Sir Harvey Andrew McGrath (born 23 February 1952) is a British business and philanthropy executive. He served as the Chairman of the

Man Group Man Group plc is an active investment management business listed on the London Stock Exchange. It provides a range of funds across liquid and private markets for institutional and private investors globally and is the world's largest publicly t ...

from 2000 to 2007 and

Prudential plc Prudential plc is a British multinational insurance company headquartered in London, England. It was founded in London in May 1848 to provide loans to professional and working people. Prudential has dual primary listings on the London Stock E ...

from 2009 to 2012. He is the co-founder of Revere Capital Advisors, a

hedge fund A hedge fund is a pooled investment fund that trades in relatively liquid assets and is able to make extensive use of more complex trading, portfolio-construction, and risk management techniques in an attempt to improve performance, such as s ...

based in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

and

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. He serves as the Chairman of

Big Society Capital Big Society Capital Limited (BSC) is an independent social investment institution in the United Kingdom, which provides finance to organizations that support front-line social sector entities to help them grow. Synopsis Social investment is about ...

and Heart of the City, promoting philanthropy in

Greater London Greater may refer to: *Greatness, the state of being great *Greater than, in inequality (mathematics), inequality *Greater (film), ''Greater'' (film), a 2016 American film *Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record *Greater (song), "Greate ...

and the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...

Early life

Harvey McGrath was born in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

, United Kingdom.Philanthropy: Harvey McGrath

Coutts Coutts & Co. is a London-headquartered private bank and wealth manager. Founded in 1692, it is the eighth oldest bank in the world. Today, Coutts forms part of NatWest Group's wealth management division. In the Channel Islands and the Isle of ...

He was educated at

Methodist College Belfast God with us , established = 1865 , type = Voluntary grammar , religion = Interdenominational , principal = Jenny Lendrum , chair_label = Chairwoman , chair = Revd. Dr Janet Unsworth , founder ...

, a grammar school in Belfast.Honorary Graduates 2008: Harvey McGrath
, Queen's University Belfast
University of Ulster, 2 July 2009Why I support Cambridge: Harvey McGrath
University of Cambridge He joined

St Catharine's College, Cambridge St Catharine's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1473 as Katharine Hall, it adopted its current name in 1860. The college is nicknamed "Catz". The college is located in the historic city-centre of Camb ...

, a constituent college of the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

in 1971, where he received a Master of Arts degree in geography.Bloomberg Business: Harvey McGrath
/ref>Revere Capital Advisors: Founders
/ref>

Business career

He started his career as a commodity lender at

Chase Manhattan Bank JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., doing business as Chase Bank or often as Chase, is an American national bank headquartered in New York City, that constitutes the consumer and commercial banking subsidiary of the U.S. multinational banking and fina ...

shortly after graduation, first in London, moving to New York City in 1979.Harvey McGrath
''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

'' He joined the

in 1980, where he worked as treasurer, finance director, and later president of Man Inc., all of which were based in New York City. He then moved back to London to serve as its chief executive from 1990 to 2000, and as its chairman from 2000 to 2007.Debrett's 500 2015: Harvey McGrath
/ref>
''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

'', 10 May 2008 He joined the board of directors of

in September 2008.Simon Goodley
Harvey McGrath to step down as Prudential chairman
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', 20 December 2011 He served as its chairman from January 2009 to June 2012. During his tenure, he oversaw a failed bid to acquire

AIA Group Limited AIA Group Limited, often known as AIA (), is a Hong Kong-based American multinational insurance and finance corporation. It is the largest public listed life insurance and securities group in Asia-Pacific. It offers insurance and financial ...

for £22.6 billion, which was unpopular with the

Financial Services Authority The Financial Services Authority (FSA) was a quasi-judicial body accountable for the financial regulation, regulation of the financial services industry in the United Kingdom between 2001 and 2013. It was founded as the Securities and Investmen ...

and shareholders.Jamie Dunkley
Harvey McGrath's exit is 'final chapter' in AIA saga
''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'', 20 December 2011Oliver Shah
After unruly Pru shareholders, social investment is kids’ stuff
''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...

