Michael Hirst
Encyclopedia
Sir
Michael William Hirst (born 2 January 1946) is a former Scottish
Conservative and Unionist Party
politician, chartered accountant
and public relations
consultant and company director.
A student of Glasgow Academy and the University of Glasgow
, Hirst had a career as a chartered accountant and partner in Peat Marwick, now KPMG, before entering politics. He was elected Member of Parliament
for Strathkelvin and Bearsden
at the 1983 general election
, but lost the seat to Labour
's Sam Galbraith
at the 1987 election
. He was PPS at the Department of Energy from 1985 to 1987. Sir Michael was subsequently the President of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Association from 1989 to 1992 and Chairman of the Scottish Conservative Party from 1993 to 1997.
He was knighted in 1992 for political and public service. He is chairman of the Scottish Division of ISKB, and a member of its Council.
Hirst joined Pagoda Public Relations in 1998 and was appointed chairman in 2000. He attained his MCIPR in 2003.http://www.pagodapr.com/webpages/biog_hirst.htm. He is chairman of Millstream Associates Limited, Aberdeen. He was made a Doctor of Letters by Glasgow Caledonian University in 2004.
He was the first non-medical chairman of the board of trustees of Diabetes UK from 2001–2006 and was elected Vice President of the International Diabetes Federation in 2006, serving in that position until he was elected President-Elect in 2009. He will take up office as President at the end of 2012.
He has two daughters and one son with his wife, Naomi Ferguson, whom he married in 1972. In his spare time he enjoys golf
, hill walking, theatre
and skiing
. He is a member of the Carlton Club
in London
and the Western Club in Glasgow
.
Sir
Sir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...
Michael William Hirst (born 2 January 1946) is a former Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Conservative and Unionist Party
Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
The Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party is the part of the British Conservative Party that operates in Scotland. Like the UK party, it has a centre-right political philosophy which promotes conservatism and strong British Unionism...
politician, chartered accountant
Chartered Accountant
Chartered Accountants were the first accountants to form a professional body, initially established in Britain in 1854. The Edinburgh Society of Accountants , the Glasgow Institute of Accountants and Actuaries and the Aberdeen Society of Accountants were each granted a royal charter almost from...
and public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
consultant and company director.
A student of Glasgow Academy and the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
, Hirst had a career as a chartered accountant and partner in Peat Marwick, now KPMG, before entering politics. He was elected Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Strathkelvin and Bearsden
Strathkelvin and Bearsden (UK Parliament constituency)
Strathkelvin and Bearsden was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983...
at the 1983 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
, but lost the seat to Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
's Sam Galbraith
Sam Galbraith
Samuel Laird "Sam" Galbraith is a Scottish Labour Party politician. He is a former Member of Parliament and a former Member of the Scottish Parliament....
at the 1987 election
United Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
. He was PPS at the Department of Energy from 1985 to 1987. Sir Michael was subsequently the President of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Association from 1989 to 1992 and Chairman of the Scottish Conservative Party from 1993 to 1997.
He was knighted in 1992 for political and public service. He is chairman of the Scottish Division of ISKB, and a member of its Council.
Hirst joined Pagoda Public Relations in 1998 and was appointed chairman in 2000. He attained his MCIPR in 2003.http://www.pagodapr.com/webpages/biog_hirst.htm. He is chairman of Millstream Associates Limited, Aberdeen. He was made a Doctor of Letters by Glasgow Caledonian University in 2004.
He was the first non-medical chairman of the board of trustees of Diabetes UK from 2001–2006 and was elected Vice President of the International Diabetes Federation in 2006, serving in that position until he was elected President-Elect in 2009. He will take up office as President at the end of 2012.
He has two daughters and one son with his wife, Naomi Ferguson, whom he married in 1972. In his spare time he enjoys golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, hill walking, theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
and skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
. He is a member of the Carlton Club
Carlton Club
The Carlton Club is a gentlemen's club in London which describes itself as the "oldest, most elite, and most important of all Conservative clubs." Membership of the club is by nomination and election only.-History:...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and the Western Club in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
.
Career
- 1970: Qualified as a Chartered AccountantChartered AccountantChartered Accountants were the first accountants to form a professional body, initially established in Britain in 1854. The Edinburgh Society of Accountants , the Glasgow Institute of Accountants and Actuaries and the Aberdeen Society of Accountants were each granted a royal charter almost from...
- 1977-83 Partner in Peat Marwick Mitchell & Co
- 1979- Director Erskine Hospital Ltd
- 1983-92 Consultant for KPMG Peat Marwick
- 1983-87 Conservative Member of Parliament for Strathkelvin and Bearsden
- 1985-87 Parliamentary Private SecretaryParliamentary Private SecretaryA Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
Department of Energy - 1986-2009 Chair The Park School Education Trust
- Diabetes UKDiabetes UKDiabetes UK is a patient, healthcare professional and research charity dedicated to improving the lives of people with diabetes and to working towards a future without the chronic condition diabetes....
: Trustee 1988-2006, Honorary Secretary 1993-, Vice-Chairman 1998-2001, Chairman 2001-2006, Vice-President 2006- - 1989-92 President Scottish Conservative and Unionist Association 1989-92
- 1993-97 Chairman Scottish Conservative and Unionist PartyScottish Conservative and Unionist PartyThe Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party is the part of the British Conservative Party that operates in Scotland. Like the UK party, it has a centre-right political philosophy which promotes conservatism and strong British Unionism...
1993-97 (vice-chair 1987-89) - Pagoda Public Relations: 1998-, Chairman 2000-
- 2002- Imperial Soc of Knights Bachelor (Chairman Scottish Division)
- 2003- MCIPR
- International Diabetes FederationInternational Diabetes FederationThe International Diabetes Federation is a worldwide alliance of some 200 diabetes associations in more than 160 countries, who have come together to enhance the lives of people with diabetes everywhere. For over 50 years, IDF has been at the vanguard of global diabetes advocacy...
: Vice-President 2006-2009; President-Elect 2009-