Sir Michael Alexander Robert Young-Herries

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

MC (28 February 1923 – 6 May 1995) was the chairman and managing director of Jardine Matheson & Co. from 1963 to 1970 and was the Chairman of

The Royal Bank of Scotland The Royal Bank of Scotland Public Limited Company () is a major retail and commercial bank in Scotland. It is one of the retail banking subsidiaries of NatWest Group, together with NatWest and Ulster Bank. The Royal Bank of Scotland has around ...

from 1978 to 1991. Born in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

in the Dumfries and Galloway region, he was educated at Eton where he excelled in Classics and sports then later at

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

in Cambridge. While at Cambridge in 1942, his studies were interrupted by his service with the

King's Own Scottish Borderers The King's Own Scottish Borderers (KOSBs) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. On 28 March 2006 the regiment was amalgamated with the Royal Scots, the Royal Highland Fusiliers, Royal Highland Fusiliers ...

, serving in Europe, later on his regiment was transferred to the Middle East, in Egypt then in Palestine. Attaining the rank of Captain and awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

for gallantry in action, he returned to Cambridge in 1947 to continue his studies in Classics. In 1949, Herries joined Jardine, Matheson & Co. as a junior accountant and was immediately asked to report to

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 the Far East. Before moving, he had married Elizabeth Smith and transferred to Hong Kong with her. In just a short time as junior accountant, he was promoted to general manager. A brilliant manager, Herries moved up the corporate ladder fast and in less than ten years reached the rank of associate director. In 1959, he became Director overseeing a large division within the group. In 1962, he became the Deputy Managing Director reporting to then chairman and Managing Director Hugh Barton. Upon Barton's retirement in June 1963, Herries became chairman and managing director of Jardines, acquiring the title of 'Tai-pan'. As 'Tai-pan' of Jardines, he oversaw the group's rapid rise to become an international conglomerate. Herries did much in transforming Jardines from an old-fashioned trading company into a modern enterprise run by a modern team of managers. He is best remembered for confidently steering the group during the tumultuous 1966–67 revolution that convulsed Hong Kong and was prodded by the Chinese Communist Government. For his actions, he was awarded a

Knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

in 1968. Herries retired from Jardines in 1970. He had an outstanding business reputation in Hong Kong and the Far East from his years of successfully managing a large diversified conglomerate and an even outstanding public service. He was an active member of the non-executive

Legislative Council of Hong Kong The Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, colloquially known as LegCo, is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Hong Kong. It sits under People's Republic of China, China's "one country, two systems" c ...

and a member of several trade groups, universities and associations. After a brief association with Jardines after his retirement, he joined The Royal Bank of Scotland as vice-chairman in 1974, Deputy Chairman in 1975 and chairman in 1976 and retired in 1992. He was also a director of the London Tin Corporation, Scottish Widows Fund & Life Assurance Society; Lloyds & Scottish; and Scottish Mortgage & Trust plc. Herries received an Honorary Doctorate from

Heriot-Watt University Heriot-Watt University () is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1821 as the School of Arts of Edinburgh, the world's first mechanics' institute, and was subsequently granted university status by roya ...

in 1984

Family

Sir Michael and his wife, Elizabeth, had two sons and a daughter. Sir Michael Herries died on 6 May 1995.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Herries, Michael Knights Bachelor Lord-lieutenants of Kirkcudbright People educated at Eton College Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Officers of the Order of the British Empire Recipients of the Military Cross 20th-century Scottish businesspeople Scottish bankers Scottish expatriates in Hong Kong Hong Kong chief executives Scottish chairpersons of corporations 1995 deaths King's Own Scottish Borderers officers People from Dumfries and Galloway British Army personnel of World War II 1923 births Members of the Executive Council of Hong Kong Members of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong