- Arnold Weinstock
Arnold Weinstock, Baron Weinstock (
29 July ,1924 –23 July 2002 ) was an English businessman whom "The Guardian " newspaper called "Britain's premier post-second-world-war industrialist." [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4467542,00.html Guardian Unlimited | Archive Search ] ]The son of
working class Polish-Jew ish immigrants, Weinstock is best known for building GEC, a major conglomerate, which at the time of his retirement had become one of the UK's largest companies. [ [http://physicsweb.org/articles/review/11/9/2/1 Weinstock: GEC's leading light - physicsworld.com ] ]Weinstock took his degree at the
London School of Economics (of which he was made an Honorary Fellow in 1985). His degree was instatistics , and he was later a Fellow of theRoyal Statistical Society .He was a junior administrative officer in the
Admiralty , 1944-47. In 1949, he married Netta Sobell, the daughter of industrialist, Sir Michael Sobell. In 1954 he joined his father-in law's electronics company,Radio & Allied Industries Ltd. , and in 1963 orchestrated its merger with General Electric, becoming the largest shareholder of GEC. Weinstock served as a member of theBoard of Directors 1961-1963, the Managing Director, 1963-1996, then Chairman Emeritus. He was a director of Rolls-Royce (1971) Ltd from 1971 to 1973.Apart from his career, he was Vice-President of the Friends of the Ravenna Festival, 1993-1994. He was a trustee of the
British Museum , 1985-1996, and of theRoyal Philharmonic Society , Foundation Fund, 1984-1992. He was also senior trustee of theNext Century Foundation , a peace process organisation he helped establish. He established the Weinstock Fund, a charitable foundation that supports a variety of benevolent and cultural causes.It is notable that Weinstock largely held his counsel during the dismantling and subsequent near-collapse of GEC (later renamed
Marconi plc ) under his successors.Thoroughbred horse racing
A member of the
Jockey Club , Lord Weinstock owned a number ofThoroughbred racehorse including co-ownership with his father-in-law in Troy, winner of the 1979Epsom Derby . He also owned Pilsudski, whose wins included the 1996Grosser Preis von Baden andBreeders' Cup Turf plus the 1997Japan Cup .Lord Weinstock received many honours. He was knighted in 1970 and made a
Life peer as Baron Weinstock, of Bowden in the County ofWiltshire in 1980. Other honours were:* Honorary Fellow,
Peterhouse, Cambridge , 1982.
* Honorary Bencher,Gray's Inn , 1982.
* Hon. DSc: Salford, 1975; Aston, 1976; Bath, 1978; Reading, 1978; Ulster, 1987.
* Hon. LLD: Leeds, 1978; Wales, 1985; Keele, 1997
* Hon. DTech Loughborough, 1981; DUniv Anglia Poly., 1994; Hon. DEconSc London, 1997.
* Commendatore, Ordine al Merito (Italy), 1991
* Officer,Legion of Honor (France), 1992.References
*Who's Who 2001
*Hutchinson Encyclopedia of Britain 2001
*Alex Brummer , "Weinstock: The Life and Times of Britain's Premier Industrialist" (HarperCollinsBusiness, 1998).
* [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/article800242.ece "Timesonline" article on the Weinstock Fund, charitable foundation]
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