Derek Alun-Jones
Encyclopedia
Sir John Derek Alun-Jones (1933–2004) was a British businessman and chairman of Ferranti
at the time of its merger with US company International Signal and Control
(ISC).
He was educated at Lancing College
and St Edmund Hall, Oxford
, where he read Law. He began his career with Philips Industrial in 1957, and became managing director of Expandite in 1966. He moved to Burmah Oil in 1971, and became a director of Burmah Oil Trading before moving to Ferranti in 1975.
Alun-Jones was appointed chairman of Ferranti in 1982 and oversaw the £420 million merger with the Pennsylvania
based company International Signal & Control in 1987. However, it soon became apparent that a subsidiary of ISC had been involved in a huge fraud which had inflated the value of ISC at the time of the merger. Ferranti went into receivership in 1993.
He remained a director of several companies after leaving Ferranti and was chairman of the governors of Lancing College from 1986 to 1999. He was knighted in 1987.
Ferranti
Ferranti or Ferranti International plc was a UK electrical engineering and equipment firm that operated for over a century from 1885 until it went bankrupt in 1993. Known primarily for defence electronics, the Company was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but ceased trading in 1993.The...
at the time of its merger with US company International Signal and Control
International Signal and Control
International Signal and Control was a U.S. defense contractor based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania that was involved in the manufacture of electronic missile subassemblies, navigation components, fuses, power supplies for proximity fuzes, and grenade technology.By the 1980s, ISC's business primarily...
(ISC).
He was educated at Lancing College
Lancing College
Lancing College is a co-educational English independent school in the British public school tradition, founded in 1848 by Nathaniel Woodard. Woodard's aim was to provide education "based on sound principle and sound knowledge, firmly grounded in the Christian faith." Lancing was the first of a...
and St Edmund Hall, Oxford
St Edmund Hall, Oxford
St Edmund Hall is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Better known within the University by its nickname, "Teddy Hall", the college has a claim to being "the oldest academical society for the education of undergraduates in any university"...
, where he read Law. He began his career with Philips Industrial in 1957, and became managing director of Expandite in 1966. He moved to Burmah Oil in 1971, and became a director of Burmah Oil Trading before moving to Ferranti in 1975.
Alun-Jones was appointed chairman of Ferranti in 1982 and oversaw the £420 million merger with the Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
based company International Signal & Control in 1987. However, it soon became apparent that a subsidiary of ISC had been involved in a huge fraud which had inflated the value of ISC at the time of the merger. Ferranti went into receivership in 1993.
He remained a director of several companies after leaving Ferranti and was chairman of the governors of Lancing College from 1986 to 1999. He was knighted in 1987.