The Earl of Erroll

Lord Erroll (Merlin) has worked in IT most of his life as well as spending 22 years in the Territorial Army. He is also one of the Hereditary Peers who was elected to stay in the House of Lords, where he takes a particular interest in ICT, Countryside & the Environment, and Scottish matters.

Working on software development in the accounts and agricultural field, he subsequently freelanced, developing portfolio management, communications and general bespoke databases, ending up as Director of Development at GiroVend, working with electronic purses and smartcards.  He then moved into marketing and business training and went on to become chairman of an e-procurement consultancy.

Within Parliament, he plays an active role in several ICT groups, especially those looking at regulatory issues involving Communications, the Internet, Personal Identity and Government Data Sharing, linking this with a Local Authority perspective through his work on the board of LASSeO (The Local Authority Smartcard Standards e-Organisation). He sits on the council of PITCOM (Parliamentary Information Technology Committee), is on the board of EURIM (European Information Group), is Secretary of APIG (All-Party Internet Group), Vice-Chairman of the All-Party Group on Entrepreneurship, and Treasurer of the All-Party Group on Risk and Adventure in Society.

He is Chairman of Fonem Ltd, in the telecoms industry, is President of E-RA (the E-business Regulatory Alliance) and also sits on other bodies such as the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) and the Nominet (UK) Ltd. Policy Advisory Boards.

He has an extensive network of contacts across government, industry and the city.

In a more traditional role Sir Merlin Sereld Victor Gilbert Hay, 24th Earl of Erroll, 25th Lord Hay, 24th Lord Slains, 12th Bt (Moncreiffe of that Ilk), 28th Hereditary Lord High Constable of Scotland, 32nd Chief of The Hays takes an interest in charity as a member of the Court of the Fishmongers Livery Company, as Vice-President of The Royal Caledonian Ball, through The Highland Society of London and the British Red Cross Queen Mothers Memorial Fund.  He helps promote Scotch Whisky as a Patron of the Keepers of the Quaich and is one of the founders of Secret Sommelier, a weblog about wine.

He is married to Isabelle, who runs a farming estate in Bedfordshire, and has four children.
 

SUMMARY

PARLIAMENTARY - ICT

PARLIAMENTARY - General

All Party Group on Entrepreneurship Vice-Chairman
All Party Group on Adventure and Recreation in Society - Treasurer
All Party Energy Group
All Party Nepal Group
Scottish Peers Association
Inter-Parliamentary Union

OTHER ICT

ERA E-business Regulatory Alliance - President
ISSA - Information Systems Security Association (UK) Executive Advisory Board
Nominet UK, Policy Advisory Board
LASSeO - Local Authority Smartcard Standards e-Organisation
SNAPI Project Special Needs Application Programming Interface, Steering Group
CMA - Communications Management Association
BSG - Broadband Stakeholders Group
European Biometric Forum, Special Interest Group on Social & Environmental Issues

BUSINESS

OTHER POSITIONS HELD

• Director of Moncreiffe & Co. Plc., a small whisky company co-founded by the family.
• Patron of The Keepers of the Quaich, a PR body for the Scotch whisky industry. Grandmaster in 2001.
• Vice-President of The Royal Caledonian Ball, which raises a substantial amount every year for Scottish charities.
• Council of the British Red Cross Queen Mothers Memorial Fund.
• Council of The Highland Society of London

Hereditary and Ceremonial Roles

• Hereditary Lord High Constable of Scotland.
• Chief of Clan Hay, with connections in Scottish communities around the world.
• Member of The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs.
• Delegate in the United Kingdom for the Order of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus of the Royal House of  Savoy.
• Member of the Queens Body Guard for Scotland, The Royal Company of Archers.