in 2000, Citizens Online is a charity with an aim to explore and assist the impact of the internet on today’s society, without the exclusion of anyone.
Anthony St John is interviewed for The Money Maze Podcast. He discusses several topics including investing in Africa, Uranium, cyber security, his relationship with Nelson Mandela and his advice for young people.
Money20/20 is the world's largest fintech event, bringing together payments and financial services innovators for connected commerce. Anthony served as the Moderator on the Introducing New Era, the UK's first Digital Sterling Pilot panel on 9th June in Amsterdam.