Tony Danker

Tony Danker (born 30 December 1971) is a British lobbyist and former Director-General of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) from November 2020 to March 2023.

Early life Danker was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 30 December 1971. He was educated at Belfast Royal Academy, and the University of Manchester where he earned a law degree.

Career After leaving the University of Manchester, he worked for the former Chief Rabbi, the late Lord Sacks, from 1994 to 1996. From 1998 to 2008, he was a consultant at McKinsey.

From 2017 to 2020, he was chief executive of Be the Business, a government and industry-funded body launched by George Osborne aiming to make British companies more productive. In June 2020, it was announced that he would be the next director general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI): he succeeded Carolyn Fairbairn in November 2020.

On 11 April 2023, the CBI announced that Danker had been dismissed with immediate effect as his conduct had "fallen short of that expected of the director general". Danker said that had been made "the fall guy" for a wider crisis at the organisation. In January 2024 it was announced that the CBI had settled on undisclosed terms an action for wrongful dismissal brought against it by Danker.

Views In November 2022, Danker said higher growth was needed and otherwise the UK would not afford the growing health and social care costs. Danker said Hunt's statement had been "all about fighting inflation and getting the government budget in some decent shape and that does need to be done. There was really nothing there that tells us the economy is going to avoid another decade of low productivity and low growth".

Personal life Danker is married, with two sons, and lives in London.