Confederation of British Industry

The CBI was established in 1965 by the amalgamation of the Federation of British Industries (FBI), the British Employers' Confederation (BEC) and the National Association of British Manufacturers. This created a national representative body of employers equivalent to the Trades Union Congress, incorporating not only manufacturing, transport and construction but also commerce and the nationalised industries. The FBI, the largest predecessor body, formed the basis of the new organisation, although as part of the integration process chief posts were shared out between the CBI's predecessors. Since its formation the CBI has maintained its position as the major non-political employers' body in a changing political scene. CBI organisation reflects closely that of the FBI. The Council forms the ruling body where CBI policy is ultimately decided, although since 1977 policy issues have also been debated at a national conference. The Council elects a President to serve for two years and is assisted in policy making by the various committees. Approved policies are enacted by the directorates which are headed by one or more directors who in turn are responsible to the Director General. Committees and directorates have frequently been created, dissolved or moved within the organisation. Arrangement of the archive has therefore had to be flexible to accommodate the many changes, details of which are given in the list for each individual directorate. In numerous cases the earliest CBI files commenced as FBI or BEC files and so contain pre-1965 material.

Reference: Wyn Grant and David Marsh, The Confederation of British Industry. ( London, 1977).

From the guide to the Confederation of British Industry, 1934-2001, (Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick Library)