John Banham | |
|---|---|
| Born | John Michael Middlecott Banham (1940-08-22)22 August 1940 Cornwall, England |
| Died | 9 August 2022(2022-08-09) (aged 81) |
| Education | Charterhouse School |
| Alma mater | Queens' College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Title |
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Sir John Michael Middlecott BanhamDL (22 August 1940 – 9 August 2022) was a British businessman. He was the chairman of the major brewerWhitbread from 2000 to 2005, and also chairman ofECI Ventures andJohnson Matthey.
Banham was born on 22 August 1940,[1] and raised inCornwall, where his father worked as a surgeon and his mother as aNational Health Service (NHS) administrator, and was educated atCharterhouse School, andQueens' College, Cambridge, where he gained a first class degree in Natural Sciences.[2] He worked at the Foreign Office for two years before moving to Reed International and thenMcKinsey and Co.[2]
Banham was an avid sailor, participating in the1979 Fastnet race, on a Contessa 34 when the yacht was hit by Force 11 winds some 90 miles off Land’s End. Of the 303 starting yachts, 80 had to be saved, 24 were abandoned (of which two were retrieved) at least 75 boats capsized and five sank. Running before the storm, and navigated by a submariner, the boat managed to make its way unaided to Milford Haven.
He was the first controller of theAudit Commission from 1983 to 1987,[3] and was then Director General of theConfederation of British Industry from 1987 to 1992.[2][4] In 1992 he became chairman of theLocal Government Commission for England that led to a large-scale local government reform inEngland.[5] He wasknighted in the1992 New Year Honours.[6]
He was chairman ofTarmac from 1994 to 1999, and the chairman ofKingfisher plc from 1995 to 2001.[4][7] He became the chairman ofJohnson Matthey in April 2006.[8] He has also acted as chairman ofWest Country Television and as a non-executive director of bothNational Westminster Bank andNational Power.[4]
In 1987, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from theUniversity of Bath,[9] and an honorary fellowship fromQueens'.[10] Banham was an activefreemason.[11] He was adeputy lieutenant of Cornwall.[12]
Banham died on 9 August 2022, thirteen days before his 82nd birthday.[13]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Director of theConfederation of British Industry 1987–1992 | Succeeded by |
| Business positions | ||
| Preceded by | Chairman ofKingfisher plc 1995–2001 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chairman ofWhitbread 2000–2005 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
