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
References
- Jon Ashworth The Scottish lawyer turned merchant banker who is king of his own castle The Times, January 24, 2005.
- Angus Grossart Register of interests for National Galleries of Scotland Accessed April 2007
