Lord (Alastair) Aberdare was elected as an independent hereditary member of the House of Lords in 2009, where his principal interests focus on education, skills, and employment. Previously he was a founder director of a small social enterprise helping disadvantaged and unemployed young Londoners to gain skills and employment. Before that he worked as a consultant in corporate public affairs and reputation management, following 21 years with IBM, including postings in the United States and Belgium.

He serves as a Trustee or Chairman of several charities, particularly in the field of classical music. He is an International Patron of Rhino Ark, a Kenyan conservation charity, and Patron of ChallengeAid, which works to take children in Kenya out of poverty through “Schools of Hope”. He has homes in London and Wales and is married to Libby, with two grown-up children and two grandchildren.