Francis McFadzean, Baron McFadzean of Kelvinside

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Francis Scott McFadzean, Baron McFadzean of Kelvinside (born November 26, 1915 in Troon , † May 23, 1992 in Bisham , Berkshire ) was a Scottish manager and economist .

Professional background

Francis McFadzean was the son of a paralegal. He left school at 14 and went to sea for four years, then returned to Glasgow. There he studied economics at the University of Glasgow , from which he graduated with a first-class degree, and then at the London School of Economics and Political Science . In 1938 he worked for the Board of Trade and for the British Ministry of Finance and Commerce . During World War II he served as a soldier in Africa, Italy, Europe and finally Malaysia until he left the army as a colonel . Until 1945 he worked for the Malaysian government and the Colonial Development Corporation .

From 1952 McFadzean worked for Shell , on 1964 he was Managing Director of the Royal Dutch Shell Group . Because of his uncompromising manner, he was nicknamed Fearless Frank there , especially after he personally flew to Nigeria during the 1974 oil crisis and negotiated with rebels to secure the return of his compatriots.

From 1976 to 1979 he was Chairman of the Board of British Airways , where he cut staff and fought with the unions, but also secured the airline's future. Although his health had suffered, he took over the post of Chairman of the Board of Directors of Rolls-Royce at the request of the government . There he cut 20,000 jobs and led the ailing company back into profitability.

From 1967 to 1976 McFadzean was visiting professor in economics at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow and from 1971 to 1982 chairman of the Trade Policy Research Center . He was a rigid representative of the free market economy and as such attacked z. B. the theses of the left-liberal economist John Kenneth Galbraith . When Margaret Thatcher became British Prime Minister in 1979 , he described her as "the most intelligent person I have ever met" (Eng. "The most intelligent person I have ever met").

In 1975, Francis McFadzean was knighted and in January 1980 raised to Baron McFadzean of Kelvinside in the District of the City of Glasgow . In 1989 he was elected a member ( Fellow ) of the Royal Society of Edinburgh .

Private

Francis McFadzean married his wife Isabel in 1938, and their daughter later became the wife of Richard Marsh, Baron Marsh . McFadzean's wife died in 1987, and he remarried a year later.

Publications

  • Towards an open world economy . 1972
  • Towards an understanding of our new hydrocarbon age . 1973
  • The Economics of John Kenneth Galbraith: a Study in Fantasy . 1977
  • Global strategy for growth: a report on north-south issues . 1981

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Bob Reid: "McFadzean, Francis Scott, Baron McFadzean of Kelvinside (1915-1992)". In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography . Oxford University Press 2004. Retrieved August 5, 2013
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g Obituary for Francis McFadzean, Financial Times , May 28, 1992  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / data.synthesis.ie  
  3. ^ Fellows Directory. Biographical Index: Former RSE Fellows 1783–2002. (PDF file) Royal Society of Edinburgh, accessed March 18, 2020 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME McFadzean, Francis, Baron McFadzean of Kelvinside
ALTERNATIVE NAMES McFadzean, Francis Scott, Baron McFadzean of Kelvinside (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Scottish manager and economist
DATE OF BIRTH November 26, 1915
PLACE OF BIRTH Troon
DATE OF DEATH May 23, 1992
Place of death Bisham , Berkshire