Sir John Martin Kirby Laing (born 18 January 1942) is a British entrepreneur in the construction industry.
Martin Laing was executive chairman of
John Laing plc, the firm founded by his great-great-grandfather James Laing (1816–1882), but resigned in 2001 when the company faced major losses in its construction business, ending 152 years and five generations of family management.
He is the son of
Sir William Kirby Laing
Sir William "Kirby" Laing (21 July 1916 – 12 April 2009) was a British civil engineer.
Career
Laing was born in Carlisle in 1916.. He was a member of the Laing Family, famous in the British construction industry for running John Laing plc. H ...
(born 1916) and the grandson of
Sir John William Laing (1879–1978).
He was educated at
St. Lawrence College, Ramsgate and
Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay, Chancellor of the Exchequer to Elizabeth I. The site on which the college sits was once a priory for Dominican mon ...
.
In 1985 he succeeded his father Sir
Kirby Laing
Sir William "Kirby" Laing (21 July 1916 – 12 April 2009) was a British civil engineer.
Career
Laing was born in Carlisle in 1916.. He was a member of the Laing Family, famous in the British construction industry for running John Laing plc. ...
as chairman of John Laing plc. His uncle,
Sir Maurice Laing, had also been chairman.
He was
knighted in the
New Year Honours 1997 for services to the construction industry.
In the ''
Sunday Times Rich List 2008'' ranking of the wealthiest people in the UK he was placed 472nd with an estimated fortune of £175 million.
''Sunday Times Rich List 2008'' online edition
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References
Sources
Burke's Peerage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laing, Martin
1942 births
Living people
Presidents of the Smeatonian Society of Civil Engineers
British businesspeople
Businesspeople awarded knighthoods
Knights Bachelor
People educated at St Lawrence College, Ramsgate
Alumni of Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Deputy Lieutenants of Hertfordshire