Brian Dennis McGowan (born 1945) is the co-founder of
Williams Holdings, one of the
United Kingdom'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 Certifi ...
s in
London.
[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, 25 July 1993
McGowan joined ''London & Northern'', a minor
conglomerate
Conglomerate or conglomeration may refer to:
* Conglomerate (company)
* Conglomerate (geology)
* Conglomerate (mathematics)
In popular culture:
* The Conglomerate (American group), a production crew and musical group founded by Busta Rhymes
** Co ...
, before moving to
P&O and then becoming
Managing Director of
Sime Darby in
Hong Kong.
[
In 1991, together with ]Nigel Rudd
Sir Nigel Rudd, (born 31 December 1946 in Derby, England) is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants. In 1982, he founded Williams Holdings, a company which went on to become one of the largest industrial holding companies in the Un ...
, he acquired a majority stake in W Williams, a small Welsh engineering business and, as Chief Executive, expanded it into one of the United Kingdom's largest conglomerates.[ He retired from the business in the early 1990s.][
He then became ]Chairman
The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, 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 grou ...
of House of Fraser
House of Fraser (also operating as Frasers) is a British department store group with 44 locations across the United Kingdom, which is now part of Frasers Group. It was established in Glasgow, Scotland in 1849 as Arthur and Fraser. By 1891, it w ...
in 1993.[ From 2004 to 2008 he was ]Chairman
The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, 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 grou ...
of Rentokil Initial. From 1997 to 2009 he was also Chairman
The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, 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 grou ...
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