Sir Michael Lyons is Chairman of the English Cities Fund, which is currently reshaping Rathbone Market in Canning Town, East London, and has other large scale regeneration developments in Plymouth, Salford, Wakefield and Liverpool. He is currently Chairman of SQW Ltd and has held a number of other Board positions as well as various nonexecutive and advisory roles. He is a former Chairman of the BBC (from May 2007 to end of April 2011).
After studying Economics at University he went on to teach the subject at Nottingham University. He had a distinguished career in public service including 17 years running some of the country's largest local authorities (including Birmingham City Council 1994-2001) and was knighted for services to Local Government in 2001.
He led the national "Lyons Inquiry" into the functions and funding of local government (published March 2007) which argued for greater devolution and emphasised the local authority's role in Placeshaping . He led two other significant reviews concerning the relocation of government services (2004) and the management of public assets (2004). He is a former Deputy Chairman of the Audit Commission (2003 to 2006) and Professor of Public Policy at Birmingham University (2001 to 2006).
He chaired the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra for 6 years and was both a board member and governor of the Royal Shakespeare Company.
He is a strategic adviser on public asset management and regeneration to CBRE.
Michael Lyons was educated at Stratford Grammar School (London), Middlesex University and at Queen Mary College, University of London. He is 64, married, with three grown-up children. He lives in Birmingham.
He is currently Chairman of the Housing Commission established by Ed Milliband.
