Norman Somerville Macfarlane
Lord Macfarlane of Bearsden (Norman Somerville Macfarlane), was born in Glasgow in 1926.
A prominent Scottish industrialist, his Lordship established Macfarlane Group, a packaging company, in 1949, in which he holds the role of Hon 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.' [1]
In 1987, he became Chairman of the drinks companies United Distillers and Guinness.[2]
A Conservative, he was knighted in 1983, made a Knight of the Order of the Thistle in 1996 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. According to publicity material issued at that time:
- He has held a great many positions in business and public life, including membership of the Council CBI Scotland, a Trustee of the National Galleries of Scotland, and was chair of the Glasgow Development Agency. He was also a director of Clydesdale Bank plc, chair of United Distillers UK plc, chair of Guinness plc, was Lord High Commissioner the Church of Scotland and chair of the trustees of the Kelvingrove Refurbishment Appeal.
- Lord Macfarlane was also president of Glasgow School of Art, the Mackintosh Society and Scottish Ballet and is an honorary lifetime member of the Scottish Football League. He has been awarded honorary doctorates and fellowships from a variety of universities and governing bodies, including the Universities of Glasgow, Strathclyde, Glasgow Caledonian, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Stirling, and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, Glasgow School of Art and the Royal Scottish Academy.
On 28 March, Lord Macfarlane was honoured with a Goodman Award (after Lord Goodman) by Arts and Business, an organisation promoting partnerships between the arts and business.[5]
