12 Facts About Sam Laidlaw

Sam Laidlaw is former chief executive officer of Centrica, the British natural gas and electricity company.

Sam Laidlaw is the son of Sir Christophor Laidlaw, a manager at British Petroleum who went on to be deputy chairman, and was later chairman of computer maker ICL.

Sam Laidlaw attended Eton College and studied law at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, gaining an MA in 1977.

Sam Laidlaw obtained an MBA in 1981 from the INSEAD Business School in Fontainebleau, France; his father was for a time the chairman of the school's UK advisory body.

Sam Laidlaw was a member of the UK Prime Minister's Business Advisory Group.

Sam Laidlaw is a trustee of the medical charity RAFT.

Sam Laidlaw has been chairman of the Petroleum Science and Technology Institute, based in Aberdeen, a director of the National Engineering Laboratory and president of the United Kingdom Offshore Operators Association.

Sam Laidlaw chaired a report on business and higher education for the CBI in 2010 and led the inquiry into the failure of the competition for the West Coast Rail Franchise in 2012.

Sam Laidlaw joined Centrica in July 2006, taking over from Sir Roy Gardner and becoming chairman of the executive committee and the disclosure committee.

Sam Laidlaw has been a member of the UK Government's Energy Advisory Panel, President of the UK Offshore Operators Association, a member of the Prime Minister's Business Advisory Group, the Senior Director for the Department of Transport and a non-executive director of both HSBC Holdings plc and Hanson plc.

Sam Laidlaw is a non-executive director of Rio Tinto plc and Chairman of the National Centre for Universities and Business.

Sam Laidlaw married Deborah Morris-Adams in Aylesbury Vale, Buckinghamshire in April 1989; they have three sons and a daughter.