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Malcolm Walker (businessman)

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Sir
Malcolm Walker
CBE
Born (1946-02-11) 11 February 1946 (age 78)[1]
Grange Moor, West Yorkshire, England[2]
OccupationBusinessman
Known forFounder, Iceland supermarket chain
Term1970–2023
SpouseRhianydd Walker (died 2021) Natalie Walker (2022)
Children3, includes Richard Walker

Sir Malcolm Conrad Walker CBE (born 11 February 1946) is an English businessman who is the founder of Iceland Foods Ltd.[3][4][5]

Early life

Malcolm Conrad Walker was born in Grange Moor, West Yorkshire, the son of a poultry farmer, and was educated at Mirfield Grammar School.[1] He originally co-founded Iceland Foods in 1970 with Peter Hinchcliffe and considered naming it "Penguin"; he credited his first wife with coming up with the Iceland brand name.[2][6] The company had a national presence by the late 1980s.

Personal life

Walker was married for over 50 years[6] to Rhianydd, until her death in 2021[7] and founded the Lady Walker Fund for Dementia in her memory. His Grade II listed[8] family home is near Chester, Cheshire.[9][10] The couple had three children.[1][10][11] Their only son, Richard, is the current managing director of Iceland.[1]

Walker remarried to Natalie in 2022,[6] and they live together on the family estate.[12]

In May 2017, Walker donated £50,000 to the Conservative Party.[13] His knighthood was announced the following month.[14]

In January 2023, Walker was the subject of Desert Island Discs on BBC Radio 4 and chose "Quando me'n vo'" from Puccini's La bohème (sung by Natalie Walker), Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, and a giant cooking pot as his favourite record, book and luxury item respectively.[15][16]

Wealth

In 2019, The Sunday Times Rich List estimated Walker's wealth at £265 million.[17]

Controversy

In 2013, during the horse meat food contamination scandal, Walker attracted criticism for making negative comments about Irish people and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.[18]

Recognition

Walker was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), in the 1995 New Year Honours "for services to the frozen food industry",[19] and was knighted in the 2017 Birthday Honours, for services to retailing, entrepreneurship and charity.[14] He has been awarded honorary degrees by Bangor University, Liverpool John Moores University, Wrexham Glyndŵr University, the University of Huddersfield and the University of Chester, and is an Honorary Fellow of University College London.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Mums may go to Iceland, but this retail chain is a father and son success story". The Times. 21 December 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Profile - Malcolm Walker: Supermarket boss who has set his sights on capturing Iceland". Yorkshire Post. 18 October 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  3. ^ "Iceland founder Malcolm Walker: 'Why should I say sorry for my riches?'". Telegraph. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  4. ^ "Iceland – Malcolm Walker's biography". About.iceland.co.uk. Archived from the original on 29 June 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  5. ^ Sarah Ryle. "Mammon: Malcolm Walker | Business". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  6. ^ a b c "Sir Malcolm Walker CBE – About Iceland". about.iceland.co.uk. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  7. ^ "The Times and The Sunday Times e-paper". epaper.thetimes.co.uk.
  8. ^ "'I am a hypocrite': Iceland boss Richard Walker on the retailer's struggle to go green". The Guardian. 5 March 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  9. ^ "Secrets of my success: Iceland Foods founder and chief executive Malcolm Walker". Evening Standard. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  10. ^ a b c "Sir Malcolm Walker CBE: Biography". Iceland. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  11. ^ "The Lady Walker Fund for Dementia". Just Giving. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  12. ^ Iceland Foods: Life in the Freezer Cabinet
  13. ^ Cahill, Helen (18 May 2017). "Party donors: Here are the big names bank-rolling the Conservative campaign". cityam.com. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  14. ^ a b "No. 61962". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 June 2017. p. B2.
  15. ^ "Today's #DesertIslandDiscs castaway is the co-founder of @IcelandFoods Sir Malcolm Walker. From selling spuds and sweeping floors to one of the stock exchange's most successful flotations…his story is quite a ride!". Twitter. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  16. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - Desert Island Discs, Sir Malcolm Walker, retailer". BBC. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  17. ^ Times, The Sunday (12 May 2019). "Rich List 2019: profiles 451-490=, featuring Sir Mick Jagger, George Clooney and Zac Goldsmith". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  18. ^ Halliwell, James. "Horse meat: Iceland apologises for Panorama comment about 'the Irish'". The Grocer. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  19. ^ "No. 53893". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1994. p. 10.


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