Brian Dennis McGowan (born 1945) is the co-founder of
Williams Holdings
Williams Holdings was a major United Kingdom, British Conglomerate (company), conglomerate. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange, and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
History
The company was established by Nigel Rudd and Brian McGow ...
, one of the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
's largest
conglomerates.
Career
Educated at Isleworth Grammar School, Brian McGowan initially trained at a firm of
accountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accounting or accountancy.
Accountants who have demonstrated competency through their professional associations' certification exams are certified to use titles such as Chartered Accountant, Chartered Certif ...
s in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
.
[Profile: Angler takes the hook: Brian McGowan had planned a life of leisure. Then came the call to lead House of Fraser to market]
''The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' 25 July 1993
McGowan joined London & Northern, a minor
conglomerate, before moving to
P&O and then becoming
Managing Director
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization.
CEOs find roles in variou ...
of
Sime Darby
Sime Darby Berhad, referred to as Sime, is a Malaysian trading conglomerate. Its core businesses operate and serve in the industrial equipment and automotive sectors.
Background
The modern Sime Darby Berhad corporation was created in 2007 t ...
in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
.
[
In 1991, together with Nigel Rudd, he acquired a majority stake in W Williams, a small Welsh ]engineering
Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...
business and, as Chief Executive
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization.
CEOs find roles in variou ...
, expanded it into one of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
's largest conglomerates.[ He retired from the business in the early 1990s.][
He then became ]Chairman
The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...
of House of Fraser
House of Fraser (rebranding to Frasers) is a British department store chain with 23 locations across the United Kingdom and 2 in Ireland, part of Frasers Group. It was established in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1849 as Arthur and Fraser. By 1891, it ...
in 1993.[ From 2004 to 2008 he was Chairman of ]Rentokil Initial
Rentokil Initial is a British business services group based in Crawley, England. It was founded in 1925 as a pest-control business. It subsequently expanded and diversified, in part through growth under the leadership of Sir Clive Thompson in ...
. From 1997 to 2009 he was also Chairman
The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...
of Umeco plc.
Since 2002 he has been chairman of international corporate finance advisory firm Catalyst Corporate Finance.Catalyst Corporate Finance: Senior Team
References
British businesspeople
1945 births
Living people
{{UK-business-bio-1940s-stub