New peer Stuart Marks honours Lord Sacks on entering chamber

Technology entrepreneur Stuart Marks, who has served as a senior treasurer for the Conservatives, was introduced into the House of Lords last week.

Lord Marks, The Lord Marks of Hale CBE, was conferred with a life peerage in February.

The founder and chairman of LMarks, Lord Marks has made significant contributions to the country, business and philanthropy. He has long been a champion of entrepreneurship and supporting innovation throughout the UK.

During the ceremony last week, Lord Marks shared his gratitude to all his family and friends who have been his support over the years. In his he quoted the late Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, referencing the Lubavitcher Rebbe: “The most transformative moments in your life happen when somebody else believes in you more than you believe in yourself.”

Lord Marks, who lives in Hale, Manchester, told Jewish News: “Often it is hard to believe in yourself and to find myself in the Lords on such an amazing day, with all the family there.. maybe someone else believed in me more than I believed in myself.”

He recalled how news that he been appointed a Lord was announced just as Shabbat was coming in on Rosh Chodesh Adar. “When I switched my phone on after Shabbat I had about 85 Whatsapp messages and texts. I stayed up until after midnight replying to everyone – it was also my son’s 21st that day so there was a lot happening. It was really nice. ”

And in a charming coincidence, the day he was introduced to the House of Lords on 11 March. was also Rosh Chodesh Adar.

“I wasn’t nervous until a few minutes before. I was waiting in the Moses room and there is an amazing picture of Moses returning from Mount Sinai with the law tablets, which was very poignant to see.  Standing there taking it all in, the enormity of the day came over me, so I had to pull myself together.”

Lord Marks’ wife Maxine, their four children; Olivia, 29, Tammy, 27, Louis, 24, and Charlie, 21, and his mother Carol were present at the ceremony.

“It was amazing. I felt very proud. But there is lots to do . We have to get our voices heard.”

Passionate about technology and education, Lord Marks is looking forward to helping address the challenges that faith schools face. “I feel very passionately about all faith schools being able to follow a curriculum that is a nod to the fact that they are living in modern Britain but also living a different life to a lot of Britons, so it’s about finding the right middle ground.”

He added: “And I will take it very slowly and listen more than I talk at the beginning and see where it takes me.”