Sir David Michels (born 1946) is a British business executive. A former Deputy Chairman of Marks & Spencer, he is the co-owner and Chairman of Michels & Taylor, "an asset manager for 81 hotels."Alistair Osborne
Sir David Michels: 'No question executive pay has got too large. But what's enough?'
''The Daily Telegraph'', 9 February 2012

Early life

Michels was born in 1946 in

Willesden Willesden () is an area of north-west London, situated 5 miles (8 km) north-west of Charing Cross. It is historically a parish in the county of Middlesex that was incorporated as the Municipal Borough of Willesden in 1933; it has formed ...

, London, England. His father, a German Jew, escaped to England shortly before

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

.Damian Reece
The Interview: Poker face still smiling after 40 years surviving a busy life of leisure
''The Independent'', 27 August 2005Jamie Doward
Joker with a good hand
''The Guardian'', 1 September 2002 Settling in North London, he ran a restaurant. He was educated at Clarke’s College and Hendon Technical College. He also graduated from the London Hotel School.Strategic Hotels & Resorts: Board of Directors
/ref>

Career

Michels started his career in the hotel business by working for Grand Metropolitan for seventeen years.Michels & Taylor: Team
/ref> He then served as Managing Director of Hilton UK and later Executive President Worldwide Marketing for Hilton. He served as the Chief Executive of Stakis Hotels from 1990 to 1999. In 2000, he became chief executive for Hilton Group after Peter George stepped down. He remained in the role until 2007. He served as the Deputy Chairman of Marks & Spencer from 2006 to February 2012. He was also the Deputy Chairman of easyJet. He is the former President of the

British Hospitality Association The British Hospitality Association (BHA), incorporating The Restaurant Association (RA), was a non-government representative body for hotels, clubs, restaurants, leisure outlets and other hospitality-related organisations nationwide headquartere ...

. He served on the board of directors of the Jumeirah Group (now part of Dubai Holding), the Savoy Hotel (now part of FRHI Hotels & Resorts), British Land, RAB Capital, the Arcadia Group and Paramount Restaurants. He serves as the co-owner and Chairman of Michels & Taylor. He is also the Chairman of London & Capital. He serves on the Boards of Directors of Strategic Hotels & Resorts. He is also a partner of Burlywood Capital. Additionally, he is the President of the Tourism Alliance, and the Institute of Hospitality.Institute of Hospitality: An Evening with Sir David Michels FIH
/ref> A "workaholic", he works "80-hour week " He was knighted in 2006 for his work in the hospitality industry.

Philanthropy

Michels attended a fundraiser for the Anne Frank Trust UK in 2010.London diners raise £200K for the Anne Frank Trust
''The Jewish Chronicle'', February 18, 2010 In May 2012, he spoke at a fundraiser taking place at the

Royal Automobile Club The Royal Automobile Club is a British private Club (organization)#Country or sports club, social and athletic club. It has two clubhouses: one in London at 89 Pall Mall, London, Pall Mall, and the other in the countryside at Woodcote Park, ne ...

which raised £50,000 for Langdon, a Jewish non-profit organisation which provides housing for the disabled.Langdon residents are good for business
''The Jewish Chronicle'', May 31, 2012 He stressed the need for the disabled to be able to work.

Personal life

He plays poker in London and

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

as well as online.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Michels, David Living people 1946 births People from Willesden British business executives British corporate directors English people of German-Jewish descent Marks & Spencer people