Sir William Norman Adsetts (born 6 March 1931) is a British businessman. He joined firm

SIG plc SIG plc is a British-based international supplier of insulation, roofing, commercial interiors and specialist construction products. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange. History The company was founded by Ernest Adsetts in 1957 Sheffiel ...

in 1966 and ran as

managing director A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

from 1970 to 1996.

Early years

Born in 1931, the son of Ernest Norman Adsetts, Adsetts was educated at King Edward VII School in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

and at

The Queen's College, Oxford The Queen's College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault. It is distinguished by its pred ...

. After undertaking his

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 l ...

in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

he joined Fibreglass Ltd as a graduate trainee in 1955. He and his sister (May Adsetts) lived at 139 Norton Lane, Sheffield. In 1966 he became a director at ''Sheffield Insulating Company'': he went on to be

in 1970,

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 ...

in 1985 and Life President in 1996. He has held a number of other positions, including chairman of the Yorkshire and Humberside Region of the CBI from 1989 to 1991, chairman of the Sheffield Partnership Limited from 1987 to 1992, deputy chairman of

Sheffield Development Corporation The Sheffield Development Corporation (SDC) was created in 1988 to oversee the urban regeneration of the Lower Don Valley area of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. History The area had been the major industrial region of Sheffield but had gone ...

from 1991 to 1997, chairman of the board of governors at

Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) is a public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The university is based on two sites; the City Campus is located in the city centre near Sheffield railway station, while the Collegiate Cr ...

from 1993 to 1999, Chairman of Sheffield Theatres Trust Ltd from 1996 to 2005, Trustee of the

Hillsborough Disaster The Hillsborough disaster was a fatal human crush during a football match at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, on 15 April 1989. It occurred during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in the ...

Appeal Fund from 1989 to 1996, chairman of Sheffield First for Investment from 1999 to 2002, chairman of the Kelham River-side Development Agency from 1998 to 2002, chairman of the governors of

Mount St Mary's College Mount St Mary's College is an independent, co-educational, day and boarding school situated at Spinkhill, Derbyshire, England. It was founded in 1842 by the Society of Jesus (better known as the Jesuits), and has buildings designed by notable ar ...

from 1999 to date, member of the Hallam Diocese finance board from 1998 to 2004 and trustee of Research Autism from 2007 to date. He was awarded the OBE in the 1988

New Year Honours The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, with New Year's Day, 1 January, being marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of other Commonwealth realms also mark this ...

and

knight 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 church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

ed in the 1999 Birthday Honours.

Family

Adsetts married Eve Stefanuti in 1956. The couple has one daughter, one son, and 8 grandchildren. Sir Norman is a large contributor to autism foundations and became Chairman of Autism Plus in April 2009. Adsetts attributes his contribution to the fact that two of his own grandchildren are

autistic The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

. In 2012, Adsetts left the board of Autism Plus to become Chairman of The Adsetts Partnership, a holding company of which Autism Plus is a subsidiary. The Adsetts Partnership has also created a network of charities aiming to support the vulnerable.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adsetts, Norman 1931 births Living people Alumni of The Queen's College, Oxford Businesspeople awarded knighthoods Knights Bachelor Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at King Edward VII School, Sheffield