Norman Somerville Macfarlane
Background
Lord Macfarlane of Bearsden (Norman Somerville Macfarlane), was born in Glasgow on 5 March 1926. Educated at the High School of Glasgow, he undertook active duty in Palestine as a Commander in the Royal Artillery (1945-47).[1]
A Conservative, he was knighted in 1983, made a Knight of the Order of the Thistle in 1996 ,[2] and raised to the peerage as Baron Macfarlane of Bearsden, in the District of Bearsden and Milngavie in 1991. [3]
On 23 February 2007, Lord Provost Liz Cameron, who holds a post at Culture and Sport Glasgow together with Lord Macfarlane, conferred on him the Freedom of the City of Glasgow.[4]
Business Links
A prominent Scottish industrialist, his Lordship established N.S. Macfarlane & Co., a packaging company, in 1949, in which he was Managing Director (1973-90) and Chairman (1973-98) and now holds the role of Honorary Life President. Floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1973, Macfarlane Group has grown to become an international organisation with businesses in the UK and Europe. On its website, the Group declares 'a turnover of £130 million in 2006 and 23 locations: 19 in the UK and 4 in Europe.' [5] In 2007, Macfarlane Group plc sold its US/Mexican operations.[6]
In 1987, Macfarlane became Chairman of the drinks companies United Distillers[7](a member of the Global Business Network), a post he held until 1996. He is also honorary life president of drinks giant Diageo. Among the many other Directorships he has held are Glasgow Chamber of Commerce (1976-79), Clydesdale Bank plc (1980-96) and the Fine Art Society plc (1976-98).
Cultural Interests
One of four Independent Directors of Culture and Sport Glasgow, Lord Macfarlane's cultural interests extend to Directorships of Scottish Ballet (1975-87), the Scottish National Orchestra (1977-82) and Third Eye Centre (1978-81; now the Centre for Contemporary Art), Patronage of the National Art Collection Fund (1978-) and Trusteeship of the National Galleries of Scotland (1986-97).[8]
Significantly in relation to his work for Culture and Sport Glasgow, Macfarlane was chair of the trustees of the Kelvingrove Refurbishment Appeal. He described Kelvingrove as 'without doubt, Scotland's greatest cultural asset'.[9] Each of the individual and coporate donors to the renovation has their name on a brass plauque at the museum. This list includes BAA Glasgow, Clydesdale Bank and Macfarlane Group plc.
Lord Macfarlane heads the committee to organise an exhibition of the 'Glasgow Boys' (whose work he collects) in 2010 which will tour to the Royal Academy in London in what is being heralded by those associated with Culture and Sport Glasgow as a major coup for the city.[10] The involvement of Board members in programming is a new departure under Culture and Sport Glasgow while the use of public galleries and museums to boost the provenance (and hence value) of a private collection is an established strategy.
In recognition of the synergy he brings to business and the arts, Lord Macfarlane was honoured with a Goodman Award (after Lord Goodman) on 28 March 2008, by Arts and Business, the organisation set up during the Thatcher era to promote partnerships between the arts and business.[11]
Notes
- ↑ Who's Who 2008. A&C Black, London, p. 1467
- ↑ Who's Who 2008. A&C Black, London, p. 1467
- ↑ Lord Macfarlane House of Lords website (accessed 2 March 2008)
- ↑ [http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/News/Archives/2007/February/Freedom+of+the+City.htm Glasgow City Council website(accessed 3 March 2008)
- ↑ Macfarlane Group website: About Us (accessed 3 March 2008)
- ↑ Macfarlane Group PLC gives a trading update for 2007 and disposes of surplus property 20 December 2007 (accessed 16 April 2008)
- ↑ Lord Macfarlane Scots Connections website (accessed 3 March 2008)
- ↑ Who's Who 2008. A&C Black, London, p. 1467
- ↑ Phil Miller ‘Kelvingrove is in top 15 most visited museums in world’ The Herald 29 February, 2008 (accessed 9 April 2008)
- ↑ Phil Miller 'Artistic coup: Glasgow Boys to go on show in London; Royal Academy show is 'unprecedented" The Herald 12 March, 2008 (accessed 9 April 2008)
- ↑ Lord Macfarlane and Freize founders honoured with top A&B Awards Arts and Business website (accessed 3 March 2008)
