Sir Paul Douglas Nicholson, (born 7 March 1938) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

industrialist and was

Lord Lieutenant A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility ...

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

from 1997 to 2013. Nicholson was born in

and educated at

Ludgrove School Ludgrove School is an English independent boys preparatory boarding school. Ludgrove was founded in 1892 at Ludgrove Hall in Middlesex by the Old Etonian sportsman Arthur Dunn. Dunn had been employed as a master at Elstree School, which sent boys ...

Harrow School (The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God) , established = (Royal Charter) , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , religion = Church of E ...

and

Clare College, Cambridge Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. It was refounded ...

. Between Harrow and Cambridge, he was commissioned during National Service in The Coldstream Guards. After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant, he joined

Vaux Breweries Vaux Brewery was a major brewer and hotel owner based in Sunderland, England. The company was listed on the London Stock Exchange. It was taken over by Whitbread in 2000. History The company was founded in 1806 by Cuthbert Vaux (1779–1850), p ...

in 1965 and, from 1976 until 1999, he was Chairman of the Vaux Group, one of the most successful companies in the North East of England. He was Chairman of the

Tyne and Wear Development Corporation The Tyne and Wear Development Corporation (TWDC) was established in 1987 to develop land on the banks of the River Tyne and the River Wear in England. Its flagship developments included the regeneration of the East Quayside in Newcastle, Royal Q ...

throughout its existence (1987-1998) and also served as Chairman of the Northern Region of CBI (1977–1979), Chairman of the Brewers and Licensed Retailers Association, formerly the Brewers Society (1994–1996), and in 1995 he became the inaugural President of the Northeast Chamber of Commerce. He was Knighted in 1993 for 'Services to Industry and the Public in Northeast England'. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) in 2011 In his youth he was a prominent amateur rider twice winning the Liverpool Foxhunters steeplechase in 1963 and 1965. Later he was President of the Coaching Club (1990–1997). In 1980 he was appointed

High Sheriff of Durham This is a list of the High Sheriffs of County Durham, England. In most counties the High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. In the Palatinate of Durham the officeholder was appointed by and was accountable to the Bishop of D ...

and Lord Lieutenant in 1997. He has published an

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...

entitled "Brewer at Bay published by The Memoir Club". Nicholson is married to Sarah Bacon, daughter of

Sir Edmund Bacon, 13th and 14th Baronet ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...

, the premier baronet in the United Kingdom. They have one daughter, Lucy (b. 1972). Already 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 ...

, Nicholson was appointed

Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

(KCVO) in the

2011 Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours 2011 for the Commonwealth realms were announced on 11 June 2011 in the United Kingdom,United Kingdom: New Zealand,

References

1938 births Living people People from County Durham Alumni of Clare College, Cambridge Coldstream Guards officers Lord-Lieutenants of Durham People educated at Harrow School High Sheriffs of Durham Knights Bachelor Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order People educated at Ludgrove School {{UK-army-bio-stub