UK AI firm Signal AI has appointed Archie Norman to its Board of Directors.
Norman, who has served on the boards of M&S, Asda and ITV, was a conversative MP from the 1980s until 2005, standing down prior to the general election.
He rose to Conservative front bench as Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions and subsequently co-founded the think tank “Policy Exchange.”
In his new role, Norman will provide strategic guidance on Signal AI, expand existing offerings in ESG, risk & compliance, legal, consulting and PR & communications.
The London-based start was recently reportedly to have been paid almost £100,000 to perform “media analysis” on the Government’s Covid-19 communications.
Commenting on the appointment, Norman said: “Today, AI is no longer a function just within the technology team. It is a business objective that impacts senior management and the bottom line. Artificial Intelligence has gone from obscurity to the foundation of modern business. I am thrilled to be part of this team and look forward to collaborating with them.”
David Benigson, CEO and co-founder of Signal AI, added: “Archie is an exceptionally smart and perceptive titan of business and government, and I am delighted to have him join the Signal AI team. His experience, knowledge and insight will help further our mission to provide communication professionals and senior leaders with the augmented intelligence tools to understand the world’s data.”
Norman has served as a non-executive director on the boards of numerous companies including British Rail, Railtrack, Lazard and Geest.
He was previously the youngest partner at McKinsey and Co. and has an MBA from Harvard Business School and an MA from Cambridge University.
He is on the Board of the NIESR, has Honorary Doctorates from York University and Leeds Metropolitan University, was a Director of the Judge Institute, has been elected to the Marketing Society Hall of Fame, and has been voted Retailer of the Year as well as Yorkshire Businessman of the Year.