Betty Suenson-Taylor

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Lady Grantchester, Betty Suenson-Taylor (née Betty Moores) is the head of the Moores family and the 84-year-old daughter of Sir John Moores, founder of the Liverpool-based Littlewoods football pools and retailing businesses.

She married Kenneth Bent Suenson-Taylor, 2nd Baron Grantchester on 12 April 1947. As a result of her marriage, Betty Moores was styled as Baroness Grantchester on 2 July 1976. [1]

She was director of Littlewoods between 1977 and 1997[1] and is credited steering the company back on to an even keel after a turbulent late 1980s and early 1990s.[2] The family started to sell off stores in 1998 and the pools business in 2000; those proceeds and past dividends are worth £445m. Another windfall came in 2002 when the mail order business was sold to the Barclay brothers for £750m. [3]

Early life and education

In 1971 she enrolled on a business course and was later invited to join the Littlewoods board. [4] She was educated at Newnham College, Cambridge.[5]

Lucy Cavendish College

In 1986 it was reported in the Times that Lady Grantchester provided ‘considerable financial support’ for the Lucy Cavendish College in Cambridge which gives undergraduate places for mature women students.[6]

Everton Football Club

In 1994 Lady Grantchester and her sister Janatha Stubbs were given a 40% stake of Everton football club by their brother Peter Moores who had inherited the shares from their father Sir John Moores.[7] She sold her stake in the club to Peter Johnson inIn 1997, the same year she retired from the board of Littlewoods.[8] <She sold her share of the club to Peter Johnson in the same year.[9]

Affiliations

Trustee of the Family Education Trust since 2004, executive committee member in 2003[10] | European Atlantic Group Dinners attendee | European Atlantic Group ]][11] | European Atlantic Group Dinner 1986 ]][12][13] Lucy Cavendish College [14]

Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 Betty Moores, The Peerage, accessed 3 April 2012
  2. Kevin Cahill, The elite, guardian.co.uk, 11 April 1999, acc 3 April 2012
  3. Gary Bainbridge, Betty Moores: Littlewoods heiress, Liverpool Echo, Jan 1 (year cited is 2008 but this doesn't match text dates), acc 3 April 2012
  4. Teresa Poole, The Magnificent Seven / Women on the Board, The Times, 17-October-1986
  5. Patrick Donovan, Clan Warfare, The Guardian, 8-June-1995
  6. Teresa Poole, The Magnificent Seven / Women on the Board, The Times, 17-October-1986
  7. Cynthia Bateman, SOCCER: MOORES FAMILY DIVIDED OVER GOODISON TAKEOVER BIDS, The Guardian, 15-February-1994
  8. Nigel Cope, Moores matriarch quits Littlewoods board, The Independent, 2-May-1997
  9. Paul Joyce, GREGG IS LIFTED BY MOORES SUPPORT, The Express, 30-July-2004
  10. Family Education Trust Report on annual conference, Bulletin No. 116 Summer 2004
  11. Mr W. de Gelsey, Court and Social: Dinners, The Times, 16-July-1986
  12. Mr W. de Gelsey, Court and Social: Dinners, The Times, 16-July-1986
  13. Court and Social: Dinner, The Times, 7-October-1986
  14. Teresa Poole, The Magnificent Seven / Women on the Board, The Times, 17-October-1986