Angus Grossart

Angus Grossart is chairman and executive director of Noble Grossart, the merchant bank he founded in 1969.

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 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. ^[1]

Affiliations

• 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
• Chairman Scotland International Think Tank

^[2]

References

1. ^Jon Ashworth The Scottish lawyer turned merchant banker who is king of his own castle The Times, January 24, 2005.

1. ^Angus Grossart Register of interests for National Galleries of Scotland Accessed April 2007