[1] He is chiefly known for conducting the Gershon Review in 2004/2005 which recommended savings across the UK's public services and for being an adviser to the Conservative Party during the run up to the 2010 General Election.
In 1994 he was appointed the main board director of GEC plc, where he had responsibility for the company's worldwide defence business.
In August 2003 he was invited to lead a major review of efficiency across the whole UK public sector by Prime Minister Tony Blair and Chancellor Gordon Brown.
Along with another former government adviser, Dr Martin Read, Gershon became a member of the Conservatives' Public Sector Productivity Advisory Board.
The body also claimed to have identified £6bn in efficiency savings which would allow the Conservatives to avoid the Labour Party's planned rises in National Insurance contributions in 2010.