About Me

 

Career Bio: (see news links marked #)

1953-57 Harrow School. Won  Coward History Prize. Captain of Shooting. Winner of Silver Arrow.

1957 Messenger boy and clerk at London stockbrokers

1958 Emigrated by boat on £10 assisted passage to Australia. Worked with stockbroker Potters

1960 Four month return to UK by car via Sri-Lanka, India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and Europe

1960 Stock market analyst in London. Created first UK computer analysis of listed companies assets

1964 Formed own investment advisory company and indoor advertising company

1966 With Slater Walker PLC organised takeover of Scottish Life Assurance. Bought out by policy holders.

1966-67 Advised Slater Walker on M&A activities.

1969 formed own stock market vehicle. Barclay Securities Ltd (a listed UK stock market corporation)

1969-1972

*Established control of UK’s largest billboard group (2^nd largest in world) (Mills & Allen Plc)

*Established control over UK’s largest pharmaceutical wholesaler (Barclay & Sons and multiple subsidiaries)

*Established control of UK’s 2^nd largest retail chemist chain (Westons Chemists)

*Established control over toy manufacturing group of Triang Toys/Chad Valley/Mobo (2^nd largest in world)

*Formed new media company (Lion International) to hold UK and foreign media interests to include:-

 Largest UK owned advertising agency (Dorlands)

 Control of UK outdoor advertising industry (Mills & Allen and others)

 Control of cinema advertising in UK (Pearl & Dean)

 Control of UK’s largest film studios (British Lion & Shepperton Studios) producing The Wicker Man + 6 movies

1972

Made accepted offer for Daily Express national UK newspaper (later rejected by NPA on orders of PM Heath)

Became sole Patron of Conservative party Bow Group

Selected by Tory Central Office as potential MP for Havant; Became member of European Council

Served on advisory boards to Tory government and Board of Trade

Bid for London Broadcasting Corporation (LBC) accepted, and later rejected on order by PM Heath)

Resigned all political activity after Labour win over Labour in 1974

1973

Sold all business interests following offer from Hambros Bank #

Purchased Scottish and Sussex estates

Awarded 'Businessman of the year'

1973-1980

Created and funded project for life saving anti- cot death disposable baby’s milk bottle for global use

Created and funded film based home movie cartridge system with Bond movie producer H.Salzmann

Studied philosophy, transcendentalism and metaphysics in homes in NY, Paris, Ibiza and Scotland.

1980

Purchased control of UK’s first video rental company. (Intervision PLC) Bought US movie rights for video.

Acted as Chairman and part controlled Bardsey PLC, a UK property conglomerate

Floated Intervision PLC on UK stock market 1984. Intervision/Cityvision Ritz chain became largest in UK #

1984 Funded world first multiple use Word processor, Wordnet Ltd. Chairman of Yelverton investment Trust.

1985

Sold interests to take time out sailing for three years in Mediterranean, Caribbean, and Mexican Gulf.

1988 -1990

Created world first online gaming product using Atari base

Joint venture with British Satellite Broadcasting and later Sky TV to install UK TV aerials (National Satellite Plc)

Formed world first point to multipoint fax company, Faxcast Inc., in USA

1994-1996

Envisioned, created, funded, and launched on US market, world’s first Internet TV (Viewcall America)  #

Business sold to Net Channel Inc (subsidiary of Oracle Corporation). Viewcall product acclaimed as world first “thin client”. Pre-cursor of Cloud computing. #

1996-2000

Investment in various Internet enterprises in USA and UK

2002 – 2006

Patented and created world first pocket gambling product. Sold to Scientific Games Corp

2006

Retired to Portugal. Reading history, writing and poetry. First novel “The Royal Secret” (2014)

Recreations include: Yachting, Ski-ing and Shooting