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Nat Wei, Baron Wei

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"Lord Wei" redirects here. For other uses, see Wei (surname).

The Right Honourable
The Lord Wei
韋鳴恩勳爵
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
Incumbent
Assumed office
3 June 2010
Life Peerage
Personal details
Born
Nathanael Ming-Yan Wei

(1977-01-19) 19 January 1977 (age 48)
Watford, Hertfordshire, England
Political partyConservative
Residence(s)Shoreditch, London, England
EducationBA (Hons) French and German
Alma materJesus College, Oxford
OccupationMember of the House of Lords
Social entrepreneur
Technology advisor
Nat Wei, Baron Wei
Traditional Chinese韋鳴恩[1]
Simplified Chinese韦鸣恩
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinWéi Míng'ēn
Yue: Cantonese
JyutpingWai5 Ming4 Jan1

Nathanael Ming-Yan Wei, Baron Wei (Chinese: 韋鳴恩;[1] born 19 January 1977), also known as Nat Wei, is an English social entrepreneur and advisor on technology, with an interest in social reform. He is the first British-born person of Hong Kong origin to have become a member of the House of Lords, sitting as a Conservative, and was the youngest member of the House from 2010 to 2016.[2] He was also previously an adviser to the UK Government on their Big Society project.[3]

Lord Wei is the founding partner of the Shaftesbury Partnership,[4][5] the founder of Maker Life, a member of the founding team of Teach First[4] and a former adviser at Absolute Return For Kids.[6] He is also a former fellow of the Young Foundation.[7] and World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. Lord Wei has also served as the Chairman of the Conservative Friends of the Chinese, but stepped down in August 2020. He is a business and technology advisor and board member for a number of businesses, including most including most recently Future Planet Capital,[8] and sits as a member of the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee.

Early life

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Lord Wei is the son of Hakka British Chinese parents from Hong Kong[9] with ancestral roots in Nanlang, Zhongshan, Guangdong, mainland China.[10]

Education

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Lord Wei was educated at the Sir Frank Markham Community School, a state comprehensive school in Milton Keynes (since closed, and replaced by the Milton Keynes Academy on the same site),[11] where some of the pupils snorted cocaine and even burned down a wing of the school, and reportedly bullied him for taking his studies seriously.[12] However, in a later first-person account of his school life, Wei appeared to contradict this account, stating that as he 'got good grades, but was also sporty', he was not targeted or bullied.[13] The only pupil from his school year to attend the University of Oxford, he studied Modern Languages at Jesus College.[14]

Life and career

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After graduating from Jesus College, Oxford, Wei worked at McKinsey & Company for three years,[15] where he came to know Brett Wigdortz, who founded Teach First in 2002.[16] In 2006, after three years at Teach First and a short stint in social venture capital, Wei joined the children's charity Absolute Return for Kids (ARK) where he helped to set up Future Leaders,[17] a programme seeking to attract, develop and place high-potential teachers and future leaders of urban schools.

Founding the Shaftesbury Partnership

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Around the same time as helping to set up Future Leaders, in early 2006, Wei founded the Shaftesbury Partnership,[4] an organisation which seeks to emulate the great social reformers of the Victorian era by creating scalable social reforms. The Shaftesbury Partnership are currently working on a number of projects around housing, unemployment and healthcare. Through the Shaftesbury Partnership, Wei co-founded The Challenge Network,[18] an independent charity which exists to "inspire and connect people to strengthen their community". The Challenge Network runs a two-month civic service programme called The Challenge which attracted strong interest from both government and opposition when launched.[19]

In 2011, the Shaftesbury Partnership working with Johnson & Johnson and Queens Nursing Institute and Buckinghamshire New University piloted NurseFirst[20] – a clinicians in the community development programme to produce a network of innovators who can create real change for patients, people and communities. In 2013, a report[21] on the pilot, 2 years on, concluded that the first cohort of clinicians showed quantitative and qualitative improvements in their confidence, their leadership skills, their ability to innovate and their ability to make clinical innovation happen. They produced financially sustainable business plans for £1.2 million of cash releasing savings over 3 years.

Lord Wei has actively researched life transitions and published a report into the policy implications of them, which has led to work on later life and the need to better prepare citizens for the transition into retirement.[22][23] Subsequently Lord Wei has also championed harnessing data science based approaches to help bring greater rigour and consistency to the process of policy development and impact venture incubation, through tools such as agent-based modeling,[24] AI-assisted swarm based prediction and decision-making tools,[25] and technology-aided impact measurement.[26]

Building on his work in education at Teach First and starting other educational initiatives and charities, Lord Wei has advocated for the defense of the right of families to home educate their children without onerous state interference.[27]

