Baron Levene of Portsoken

The Right Honourable The Lord Levene of Portsoken KBE
Lord Levene at the World Economic Forum on Europe in 2010
671st Lord Mayor of London
In office 1998–1999
Preceded by	Richard Nichols
Succeeded by	Clive Martin
Personal details
Born	(1941-12-08) 8 December 1941 (age 75) Pinner, Middlesex, UK
Nationality	British

Peter Keith Levene, Baron Levene of Portsoken KBE (born 8 December 1941) is chairman of Starr Underwriting Agents Limited and was Lord Mayor of London 1998 to 1999.

He was educated at the City of London School and then studied at the University of Manchester where he graduated with a degree in Economics and Political Science.

Lord Levene is Chairman of Starr Underwriting Agents Limited. Previously, he served as Chairman of Lloyd's of London, the world's leading specialist insurance and reinsurance market, from 2002–2011, after having been Vice Chairman of Deutsche Bank. Prior to this, he held the position of Chairman of Bankers Trust International and was formerly with both Morgan Stanley and Wasserstein Perella. He joined United Scientific Holdings in 1963, a small company which grew into a substantial supplier to UK and overseas Ministries of Defence. He eventually rose to the post of chairman of that group, in 1981.

Subsequently, he was asked by the then Secretary of State for Defence, Michael Heseltine, to act as his Personal Advisor in the MoD, and then as Permanent Secretary in the role of Chief of Defence Procurement, a position which he held for six years. As UK National Armaments Director, he was appointed as Chairman of the European National Armaments Directors 1989-1990. He thereafter held a number of Government posts, as Advisor to the Secretary of State for the Environment; to the President of the Board of Trade; and to the Chancellor of the Exchequer. He was appointed as Advisor to the Prime Minister (John Major) on Efficiency and Effectiveness from 1992 to 1997, producing a report, Efficiency Scrutiny into Construction Procurement by Government. in 1996. During this period, he also served as Chairman of the Docklands Light Railway and then Chairman and Chief Executive of Canary Wharf Ltd. He served as a member of the Board of Directors of J Sainsbury plc from 2001–2004, and of Total S.A., from 2005–11.