Sir Ronald Ramsay Trotter (9 October 1927 – 11 August 2010) was one of New Zealand's pre-eminent business leaders. He was knighted for his service to business in 1985.

Early life and family

Born in

Hāwera Hāwera is the second-largest centre in the Taranaki region of New Zealand's North Island, with a population of . It is near the coast of the South Taranaki Bight. The origins of the town lie in a government military base that was established i ...

on 9 October 1927, Trotter was the son of Annie Euphemia Trotter (née Young) and Clement George Trotter. He was educated at

Wanganui Collegiate School Whanganui Collegiate School (formerly Wanganui Collegiate School; see here) is a state-integrated, coeducational, day and boarding, secondary school in Whanganui, Manawatū-Whanganui region, New Zealand. The school is affiliated to the Anglican c ...

, and went on to study at

Victoria University College Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well know ...

from 1945 to 1947, graduating

Bachelor of Commerce A Bachelor of Commerce (abbreviated BComm or BCom; also, ''baccalaureates commercii'') is an undergraduate degree in business, usually awarded in Canada, Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Ireland, New Zealand, Ghana, South Africa, Myanmar, ...

, followed by a year at

Canterbury Agricultural College Lincoln University (Māori: ''Te Whare Wānaka o Aoraki'') is a New Zealand university that was formed in 1990 when Lincoln College, Canterbury was made independent of the University of Canterbury. Founded in 1878, it is the oldest agricultur ...

where he completed a Certificate of Agriculture. In 1955, Trotter married Margaret Patricia Rainey, and the couple went on to have four children.

Business career

Trotter was instrumental in the formation of Fletcher Challenge Corporation in 1981, where he was the chief executive and chairman.

Directorships and management roles

*managing director and Chairman of Wright Stephenson and Co (1958–72) *Chairman and managing director Challenge Corporation (1970–1981) *Chairman and Chief Executive of Fletcher Challenge (1981–87) *Chairman Fletcher Challenge (1987–90) *Trustee and Chairman of the

New Zealand Institute of Economic Research The New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) is the largest independent think tank in New Zealand. It is non-profit incorporated society and was established in 1958. It seeks to take a centrist, politically neutral position. It has a sta ...

(1973–86) *Chairman of

Telecom Corporation of New Zealand Spark New Zealand Limited is a New Zealand telecommunications company providing fixed-line plain old telephone service, telephone services, a mobile phone network, internet service provider, internet access services, and (through its Spark Digi ...

*Director of Air New Zealand (1989–93) *Director and Chairman of Toyota New Zealand (1964–2001) *Inaugural Chairman of the New Zealand Business Roundtable (1985–1990)

Public sector roles

Trotter made substantial contributions to the public sector. His roles included: *Chairman of the Steering Committee of the New Zealand Economic Summit Conference of 1984 *Director of the

Reserve Bank of New Zealand The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ, mi, Te Pūtea Matua) is the central bank of New Zealand. It was established in 1934 and is constituted under the Reserve Bank of New Zealand Act 1989. The governor of the Reserve Bank is responsible for N ...

*Chairman of the State-owned Enterprises Advisory Committee (1987–88) *Chairman of the

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum and is located in Wellington. ''Te Papa Tongarewa'' translates literally to "container of treasures" or in full "container of treasured things and people that spring fr ...

*Chairman of Post Office Bank (1989) *Member and Chairman of the Oversees Investment Commission (1974–77) *Chairman of the Interim Provider Board

Honours

In the 1985 Queen's Birthday Honours, Trotter was appointed a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...

, for services to business management.

Other activities

Trotter was also an art collector and, along with his wife Margaret, Lady Trotter, played an instrumental role in the formation of the Fletcher Challenge Art Collection.

References

1927 births 2010 deaths Lincoln University (New Zealand) alumni New Zealand businesspeople People from Hāwera Deaths from cancer in New Zealand New Zealand Knights Bachelor Businesspeople awarded knighthoods People associated with the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa People educated at Whanganui Collegiate School Victoria University of Wellington alumni {{NewZealand-business-bio-stub