'', 20 April 2014 In 2008, he co-founded Revere Capital Advisors, an investment business based in New York City and London, with two of his former Man Group co-workers: Daniel Barnett, formerly Finance Director, and John Kinder, formerly Head of Global Sugar Trading.

Philanthropy

He is the chairman emeritus of the East London Business Alliance and

London First BusinessLDN (spoken as Business London) is a not for profit advocacy group with a membership composed of leaders of businesses in London, United Kingdom. , it represented around 175 London based businesses. Its stated aim is "to make London t ...

. He served as the vice-chairman of the Mayor of London's Skills and Employment Board from 2006 to 2011. He was then appointed by Mayor

Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...

as the chairman of the

London Development Agency The London Development Agency (LDA) was from July 2000 until 2012 the regional development agency for the London region in England. A functional body of the Greater London Authority, its purpose was to drive sustainable economic growth within ...

. He was appointed as the co-chair of the Mayor of London's Enterprise Panel in July 2011.Harvey McGrath to co-chair new London Enterprise Board
london.gov.uk, 22 July 2011The Sutton Trust: Board of Trustees
/ref> He served as a governor of

Tower Hamlets College New City College (NCC) is a large college of further education with campuses in East London and Essex. The college was formed in 2016 with the amalgamation of separate colleges, beginning with the merger between Tower Hamlets College and Hackney C ...

, a college of further education in the

London Borough of Tower Hamlets The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London boroughs, London borough covering much of the traditional East End of London, East End. It was formed in 1965 from the merger of the former Metropolitan boroughs of the County of London, metropol ...

. He has supported research into philanthropic activity. He is a co-founder of

New Philanthropy Capital New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) is a charitable organisation based in London, United Kingdom. It describes itself as "the think tank and consultancy for the social sector." NPC aims to help charities, foundations, philanthropists, impact investors, ...

and serves on its board of trustees.New Philanthropy Capital: Board of Trustees
/ref> In 2014, he became the chair of the

, formerly chaired by Sir Ronald Cohen. He is also the chairman of Heart of the City. Additionally, he is the former chairman of the board of trustees of The Prince's Teaching Institute, one of

The Prince's Charities The Prince's Charities is a non-profit organisation that has associations with King Charles III. The Prince's Charities, supported by The Prince's Charities Foundation, is based in the United Kingdom and comprises 19 organisations of which Charle ...

.;The Prince's Teaching Institute: Board of Trustees
/ref> former chairman of the board of Governors of

Birkbeck, University of London , mottoeng = Advice comes over nightTranslation used by Birkbeck. , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £4.3 m (2014) , budget = £10 ...

.;Governors: Harvey McGrath
Birkbeck, University of London former president of the board of trustees of Children and Families Across Borders (CFAB), a non-profit organisation which offers protection to children who are separated from their families overseas.;Children and Families Across Borders: Board of Trustees
/ref> and former chairman of the board of trustees of the charity icould (www.icould.com) (note 23 below) website for 12- to 18-year-olds to find out more about job opportunities.icould: Meet the icould Board
/ref> He also serves on the advisory board of Bridges Ventures and the Sutton Trust.Bridges Ventures: Harvey McGrath
/ref> He has supported the

Integrated Education Fund Integrated education in Northern Ireland refers to the bringing together of children, parents and teachers from both Roman Catholic and Protestant traditions in childhood education: the aim being to provide a balanced education, while allowing the ...

in Northern Ireland, which builds schools where both Catholic and Protestant schoolchildren are enrolled in an attempt to bridge religious gaps. He has served on the boards of trustees of the Royal Anniversary Trust, which is responsible for the

Queen's Anniversary Prize The Queen's Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education are a biennially awarded series of prizes awarded to universities and colleges in the further and higher education sectors within the United Kingdom. Uniquely it forms part of the Bri ...

