Gordon Brunton facts for kids
Sir Gordon Charles Brunton (born December 27, 1921 – died May 30, 2017) was a well-known British businessman, publisher, and also owned and bred racehorses. He was known for his smart decisions and leadership in various companies.
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Early Life and War Service
Gordon Brunton was born in London. He studied for a short time at Cranleigh School and later at the London School of Economics (LSE). At LSE, he learned from famous thinkers like Harold Laski and John Maynard Keynes. Laski's ideas especially shaped Brunton's way of thinking.
When World War II began, Brunton left university early in 1940. He joined the Royal Artillery and became a Captain. He fought in the Burma campaign for much of the war. After the war, he helped rebuild cities like Düsseldorf and Hamburg in Germany.
After his military service, Brunton worked as a salesman. He went door-to-door, selling advertising space to small businesses outside London. He passed away on May 30, 2017, at the age of 95.
Leading the Thomson Organisation
Joining Thomson's Team
In 1961, Gordon Brunton joined Thomson Publications as a Managing Director. He was hired by Roy Thomson, 1st Baron Thomson of Fleet, who founded the Thomson Organisation. This company later became Thomson Reuters. Brunton also worked for Roy's son, Kenneth Thomson, who took over the company in 1976.
Chief Executive (1966-1984)
Brunton became the Chief Executive of the Thomson Organisation in 1966 and held this role until 1984. During his time, the company grew a lot, expanding into many different areas. These included travel, oil, and various types of publishing like books, magazines, and newspapers. By the late 1970s, Thomson was one of the biggest and most important companies in the world.
Brunton retired from Thomson in 1985. Many people say he was a key person in helping the company grow and become so diverse.
Thomson's Big Step into Travel
In the late 1960s, Gordon Brunton led Thomson's move into the package holiday business. This was a new and exciting idea at the time. His friend from LSE, Vladimir Raitz, who started Horizon Holiday Group, also helped.
Thomson Holidays (now part of TUI Group) grew by buying other travel companies like Sky Tours and Riviera Holidays. They also bought a small airline called Britannia Airways. Britannia became a very important charter airline. Thomson was the first European airline to buy Boeing 737 planes. Brunton believed Thomson had an advantage in the travel market because British people wanted to go on holidays abroad more and more.
Travel companies had big costs for printing brochures and advertising. Brunton realized that Thomson already owned printing presses and a large network of national and local newspapers. This meant they had free access to advertising and could promote their holidays easily. This gave Thomson a big advantage over other travel companies. Even though some people within Thomson were against this idea, it turned out to be very successful. Within a few years, Thomson became a leader in European travel.
Exploring North Sea Oil
In the early 1970s, Brunton made a bold move for Thomson. He decided to invest in the North Sea oil venture. This was a risky but calculated decision, working with Dr. Armand Hammer of Occidental Petroleum and J. Paul Getty.
This group looked for new oil fields and found both the Piper Alpha and Claymore fields. They also built the Flotta Refinery on the Orkney Islands. At that time, American companies needed a British partner to work in the North Sea. Thomson had a lot of influence in Scotland because Roy Thomson owned The Scotsman newspaper and Scottish Television. In 1972, their group successfully got a license to drill for oil in the North Sea.
The money earned from North Sea oil allowed Thomson to grow even more. They bought many specialist and technical publishing companies in North America during the 1970s and 1980s.
Challenges with Times Newspapers
Brunton also played a big part during a difficult time for The Times and Sunday Times newspapers. There were long conflicts with the print unions in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Roy Thomson had bought these newspapers in 1967. After many problems, Thomson Management took a firm stand against the unions. This led to the closure of the newspapers for a year (December 1, 1978 – November 12, 1979). However, Thomson still paid its staff and company costs during this time.
The losses at the newspapers eventually led the Thomson family to decide to sell them. Brunton was the main negotiator for Thomson. Rupert Murdoch was chosen as the buyer because he promised to keep both newspapers running under one owner. Other buyers were only interested in the profitable Sunday Times and would have closed The Times. Brunton insisted that this could not happen, so Thomson sold the newspapers to News International in 1981.
Community Work
During Gordon Brunton's time at the Thomson Organisation, the company also started programs to help communities. These programs focused on improving local economies and redeveloping areas, like a successful project in Neath, South Wales.
Leading Sotheby's Auction House
Gordon Brunton was known for being reliable and a good negotiator. This led him to take on a challenging role as Chairman of Sotheby's, a famous auction house. The company was having problems, and Brunton had to make tough decisions, including changing staff, to bring stability back to the business.
He took over from auctioneer Peter Wilson. His job was to make the business stable again and prevent a hostile takeover bid in 1983. This bid came from Marshall Cogan and Stephen Swid. The Sotheby's board felt these buyers were not suitable. Eventually, the company was sold to real estate developer A. Alfred Taubman.
Other Business Roles
After Sotheby's, Sir Gordon Brunton chaired several other companies. These included Mercury Communications, Cable and Wireless Communications PLC, Racing Post, Bemrose PLC, NXT PLC, and Galahad Gold.
Horse Racing
Sir Gordon Brunton was also a well-known owner and breeder of racehorses. His most famous horse was Indian Queen, which won the prestigious Ascot Gold Cup in 1991.
Awards and Interests
- Knighthood: He was awarded a Knighthood in 1985, meaning he became "Sir Gordon Brunton."
- Clubs: He was a member of the Garrick Club and the Pilgrims Society.
- Fellow: He was an Honorary Fellow of the London School of Economics.
- Hobbies: He enjoyed reading books and breeding thoroughbred racehorses.
- Family: He was married twice.