Advising on technology innovation

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Lord Wei has been active in the technology world as an advisor, working in venture capital with firms such as Future Planet Capital, as well as with startups such as Dot Investing and Sweetbridge EMEA, working across sectors including real estate, supply chain technology, blockchain/web3, fintech and climate. He and his team claim to offer strategy, impact and technological expertise[28] and he advises boards and founders on innovation and growth.[29]

He has published two 'Wei Reports' into how impact orientated venture capital is becoming more mainstream and how to encourage greater involvement of institutional funders from insurance and pension and sovereign wealth investors to be more engaged and deploy capital into venture capital especially for impact. Many of his recommendations anticipated those announced by the UK government in its Edinburgh Reforms, designed to encourage greater institutional investor allocation to alternative investment such as venture capital in the UK to back UK startups and scale ups.[30][31]

Social reform

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On 18 May 2010 at the launch of the New Coalition Government policies on Big Society to a group of community leaders, Lord Wei was appointed as an unpaid Government Adviser on Big Society. He was based at the Office for Civil Society in the Cabinet Office[32] where he worked one day a week,[13] and advised the Government on all aspects of taking forward the Big Society and driving implementation across government.

Press Release: General statement in response to Nat Wei’s nomination to House of Lords and appointment as advisor to the Government on Big Society

At the launch event, the Prime Minister, David Cameron, announced that Wei would also be appointed a life peer. He was introduced in the House of Lords on 3 June 2010 as Baron Wei, of Shoreditch in the London Borough of Hackney.[33][34] He is the third person of Chinese ethnic origin to become a member of the House of Lords, after Baroness Dunn (who is not domiciled in the UK) and the late Lord Chan; the third person of Hong Kong ancestry to become a House of Lords member, after Baroness Dunn and the late Lord Kadoorie; and the first-ever member of Chinese origin to be British-born. He is also one of the youngest people to have been made a life peer, at the age of 33.[35]

Due to his role as Government Advisor Lord Wei stepped down from any direct, formal involvement in the organisations he had previously been involved with. On 24 May 2011, Lord Wei announced his decision to step down from his role as Government Advisor on Big Society to help as a volunteer to drive the practical development of Big Society ideas in communities.[36] The Prime Minister, David Cameron said 'Nat has worked incredibly hard over two years to help develop policies that support the Big Society. He has played an important role in delivering key initiatives like Community Organisers, National Citizen Service, and the Big Society Bank."[37] Previously, Lord Wei had also cited personal financial difficulties that he had suffered as a result of the demands of his part-time position.[38]

Chinese heritage

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As the only current ethnic Chinese peer in The House of Lords, and the first member of Chinese ethnic origin to have been born and brought up in the UK, Lord Wei takes an interest in British Chinese community issues, particularly in social reform. He is also interested in economic and cultural ties between the UK and China.[39]

Up to July 2015, he worked in Parliament through the All Party Parliamentary Group APPG for East Asian Business which he chaired,[40] the All Party Parliamentary China Group[41] in which he chaired the Hong Kong Sub Committee, and the All Party Parliamentary Group for Trade and Investment[42] of which he was treasurer.

In 2012, Manchester local government commissioned Lord Wei to write a report on how Manchester can best engage with China. Following that Report,[43] a Manchester-China Forum[44] was established which hosts regular activities to help member businesses share information and knowledge, including seminars, meet-the-buyer events, and other networking opportunities. Lord Wei stepped down from advising the Forum in 2022.[45]

Lord Wei reduced his work on UK-China trade relations before 2020 in light of geopolitical strains between the countries, and defended his prior work as seeking to bring understanding and peace through enlarging of trade relations.[46] He was a founding member of the Welcoming Committee for Hong Kongers, which aims to positively influence policy on and has helped bring resources in from government to help with the constructive settling in and support for British National Passport Holders into the UK from Hong Kong.[47]

Other

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In 2013, Lord Wei became a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader.[48]

In 2015, Lord Wei became a member of the House of Lords EU Internal Affairs Sub-Committee[49] and stepped down from this Committee in June 2018. He currently serves as a member of the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee.[50]

