Sir John Michael Leal Uren (1 September 1923 – 9 August 2019) was a British businessman. He served as the chairman of Civil & Marine from 1955 to 2006. He donated GBP £40 million to his alma mater,

Imperial College London Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...

, becoming the most generous benefactor in the College’s history.

Early life

Michael Uren was born on 1 September 1923. He was educated at

Sherborne School (God and My Right) , established = 705 by Aldhelm, re-founded by King Edward VI 1550 , closed = , type = Public school Independent, boarding school , religion = Church of England , president = , chair_label = Chairman of the governors , ...

and

, from which he graduated in 1943 with a

BSc A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

Mechanical Engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, and ...

and Motive Power.

Career

Uren founded Civil & Marine, a manufacturer of

ground granulated blast-furnace slag Ground-granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS or GGBFS) is obtained by quenching molten iron slag (a by-product of iron and steel-making) from a blast furnace in water or steam, to produce a glassy, granular product that is then dried and ground int ...

, in 1955. In the 80’s his company developed the technology that allowed them to make high-quality cement from blast-furnace slag, a waste product of the steel industry. Uren and his business partner John Hobbins turned this invention into a profitable business. He served as its Chairman until he sold it for GBP£245 million in 2006 to the Hanson Group. As of 2015, he was worth an estimated GBP£170 million.

Philanthropy

Sir Michael Uren Building, White City, from north side

Uren served as the chairman of the

Royal London Society for the Blind The Royal London Society for Blind People (RLSB) was a UK charity that existed for 175 years to help blind and partially sighted young people in London and the South East through a blend of sports, education, and creative and developmental service ...

. Uren donated GBP £30 million to the

King Edward VII's Hospital Sister Agnes King Edward VII's Hospital (formal name: King Edward VII's Hospital Sister Agnes) is a private hospital located on Beaumont Street in the Marylebone district of central London. Agnes Keyser, later known as Sister Agnes, established the hospit ...

in 2013. In 2014, he also donated GBP£40 million to his alma mater, Imperial College London, to fund the creation of the College's new " Bio-Medical Engineering Research Centre" in

White City, London White City is a district of London, England, in the northern part of Shepherd's Bush in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, 5 miles (8 km) west-northwest of Charing Cross. White City is home to Television Centre (previously th ...

, which he envisioned as becoming a cornerstone for "a new

Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that serves as a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical areas San Mateo County ...

" of biotechnology.

Personal life

Uren was a member of the

Naval Club The Naval Club, formerly the RNVR (Auxiliary Patrol) Club (1919–1943), and the RNVR Club (1943–1969) was a gentlemen's club in London established in 1919, which closed down in 2021 (having not survived closure during the COVID19 pandemic)). ...

and the

Naval and Military Club The Naval and Military Club, known informally as The In & Out, is a private members' club located in St James's Square, London. It was founded in 1862 for gentlemen of the British Armed Forces. It now also accepts female members, and members ...

. He had two sons, David and Mark.

Honours

Uren was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) in 1999 and 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 philanthropic services.

Death

He died on 9 August 2019 at the age of 95.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Uren, Michael 1923 births 2019 deaths English company founders English philanthropists 20th-century English businesspeople 21st-century English businesspeople People educated at Sherborne School Alumni of Imperial College London Officers of the Order of the British Empire Businesspeople awarded knighthoods Knights Bachelor 20th-century British philanthropists