Angus Grossart

Sir Angus Grossart

Angus Grossart is a prominent Edinburgh-based businessman who is chairman and executive director of Noble Grossart, the merchant bank he founded in 1969.

Grossart was appointed chair of secretive lobbying firm Charlotte Street Partners in January 2014. He also chairs the think tank, Scotland International.

Steve Bannon's visit (2017)

In December 2017 it was reported that former Donald Trump appointee, Steve Bannon was invited to speak at a meeting hosted by Scotland International, a think tank chaired by Grossart. The website Commonspace wrote:

'At a meeting in the five-star Gleneagles Hotel on Friday... Bannon is understood to have given a defence of Trump at a gathering of the think tank Scotland International Ltd (SIL). According to an unnamed source present at the meeting quoted by the Sunday Herald, Bannon also spoke about “his philosophy”. In an appearance apparently unknown to all but participants in the SIL gathering, Bannon reportedly participated in a panel discussion lasting 25 minutes, followed by a question and answer session.'

Profile (The Times, 2005)

Sir Angus is one of Scotland’s foremost movers and shakers, with several key directorships and a hand in 50 business ventures. One of his most high-profile roles has been the vice-chairmanship of the Royal Bank of Scotland, from which he steps down in April [2005] after 19 years amid criticism that he is too close to the management...

Without discussing RBS specifically, he notes: “Scotland is a relatively small country. It is ironic, if you know people, that the taint of cronyism is applied, and yet it is quite important that you know that the non-executives know the executives and get them to communicate.”

His critics include the National Association of Pension Funds, which has been outspoken on boardroom issues. On corporate governance generally, Sir Angus says: “Some of the criteria which have emerged, it will be interesting to see if they stand the test of time.”

Sir Angus is a non-executive director of Scottish & Newcastle and Trinity Mirror, and sits on BP’s Scottish board. He is passionate about the arts and architecture. He is a past chairman of the trustees of the National Galleries of Scotland, current independent director of Culture and Sport Glasgow, and spends spare time restoring his weekend retreat, a 16th-century castle near St Andrews in Fife. His wife, Gay, is a talented artist...

One slight blip in a blue chip career came in 1978 when Sir Angus and two other businessmen, including the late Sir Hugh Fraser, were criticised over their stewardship of the Fraser holding company, Scottish & Universal Investments. Sir Angus was accused of failing to check the accounts thoroughly, but was absolved of any heinous crime.

Affiliations

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• Charlotte Street Partners, chair
• Scotland International think tank, chair
• Royal Bank of Scotland
• Scottish and Universal Investments
• Managing Director, since 1969, and Chairman, Noble Grossart Ltd, Merchant Bankers, Edinburgh, since 1990;
• Chairman, Scottish Investment Trust Plc, since 1975,
• Member of Faculty of Advocates, 1963.
• Practiced at the Scottish Bar, 1963- 1969.

Major directorships include:

• Edinburgh US Tracker Trust (formerly American Trust); The Royal Bank of Scotland (Vice Chairman); Scottish Financial Enterprise; British Petroleum Scottish Board; Trinity Mirror (formerly Mirror Group) Plc; Scottish & Newcastle Plc; Scotland Internat; Edinburgh Fund Managers Plc; Member Scottish Development Agency;
• Director St. Andrews Management Institute, 1990-97 (Chm. Adv. Council, 1994-97);
• Chm., Bd. Of Trustees, National Galleries of Scotland, 1988-97 (Trustee, 1986-97);
• Trustee and Dep. Chm, National Heritage Memorial Fund;
• Vice President, Scottish Opera;
• Director Edinburgh International Film Festival, 1994-96;
• Friends of Royal Scottish Academy;
• Chairman Fine Art Society., 1998- . (Noble Grossart owns 29%)
• Formerly: Trustee, Scottish Civic Trust;
• Director Scottish National Orchestra;
• Member Scottish Industrial Development Advisory Board.
• Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
• Honorary Govenor, Glasgow Academy
• Patron of the Governors of the National Galleries Scotland
• Charles Henshaw & Sons Limited
• Chairman Lyon & Turnbull Limited Auctioneers (Noble Grossart owns 25%)
• Murray International Holdings Limited
• Chairman Wright Health Group, Dental Supplies
• Murray Sport Limited
• Premier Property