Personal life

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Lord Wei is a Christian.[51] He is married to Cynthia Wei and has two sons.[38]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b BBC 中文网 (17 June 2010). "視頻：英國華裔男爵韋鳴恩專訪一" [Video: British Chinese baron Nat Wei Exclusive Interview 1]. BBC 中文网. BBC. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
  2. ^ UK Parliament
  3. ^ "Government launches Big Society programme" (Press release). No 10 (British Prime Minister's Office). 18 May 2010. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  4. ^ a b c "Pass notes No 2,921: Lord Wei". The Guardian. London. 2 February 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
  5. ^ "Who we are". The Shaftesbury Partnership. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  6. ^ Ramesh, Randeep (22 June 2010). "Interview with Mr Big Society". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
  7. ^ "Young Foundation fellow appointed new advisor to Government". The Young Foundation. 19 May 2010. Archived from the original on 30 September 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
  8. ^ "Team". Future Planet Capital. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Lords Hansard text for 16 Jun 201016 Jun 2010 (pt 0006)".
  10. ^ Speech by Lord Nat Wei to the Welcoming Hong Kongers Annual Conference 2022 (video). Welcoming Committee for Hong Kongers. 5 July 2022. Event occurs at 0:52. My father's grandfather is from the mainland, just across the border in Zhongshan... and contrary to what you hear in Wikipedia, I am not Hakka
  11. ^ End of an Era as School's Out for the Last Time Published by: MiltonKeynes.co.uk Date: 21 July 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2012 Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ "Nat Wei in Third Sector". Archived from the original on 26 March 2012.
  13. ^ a b "Lord Wei in Milton Keynes, Series 1, A Place Called Home - BBC Radio 4". BBC. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  14. ^ Ramesh, Randeep (22 June 2010). "Nat Wei Big Society Adviser Conservative". The Guardian. London.
  15. ^ "Lord Nat Wei, Government Adviser for Big Society". Cabinet Office. Archived from the original on 5 January 2011. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  16. ^ Wigdortz, Brett (2012). Success Against the Odds: Five Lessons in How to Achieve the Impossible: the Story of Teach First. Short Books Ltd (published 6 September 2012). ISBN 978-1780721309.
  17. ^ Curtis, Polly (2 January 2007). "Preparing for power". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  18. ^ Rentoul, John (22 November 2009). "Like it or not, there it is. A Tory policy". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  19. ^ Mahadevan, Janaki (2 April 2009). "Charity to test the concept of National Citizen Service". Archived from the original on 21 May 2010. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  20. ^ "NurseFirst".
  21. ^ Nurse First two years on (PDF) (Report). 31 May 2013.
  22. ^ "Lord Wei calls for national service for baby boomers". The Telegraph. 30 June 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  23. ^ Yumpu.com. "Next steps: Life transitions and retirement in the - Calouste ..." yumpu.com. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  24. ^ "Nathanael Wei on LinkedIn: It was great to get a preview of the Shaftesbury Partnership Inequality…". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  25. ^ "House of Lords: Governance: Volume 816: debated on Wednesday 8 December 2021". Hansard.
  26. ^ "The Wei Forward Report II: A radical rethink of the policy framework for investing with impact" (PDF).
  27. ^ "Schools Bill – Lord Wei of Shoreditch". Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  28. ^ "Shoreditch Ventures | Home". shoreditch-ventures.com. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  29. ^ "House of Lords: Lord Wei: Registered interests". UK Parliament.
  30. ^ "The Wei Forward Report". Future Planet Capital. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  31. ^ "The Wei Forward Report 2021/22". Future Planet Capital. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  32. ^ "Big Society champion appointed Government advisor" (Press release). Cabinet Office. 18 May 2010. Archived from the original on 8 July 2010. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  33. ^ "No. 59437". The London Gazette. 3 June 2010. p. 10273.
  34. ^ "House of Lords debates (3 June 2010, 11:00 am): Introduction: Lord Wei". Hansard : House of Lords : 3 June 2010 : Column 365. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  35. ^ Lord Redesdale was slightly younger than Wei when he was made a life peer in 2000; however he had sat in the House of Lords as a hereditary peer prior to the reforms of 1999. Randall, Nicholas (28 May 2010). "Youngest peer to take his seat". The House Magazine. Archived from the original on 10 March 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
  36. ^ "PM's Big Society tsar stands down". BBC News. 24 May 2011.
  37. ^ "Lord Wei stands down" (Press release).
  38. ^ a b "How my top government job left me almost penniless and unable to". Evening Standard. 4 February 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  39. ^ Wei, Nat. "Interests".
  40. ^ "Register of All-Party Groups" (PDF). 11 April 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
  41. ^ "All Party Parliamentary China Group 2014-2015 Annual Report" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 February 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
  42. ^ "All Party Parliamentary Group for Trade and Investment Officers and Members". Archived from the original on 7 March 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
  43. ^ "The Wei Report". Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  44. ^ "Manchester China Forum".
  45. ^ "Register of Interests - Members of the House of Lords". UK Parliament. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
  46. ^ "Setting the record straight on my work on East-West relations – Lord Wei of Shoreditch". Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  47. ^ Hawkins, Amy (5 July 2023). "UK Hong Kong scheme 'funding charity with links to Chinese Communist party'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  48. ^ "Building the Chinese Dream: Fostering More Inclusive Capitalism in Asia | Asia Society". asiasociety.org. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
  49. ^ "EU Internal Affairs Sub-Committee".
  50. ^ "Science and Technology Committee (Lords): Membership". Parliament UK.
  51. ^ Ramesh, Randeep (23 June 2010). "Interview with Mr Big Society". The Guardian.
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
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