Frank Lampl
Encyclopedia
Sir Frank William Lampl was Life President of Bovis Lend Lease
, the leading global construction management company that he created from the British building firm Bovis
during a 15-year period as Chairman and CEO.
factory outside Munich
.
After World War II
, Frank Lampl resumed his studies in Brno
and inherited property from his murdered family. But after the communist takeover he was denounced as a bourgeois undesirable and sentenced to imprisonment in the uranium
mines of Jachymov
.
He married Blanka Kratochvilova, and they had one son.
Frank Lampl benefited from a general amnesty on Stalin’s birthday and was released in 1953 on condition that he take up work in either mining or construction. Having tired of mining he returned to construction. By 1963 he was managing director of the Pozemni Stavby Zavod Opava state construction company and won a place at Brno University.
Unwilling to be caught by a third oppressive regime when the Russian tanks rolled into Prague
in 1968 Frank Lampl and his wife left with one suitcase to visit their son Thomas who was studying at Oxford University in England.
They never returned and at the age of 42 Sir Frank began his career in construction again. He joined the British building firm Bovis
in 1971 and by 1975 led Bovis
’s first foray overseas enjoying particular success in the then booming Middle East
.
In 1978 Sir Frank became chief executive of Bovis
International and further contract successes followed, an achievement crowned by the Queen’s Award for Exports in 1984 and 1986. Bovis
had been a division of the diversified transport and shipping company P&O
since 1974, and in 1985 Frank Lampl joined the P&O main board in his capacity as Chairman of Bovis Construction.
Bovis
became a name synonymous with the Big Bang
building boom of London
in the 1980s and the company’s introduction of US construction management skills facilitated rapid completion of the most complicated projects. The biggest was Canary Wharf
with the tallest building in Europe.
At the same time Sir Frank realised that Bovis
needed to diversify internationally if the company was to survive after the boom was over. By 1990 Bovis
had completed three substantial acquisitions in the US and in 1991 was able to win the Atlanta Olympic Games construction management contract.
There was also a highly successful series of acquisitions on the continent of Europe bringing major projects and Bovis
also won EuroDisney outside Paris
, finished in 1992, and a huge shopping centre under Red Square
in Moscow
.
Additionally Sir Frank set up an operation in his former home town Brno
and Bovis
participated in several major Czech developments. And the Asian expansion of Bovis resulted in some notable wins, particularly the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur
, then the tallest building in the world.
In 1999 Sir Frank oversaw the successful sale of Bovis
to the Australian retail real estate group Lend Lease and then announced his retirement at the start of the new Millennium. However, he remained Life President of Bovis Lend Lease and travelled extensively to see Bovis
projects around the world.
Sir Frank was well known in Israel
and lived with his 2nd wife artist Wendy, dividing his time between his home in Wiltshire
, London
's striking new Chelsea Bridge Wharf development and Washington
. He was knighted in the 1990 New Year’s Honours and was an ex-chancellor of Kingston University
as well as a holder of numerous honorary degrees.
Bovis Lend Lease
Lend Lease Project Management & Construction is the international project management and construction division of Lend Lease Group.-History:...
, the leading global construction management company that he created from the British building firm Bovis
Bovis Lend Lease
Lend Lease Project Management & Construction is the international project management and construction division of Lend Lease Group.-History:...
during a 15-year period as Chairman and CEO.
Career
The son of a prominent Czechoslavakian lawyer, he spent his teenage years as a prisoner in the Auschwitz and Dachau Nazi concentration camps, and his first construction job was as a slave labourer on an underground BMWBMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
factory outside Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Frank Lampl resumed his studies in Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
and inherited property from his murdered family. But after the communist takeover he was denounced as a bourgeois undesirable and sentenced to imprisonment in the uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
mines of Jachymov
Jáchymov
For other places called Joachimsthal, see Joachimsthal Jáchymov . compl: "Sant Joachim's Sthal" is a spa town in north-west Bohemia in the Czech Republic belonging to the Karlovy Vary Region. It is situated at an altitude of 733 m above sea level in the eponymous St...
.
He married Blanka Kratochvilova, and they had one son.
Frank Lampl benefited from a general amnesty on Stalin’s birthday and was released in 1953 on condition that he take up work in either mining or construction. Having tired of mining he returned to construction. By 1963 he was managing director of the Pozemni Stavby Zavod Opava state construction company and won a place at Brno University.
Unwilling to be caught by a third oppressive regime when the Russian tanks rolled into Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
in 1968 Frank Lampl and his wife left with one suitcase to visit their son Thomas who was studying at Oxford University in England.
