The Marque The Marque

Anthony St John

Non-Executive Chairman, Director and Advisor

London, UK


Anthony St John
Tom Speechley
SX2 Ventures
Iain St John
Twenty Two Family Office

Anthony St John’s Biography

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.
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Anthony St John’s Background

House of Lords
Crossbencher
Dec 1978 - Present
London, UK
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.
 
Merrill Lynch
Consultant
1991 - 2008
London, UK
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.
 
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Current Board Positions

Airport Holdings Ltd
Non-Executive Director
2022 - Present
Port Louis, MU
Airport Holdings Ltd is the owner of Air Mauritius, the flag carrier airline of Mauritius.
 
Gulf Marine Services plc
Senior Independent Director
May 2021 - Present
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.
 
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Previous Board Positions

Empati Ltd
Non-Executive Director
2019 - 2021
London, UK
Empati is a private company seeking to promote renewable energy solutions in emerging markets.
 
Falcon Group logo Falcon Group logo
Falcon Group
Non-Executive Director
2016 - 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.
 
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Current Advisory Roles

Shyft logo Shyft logo
Shyft
Advisor
2020 - 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.
 
Geobear
Advisor/Mentor
Feb 2020 - Present
London, UK
Founded in the 1970s, Geobear is a private engineering business focussed on underpinning for subsidence of both public and private sectors.
 
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Previous Advisory Roles

FarmaTrust
Advisor
2017 - 2021
London, UK
Anthony acted as an unpaid advisor to FarmaTrust, a company that uses blockchain technology to counter the threat of counterfeit pharmaceutical drugs.
 
17ARM logo 17ARM logo
17ARM
Advisory Board Member
2017 - 2021
Dubai, AE
Based in Dubai and Jersey, 17ARM is a provider of global asset tracing and corporate intelligence.
 
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Philanthropy

Nick Maughan Foundation
Trustee
As a Trustee of the Nick Maughan Foundation Anthony advises on donations to well-managed charities, focused primarily in Africa.
 
Berkshire Youth Trust
Trustee
The Berkshire Youth Trust has been providing exceptional support services to under-privileged young people in Berkshire for over 75 years.
 
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Media

The Money Maze Podcast
Podcast
Aug 2020
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.
 

Accreditation

London Stock Exchange
Registered Representative
1984
London, UK
Anthony was admitted as a Registered Representative of the London Stock Exchange in 1984.
 

Public Service

The Royal Household
Extra Lord in Waiting
1998 - Present
In 1998 Anthony St John was made Extra Lord in Waiting to HM Queen Elizabeth II. He now serves as Extra Lord in Waiting to HM King Charles III.
 

Speaking Engagements

Money 20/20
Moderator
Jun 2022
Amsterdam, NL
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.
 

Anthony St John’s Education

London School of Economics
LLM (Master of Laws) Chinese and Maritime Law
1982 - 1984
University of South Africa
BProc (Law)
1979 - 1982
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