Sir Henry Neville Lindley Keswick (born 29 September 1938) is a British businessman who is chairman emeritus of
Jardine Matheson
Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited (also known as Jardines) is a Hong Kong-based Bermuda-domiciled British multinational conglomerate. It has a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange and secondary listings on the Singapore Exchange and ...
.
Early life
Keswick was born in 1938 in
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...
, China, the son of
Sir William Johnstone "Tony" Keswick.
[Profile - Keswick](_blank)
Debretts.com; accessed 1 April 2016 He is part of the
Keswick family
The Keswick family (pronounced with a silent "w", "Kezzick") are a business dynasty of Scottish origin associated with the Far East region since 1855 and in particular the conglomerate Jardine Matheson.
As tai-pans of Jardine Matheson & Company, ...
and the older brother of
Simon Keswick and
Sir Chips Keswick
Sir John Chippendale "Chips" Lindley Keswick (born 2 February 1940) is a British merchant banker and member of the Keswick family who control Jardine Matheson, founded by William Jardine. He was chairman of Arsenal Football Club from June 2013 ...
. He was educated at
Eton College
Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...
and
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...
.
During the
coronation of Elizabeth II
The coronation of Elizabeth II took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London. She acceded to the throne at the age of 25 upon the death of her father, George VI, on 6 February 1952, being proclaimed queen by her privy and executive ...
in 1953, Keswick was a page to Field Marshal
Alan Brooke
Field Marshal Alan Francis Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke, (23 July 1883 – 17 June 1963), was a senior officer of the British Army. He was Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS), the professional head of the British Army, during the Sec ...
, and took part in the ceremony in
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the Unite ...
. During his period of
national service
National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939.
The ...
from 1956 to 1958, he was commissioned into the
Scots Guards
The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642, although it was only placed on the E ...
.
Business career
Keswick owned ''
The Spectator
''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world.
It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...
'', a British conservative magazine, from 1975 to 1980.
He is the chairman of
Jardine Matheson Holdings
Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited (also known as Jardines) is a Hong Kong-based Bermuda-domiciled British multinational conglomerate. It has a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange and secondary listings on the Singapore Exchange and ...
Ltd, which he joined in 1961. He has been a director since 1967 and became managing director in 1970, and chairman in 1972.
Other interests
He is vice chairman of the Hong Kong Association and a member of the council of the
National Trust
The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...
.
He was previously the chairman of the
National Portrait Gallery.
Honours
Keswick was
knighted in the
2009 Birthday Honours
The Queen's Birthday Honours 2009 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as p ...
for services to British business interests overseas and charitable activities in the UK.
Personal life
Keswick is a practising Roman Catholic and is a member of ''
The Tablet
''The Tablet'' is a Catholic international weekly review published in London. Brendan Walsh, previously literary editor and then acting editor, was appointed editor in July 2017.
History
''The Tablet'' was launched in 1840 by a Quaker convert ...
''.
In 1985, he married
Tessa Keswick
Annabel Thérèse Keswick, Lady Keswick (née Fraser; 15 October 1942 – 13 September 2022), styled "The Honourable", was a Scottish lady from the Fraser family who married Lord Reay and then Sir Henry Keswick. She was influential in Britis ...
, a public policy analyst who went on to be chancellor of the
University of Buckingham
, mottoeng = Flying on Our Own Wings
, established = 1973; as university college1983; as university
, type = Private
, endowment =
, administrative_staff = 97 academic, 103 support
, chanc ...
. She is the younger daughter of
Simon Fraser, 15th Lord Lovat
Brigadier Simon Christopher Joseph Fraser, 15th Lord Lovat, 4th Baron Lovat, (9 July 1911 – 16 March 1995) was a prominent British Commando during the Second World War and the 25th Chief of the Clan Fraser of Lovat. Known familiarly as Shim ...
and was formerly married to
Hugh Mackay, 14th Lord Reay
Hugh William Mackay, 14th Lord Reay, Baron Mackay (19 July 1937 – 10 May 2013), was a British politician and Conservative member of the House of Lords. He was the only male Lord of Parliament to sit in the House of Lords following the abol ...
. They live at
Oare House, a large country estate in
Oare, Wiltshire
Oare is a small village in the east of the county of Wiltshire, England. The village lies about north of Pewsey, on the A345 road towards Marlborough, and falls within the civil parish of Wilcot, Huish and Oare.
History
Oare was ancientl ...
. He also owns an 18,000 acre shooting estate, Hunthill Estate, in the Angus Glens area of East Scotland; the shooting is mainly grouse.
Keswick and his wife donated £100,000 to the
Conservative Party in the
2017 General Election. According to the
Register of Members' Financial Interests
The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is an officer of the British House of Commons. The work of the officer is overseen by the Commons Select Committee on Standards.
The current commissioner is Kathryn Stone.
Duties
The commissioner is ...
, in January 2020, Keswick donated £2,000 to Conservative MP
Jacob Rees-Mogg
Jacob William Rees-Mogg (born 24 May 1969) is a British politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for North East Somerset since 2010. Now a backbencher, he served as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council f ...
. He also donated £10,000 to MP
Danny Kruger
Daniel Rayne Kruger (born 23 October 1974) is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Devizes in Wiltshire since 2019.
The son of writer and property developer Rayne Kruger and restaurateur and ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keswick, Henry
Living people
1938 births
People educated at Eton College
Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge
British businesspeople
British Roman Catholics
Jardine Matheson Group
Knights Bachelor
Henry
Henry may refer to:
People
*Henry (given name)
* Henry (surname)
* Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry
Royalty
* Portuguese royalty
** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal
** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...
Conservative Party (UK) donors
N M Rothschild & Sons people
Businesspeople from Shanghai