They never returned and at the age of 42 Sir Frank began his career in construction again. He joined the British building firm Bovis
Bovis Lend Lease
Lend Lease Project Management & Construction is the international project management and construction division of Lend Lease Group.-History:...
in 1971 and by 1975 led Bovis
Bovis Lend Lease
Lend Lease Project Management & Construction is the international project management and construction division of Lend Lease Group.-History:...
’s first foray overseas enjoying particular success in the then booming Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
.
In 1978 Sir Frank became chief executive of Bovis
Bovis Lend Lease
Lend Lease Project Management & Construction is the international project management and construction division of Lend Lease Group.-History:...
International and further contract successes followed, an achievement crowned by the Queen’s Award for Exports in 1984 and 1986. Bovis
Bovis Lend Lease
Lend Lease Project Management & Construction is the international project management and construction division of Lend Lease Group.-History:...
had been a division of the diversified transport and shipping company P&O
Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company
The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, which is usually known as P&O, is a British shipping and logistics company which dated from the early 19th century. Following its sale in March 2006 to Dubai Ports World for £3.9 billion, it became a subsidiary of DP World; however, the P&O...
since 1974, and in 1985 Frank Lampl joined the P&O main board in his capacity as Chairman of Bovis Construction.
Bovis
Bovis
Bovis may refer to:* Bovis Homes Group, a national British housebuilding company* Bovis scale, a concept used by dowsers and adherents of geomancy* Bovis Lend Lease, an international construction management company and subsidiary of Lend Lease Corporation...
became a name synonymous with the Big Bang
Big Bang
The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological model that explains the early development of the Universe. According to the Big Bang theory, the Universe was once in an extremely hot and dense state which expanded rapidly. This rapid expansion caused the young Universe to cool and resulted in...
building boom of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in the 1980s and the company’s introduction of US construction management skills facilitated rapid completion of the most complicated projects. The biggest was Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf is a major business district located in London, United Kingdom. It is one of London's two main financial centres, alongside the traditional City of London, and contains many of the UK's tallest buildings, including the second-tallest , One Canada Square...
with the tallest building in Europe.
At the same time Sir Frank realised that Bovis
Bovis
Bovis may refer to:* Bovis Homes Group, a national British housebuilding company* Bovis scale, a concept used by dowsers and adherents of geomancy* Bovis Lend Lease, an international construction management company and subsidiary of Lend Lease Corporation...
needed to diversify internationally if the company was to survive after the boom was over. By 1990 Bovis
Bovis Lend Lease
Lend Lease Project Management & Construction is the international project management and construction division of Lend Lease Group.-History:...
had completed three substantial acquisitions in the US and in 1991 was able to win the Atlanta Olympic Games construction management contract.
There was also a highly successful series of acquisitions on the continent of Europe bringing major projects and Bovis
Bovis Lend Lease
Lend Lease Project Management & Construction is the international project management and construction division of Lend Lease Group.-History:...
also won EuroDisney outside Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, finished in 1992, and a huge shopping centre under Red Square
Red Square
Red Square is a city square in Moscow, Russia. The square separates the Kremlin, the former royal citadel and currently the official residence of the President of Russia, from a historic merchant quarter known as Kitai-gorod...
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
.
Additionally Sir Frank set up an operation in his former home town Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
and Bovis
Bovis Lend Lease
Lend Lease Project Management & Construction is the international project management and construction division of Lend Lease Group.-History:...
participated in several major Czech developments. And the Asian expansion of Bovis resulted in some notable wins, particularly the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
, then the tallest building in the world.
In 1999 Sir Frank oversaw the successful sale of Bovis
Bovis Lend Lease
Lend Lease Project Management & Construction is the international project management and construction division of Lend Lease Group.-History:...
to the Australian retail real estate group Lend Lease and then announced his retirement at the start of the new Millennium. However, he remained Life President of Bovis Lend Lease and travelled extensively to see Bovis
Bovis Lend Lease
Lend Lease Project Management & Construction is the international project management and construction division of Lend Lease Group.-History:...
projects around the world.
Sir Frank was well known in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and lived with his 2nd wife artist Wendy, dividing his time between his home in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's striking new Chelsea Bridge Wharf development and Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. He was knighted in the 1990 New Year’s Honours and was an ex-chancellor of Kingston University
Kingston University
Kingston University is a public research university located in Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, United Kingdom. It was originally founded in 1899 as Kingston Technical Institute, a polytechnic, and became a university in 1992....
as well as a holder of numerous honorary degrees.
Further reading
- Building Relationships, The History of Bovis 1885-2000, Peter Cooper, Cassell & Co (2000) ISBN 978-0-297-82533-3