. He has also been a member of the Richard House Society, the philanthropic arm of the Richard House Children's Hospital, and a patron of the

Royal Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...

. He was the recipient of an honorary degree from

Queen's University Belfast , mottoeng = For so much, what shall we give back? , top_free_label = , top_free = , top_free_label1 = , top_free1 = , top_free_label2 = , top_free2 = , established = , closed = , type = Public research university , parent = ...

in 2008 and a Doctor of the university (DUniv) from the

University of Ulster sco, Ulstèr Universitie , image = Ulster University coat of arms.png , caption = , motto_lang = , mottoeng = , latin_name = Universitas Ulidiae , established = 1865 – Magee College 1953 - Magee Un ...

in 2009. He was the recipient of the Beacon Fellowship from the

UK Community Foundations UK Community Foundations (UKCF) is a registered charity that leads a movement of community foundations committed to positive social change in the UK through the development of “ community philanthropy”. Community philanthropy involves people f ...

for his philanthropic work in 2013. He has made charitable contributions to his alma mater, the Methodist College Belfast. He has also made charitable contributions to the University of Cambridge and to St Catharine's College. For example, he donated £4 million to improve access tot more students from disadvantaged backgrounds in 2008. In February 2014, the college unveiled The McGrath Centre, a conference building erected as a result of a significant charitable gift made by McGrath.McGrath Centre opens for business at St Catharine's College

Cambridge Network The Cambridge Network is a commercial business networking organisation for business people and academics working in technology fields in the Cambridge area of the UK. The businesses and organisations that make up its membership are typical of thos ...

, 17 February 2014 With his wife, he has also made charitable contributions to the

Unicorn Theatre The Unicorn Theatre is a children's theatre in the London Borough of Southwark, in England. It is a custom-built, RIBA Award–winning building on Tooley Street, which opened in 2005. The theatre was designed by Keith Williams, built by Arup an ...

in the

London Borough of Southwark The London Borough of Southwark ( ) in South London forms part of Inner London and is connected by bridges across the River Thames to the City of London and London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas ...

, the

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz ...

in the City of London, the

Almeida Theatre The Almeida Theatre, opened in 1980, is a 325-seat producing house with an international reputation, which takes its name from the street on which it is located, off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre produces a diver ...

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ar ...

, the

Great Ormond Street Hospital Great Ormond Street Hospital (informally GOSH or Great Ormond Street, formerly the Hospital for Sick Children) is a children's hospital located in the Bloomsbury area of the London Borough of Camden, and a part of Great Ormond Street Hospital ...

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural, intellectual, and educational institutions. Bloomsbury is home of the British Museum, the largest mus ...

, and the

National Portrait Gallery, London The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London housing a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. It was arguably the first national public gallery dedicated to portraits in the world when it ...

.Unicorn Theatre: Support us
/ref> They also made a charitable gift to the

Lyric Theatre, Belfast The Lyric Theatre, or simply The Lyric, is the principal, full-time producing theatre in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The theatre's current Executive Producer is Jimmy Fay, previously the founder and Artistic Director of Bedrock Productions. His ...

, which led to the dedication of the McGrath Suite, named in their honour.Queen shakes Martin McGuinness' hand in Belfast
''

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

'', 27 June 2012 McGrath was

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

in the

2016 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2016 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrati ...

for services to economic growth and public life.

Personal life

He is married to Allison McGrath. As of 2014, he was worth an estimated £100 million.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McGrath, Harvey 1952 births Living people Businesspeople from Belfast Bankers from London Alumni of St Catharine's College, Cambridge People educated at Methodist College Belfast British business executives British hedge fund managers English philanthropists Prudential plc people People associated with Birkbeck, University of London British chairpersons of corporations Businesspeople awarded knighthoods Knights Bachelor