Stanley Kalms, Baron Kalms

Harold Stanley Kalms, Baron Kalms (21 November 1931 – 30 March 2025) was a British businessman who was the life president and chairman of Currys plc. In 1948 he joined Dixons, which was founded by his father Charles Kalms in 1937. He spent his whole career with the company, through its various mergers and acquisitions into Currys.

Kalms was chairman of Volvere plc, a British turnaround group, from 2002 to 2011.

Background Stanley Kalms was educated at Christ's College, Finchley. He married Pamela Jimack in 1954. They had three sons (Richard, Stephen and Paul) and eight grandchildren. Kalms died on 30 March 2025, at the age of 93.

Career Kalms joined Dixons in 1948 at the age of 16 and over the years grew the company from a one-store family business into Europe's leading specialist electrical retailer. Kalms was appointed Chairman of the Dixons Group plc in 1971.

Politics Kalms was treasurer of the Conservative Party, 2001–03. In 2004, he became a life peer in the House of Lords. He was expelled from the party in 2009 after voting for UKIP in that year's European Parliament elections. and was subsequently non-affiliated. On 10 July 2024 it was announced that Kalms had ceased to be a member of the House of Lords due to non attendance in the previous parliamentary session.

He was the Director of the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) think tank from 1991 to 2001. He was a member of the Advisory Board of United Against Nuclear Iran which is an advocacy organization closely tied to neoconservative and other “pro-Israel” factions that promotes a confrontational U.S. stance towards Iran, particularly with respect to its nuclear program. Kalms was a member of the Savile Club and Portland Club. The Stanley Kalms Foundation gave £100,000 to the neoconservative Henry Jackson Society in 2013.

Honours Kalms had close connections to the University of Buckingham. He received an honorary degree from Buckingham, for his services to the electrical retailing industry and made a life peer as Baron Kalms, of Edgware in the London Borough of Barnet in 2004.

Kalms ceased to be a member of the House of Lords on 9 July 2024 under the House of Lords Reform Act 2014 because of non-attendance in the preceding session of Parliament.

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