Sir Michael Barber is one of the leading Education and Government experts of the last 20 years. He was once described by Time magazine as ‘the single most influential educator on the face of the earth’. In April 2021 his latest book Accomplishment: How Ambitious and Challenging Things Get Done was published by Penguin. It identifies the pattern of accomplishment across many fields including sport, business and science as well as government. It has been described by Matthew Syed as “an excellent analysis”. His previous book How to Run a Government so that Citizens Benefit and Taxpayers Don’t go Crazy, also published by Penguin, has been influential among politicians and officials worldwide.
From 2017 to 2021 he was Chair of the Office for Students which regulates the higher education system in England. He served as Chief Adviser to the Secretary of State for Education on School Standards from 1997 to 2001 during which time school performance improved significantly.
In 2001 he set up the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit in No 10 Downing Street to ensure the successful implementation of the Prime Minister’s priorities in domestic policy including education and health.
Having worked as Head of McKinsey’s Global Education Practice and as Pearson’s Chief Education Adviser, Michael now leads his own company, Delivery Associates. He is also Chancellor of the University of Exeter and an Honorary Fellow of Queen’s College, Oxford. He currently advises the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the skills agenda. He is also Chair of Somerset County Cricket Club.
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