Ben Elliot

Elliot is the son of Simon Elliot, a Dorset landowner, and Annabel Elliot (née Shand), an interior designer and antiques dealer.[1] He has two younger sisters, Alice and Catherine. His mother is the sister of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Mark Shand. His maternal grandparents were Major Bruce Shand and the Hon. Rosalind Cubitt and his paternal grandfather was Air Chief Marshal Sir William Elliot.

Elliot was educated at Eton College and the University of Bristol, graduating with a BSc in Politics and Economics.[3]

Elliot is the co-founder of Quintessentially Group, the luxury lifestyle group with a 24-hour global concierge service, which he started in London in December 2000.[4] Elliot was also the founder of Quintessentially Soho, a private members' club which raised money for the House of St Barnabas homelessness charity.[1]

He is a regular contributor to the Financial Times, The New York Times, Country Life and Tatler amongst other publications.[5][6] Elliot was included in the Evening Standard's Progress 1000 list, named as one of 'London's most influential people 2016 - Business Brains'.[7] He was the executive producer of the award-winning documentary Fire in Babylon.[8]

Elliot was asked to act as treasurer for the Conservative Party's 2016 London Mayoral Campaign and was responsible for all campaign fundraising efforts.[9] Elliot acts as a trustee for the Eranda Rothschild Foundation[10] and has been on the Development Board of the Royal Albert Hall[11] since 2015. In December 2016, he was appointed as a trustee to the board of the Victoria & Albert Museum by Prime Minister Theresa May. The four-year term officially commenced on 1 January 2017.[12] Following October 2017's relaunch of the Centre for Policy Studies, Elliot was asked by Lord Saatchi to join his board as honorary treasurer.[13]

In December 2018, Elliot was appointed by Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, as the government's first Food Surplus and Waste Champion. Following Elliot's appointment, Gove commented: "Food waste is an economic, environmental and moral scandal. We must end it. That’s why I am delighted Ben Elliot is taking up this position and know he will bring the enthusiasm and skills this important role needs. His first task will be to help ensure our £15 million food waste fund redistributes surplus food that would otherwise be wasted to those most in need."[14]

In July 2019, Elliot was appointed by incoming Prime Minister Boris Johnson as the Co-Chairman of the Conservative Party, working alongside fellow co-chairman James Cleverly.[15] Cleverly was demoted to become a joint Foreign Office and Department for International Development minister in the 2020 cabinet reshuffle and was replaced as Chairman by Amanda Milling.

Elliot is the chairman of the Quintessentially Foundation, which has raised in excess of £13 million for charitable causes since 2008.[16] Working with different charities, it aims to improve the health, education and welfare of disadvantaged people, predominantly in the UK. The foundation has helped 10,000 school children in Enfield and Croydon through the initiative Place2Be, put funding towards a new cancer centre in London through Maggie's Centres and assisted projects in Syria through War Child.[17] Its most recent partnership was with The Felix Project,[18] a charity combatting the issues of food waste and food poverty. They collaborated on a government-backed initiative to divert up to £1 billion of surplus food to people in need.[14]

Elliot's other charity partnerships have included Rehabilitation for Addicted Prisoners Trust, Room to Read, Greenhouse, Hope and Homes for Children, Dimbleby Cancer Care, Duchenne Children's Trust, Rays of Sunshine, WellChild, Good Chance, Centre for Social Justice, Sentebale, the Miles Frost Fund, Whole World Water,[19] Elephant Family[20] (for which Elliot is a Patron, co-founded and chaired by his uncle Mark Shand until his death) and others. In 2012, he was involved in the fundraising for The Queen's Diamond Jubilee.[21]

Elliot married Mary-Clare Winwood, US-born daughter of the musician Steve Winwood, in Gloucestershire in 2011.[1] His cousin Tom Parker Bowles was his best man.[22] They have two sons and live in West London.[1] Elliot is a member of 5 Hertford Street, a private members' club in Mayfair, London.[23]

• Ben Elliot on Twitter
• Interview with Ben Elliot at the Gentleman's Journal
• The stylish world of Quintessentially founder Ben Elliot at the Telegraph