Gerald Corbett

Gerald Corbett

Gerald Michael Nolan Corbett (born 7 September 1951) is a British businessman. Over a long career, he has been a director of twelve public companies, five of which he has chaired. He is currently chairman of Betfair plc, the world’s leading betting exchange, which he joined in January 2012. He is also chairman of Britvic plc, the international soft drinks company whose brands include Robinsons squash, J2O, Tango, Fruit Shoot and Ballygowan water, and Pepsi. As chairman he led the floatation of Britvic in 2005 since when the profits have almost doubled.

He is also chairman on Moneysupermarket.com plc, the UK’s leading price comparison website, whose floatation he led in 2007. He chairs Towry, the wealth advisory business and is a non-executive director of Numis plc, the stockbroking and investment banking business based in the City.

In 2005 he became Chairman of SSL International plc, the consumer healthcare group, whose major brands included Durex and Scholl, sold in over 50 countries. In 2010 he negotiated the sale of SSL to Reckitt Benckiser for £2.5 billion, a gain of 400% on the share price 5 years previously.

He is Chairman of Action on Hearing Loss (the Royal National Institute of the Deaf), the UK’s largest charity for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. He is Vice Chairman of the Hertfordshire Community Foundation and Chairman of the St Albans Cathedral Music Trust. He was High Sheriff of Hertfordshire for 2010/11 and served on the Council of the Shrieval Association between 2008-2012.

Described by David Freud in his book "Freud in the City" as "immensely approachable, a short and jovial figure, full of impromptu quips relayed to the accompaniment of short, barks of laughter",he had an executive career which covered many years as a Finance Director (he was one of the longest serving members of the 100 Group of FTSE Finance Directors) prior to a controversial spell as Chief Executive of Railtrack, the infrastructure part of the Tory Government’s Railway privatisation.