Tony Murray (businessman)
Tony Murray | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jacques Gaston Murray 8 February 1920 Paris, France |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation(s) | Chairman, London Security plc Chairman, Andrew Sykes Group plc |
| Children | Jean-Jacques Murray, Jean‑Pierre Murray |
Jacques Gaston "Tony" Murray (born 8 February 1920) is a French-born British billionaire businessman.[2]
Murray and his family own Andrew Sykes Group, the heating and air-conditioning equipment hire company, and London Security, the Leeds-based fire protection business which includes the Nu-Swift fire extinguisher brand.[3]
In April 2015, The Sunday Times estimated his net worth at £1.013 billion[1]
Early life
Jacques Gaston Murray was born in Paris in 1920,[4] where his father ran a construction company, which built infrastructure such as bridges.[5] Murray was accepted to study architecture at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris.[5]
Instead, with the start of war, he joined the French Army, and following the Battle of France, escaped on a Polish freighter, and was one of the first Free French to join the Royal Air Force. Murray flew 38 missions for the RAF as a navigator.[4][5]
His father died in Auschwitz. He was awarded the Legion of Honour by the French government.[6]
Career
In 1982 Murray bought Nu-Swift a Leeds manufacturer of fire-extinguishers then in difficulties, with the businessman Michael Ashcroft. Murray later "became irritated" by Ashcroft getting too much of the credit for turning round the company.[7]
Personal life
His sons, Jean-Jacques Murray and Jean‑Pierre Murray are both directors of London Security.[8]
References
- ^ a b "Sunday Times Rich List". The Sunday Times. No. page 34. 26 April 2014.
- ^ "Un Français Libre parmi 51809". francaislibres (in French). francaislibres.net. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
- ^ Insider Media Ltd. "New billionaire on Yorkshire Rich List | Insider Media Ltd". insidermedia.com. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
- ^ a b "Rich List 2015: No.3 - Jacques Gaston Murray & family - Birmingham Post". birminghampost.co.uk. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
- ^ a b c Wood, Martin (24 August 1998). "Murray's made mint without meaning to; French war hero turned international takeover tycoon really wanted a farm". The Birmingham Post. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
- ^ "Birmingham Post Rich List 2014: No.4 - Jacques Gaston Murray and family (£850m) - Birmingham Post". birminghampost.co.uk. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
- ^ "Movers and shakers among the contacts and business buddies | Politics | The Guardian". theguardian.com. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
- ^ "London Security PLC". londonsecurity.org. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
 | This United Kingdom business-related biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |