John Egan (industrialist)
Encyclopedia
Sir John Egan is a notable British
industrialist, associated with businesses in the automotive, airports, construction and water industries. He was chief executive of Jaguar Cars from 1984 to 1990, and then served as chief executive of BAA from 1990 to 1999. He is also notable for chairing the construction industry task force that produced the 1998 Egan Report
(Rethinking Construction) and the follow-up report, Accelerating Change, in 2002. In 2004, after completing two years as president of the Confederation of British Industry
, he was appointed chairman of Severn Trent
. He was knighted in the Queen's Birthday Honours
list in June 1986.
, the son of a garage owner and went to Bablake School
. He studied petroleum engineering
at Imperial College London
and subsequently joined Shell
in the Middle East
. After further studies, this time at London Business School
, he moved to AC Delco
and then British Leyland where he played a part in boosting the fortunes of its Unipart
business.
After a four-year spell with Massey Ferguson
, Egan was appointed chairman of Jaguar Cars in 1980 successfully turning round what had been a struggling business. A carmaker worth £300m when he took over was sold a decade later for £1.6bn to Ford
. After ten years with the manufacturer, he left Jaguar and became chairman of BAA.
Egan then assumed a variety of non-executive business roles and served as president of the CBI from 2002 to 2004, when he then took on the chairmanship of Midlands water service provider Severn Trent.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
industrialist, associated with businesses in the automotive, airports, construction and water industries. He was chief executive of Jaguar Cars from 1984 to 1990, and then served as chief executive of BAA from 1990 to 1999. He is also notable for chairing the construction industry task force that produced the 1998 Egan Report
Egan Report
The Egan Report, titled Rethinking Construction, was an influential report on the UK construction industry produced by an industry task force chaired by Sir John Egan, published in November 1998...
(Rethinking Construction) and the follow-up report, Accelerating Change, in 2002. In 2004, after completing two years as president of the Confederation of British Industry
Confederation of British Industry
The Confederation of British Industry is a British not for profit organisation incorporated by Royal charter which promotes the interests of its members, some 200,000 British businesses, a figure which includes some 80% of FTSE 100 companies and around 50% of FTSE 350 companies.-Role:The CBI works...
, he was appointed chairman of Severn Trent
Severn Trent
Severn Trent plc is a British public utility. It is traded on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.Severn Trent is a group of companies employing more than 15,000 people across the UK, US and mainland Europe, with some involvement in the Middle East.The main...
. He was knighted in the Queen's Birthday Honours
Queen's Birthday Honours
The Queen's Birthday Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the celebration of the Queen's Official Birthday in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen...
list in June 1986.
Career
John Egan was born in CoventryCoventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
, the son of a garage owner and went to Bablake School
Bablake School
Bablake School is a co-educational Independent school located in Coventry, England and founded in 1344 by Queen Isabella, making it one of the oldest schools in the United Kingdom...
. He studied petroleum engineering
Petroleum engineering
Petroleum engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the activities related to the production of hydrocarbons, which can be either crude oil or natural gas. Subsurface activities are deemed to fall within the upstream sector of the oil and gas industry, which are the activities of...
at Imperial College London
Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
and subsequently joined Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
in the 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...
. After further studies, this time at London Business School
London Business School
London Business School is an international business school and a constituent college of the federal University of London, located in central London, beside Regent's Park...
, he moved to AC Delco
Delco Electronics
Delco Electronics Corporation was the automotive electronics design and manufacturing subsidiary of General Motors based in Kokomo, Indiana.The name Delco came from the Dayton Engineering Laboratories Co., founded in Dayton, Ohio by Charles Kettering and Edward A...
and then British Leyland where he played a part in boosting the fortunes of its Unipart
Unipart
Unipart Group is a multinational logisitics, supply chain, and consultancy company headquartered in Cowley, United Kingdom. It has operations in Europe, North America, Australia and Japan and works across a variety of sectors that include automotive, rail, marine and leisure...
business.
After a four-year spell with Massey Ferguson
Massey Ferguson
Massey Ferguson Limited was a major agricultural equipment manufacturer which was based in Canada before its purchase by AGCO. The company was formed by a merger between Massey Harris and the Ferguson tractor company in 1953, creating the company Massey Harris Ferguson. However in 1958 the name was...
, Egan was appointed chairman of Jaguar Cars in 1980 successfully turning round what had been a struggling business. A carmaker worth £300m when he took over was sold a decade later for £1.6bn to Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
. After ten years with the manufacturer, he left Jaguar and became chairman of BAA.
Egan then assumed a variety of non-executive business roles and served as president of the CBI from 2002 to 2004, when he then took on the chairmanship of Midlands water service provider Severn Trent.
Roles
His other industry roles include:- non-executive chairman of motor distributor Inchcape plcInchcape plcInchcape plc is a multinational automotive retail and services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It has operations in 26 countries across Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe and South America....
- non-executive chairman of Harrison Lovegrove
- chairman, Asite Ltd (2001–2004)
- president, Confederation of British IndustryConfederation of British IndustryThe Confederation of British Industry is a British not for profit organisation incorporated by Royal charter which promotes the interests of its members, some 200,000 British businesses, a figure which includes some 80% of FTSE 100 companies and around 50% of FTSE 350 companies.-Role:The CBI works...
(2002–2004) - chairman Central London Partnership
- president, London Tourist Board
- deputy chairman of London First
- vice-president, Marketing Council
- member of Council, Institute of DirectorsInstitute of DirectorsThe Institute of Directors is a UK-based organisation, established in 1903 and incorporated by royal charter in 1906 to support, represent and set standards for company directors...
- president Institute of Management
- Chancellor, Coventry UniversityCoventry UniversityCoventry University is a post-1992 university in Coventry, West Midlands, England. Under the terms of the Further and Higher Education Act of 1992, the institution's name was changed from Coventry Polytechnic to Coventry University...
Honours
Honours include:- Bicentenary Medal of the Royal Society of ArtsBicentenary Medal of the Royal Society of ArtsThe Bicentenary Medal of the Royal Society of Arts is awarded to "a person who, in a manner other than as an industrial designer, has applied art and design in great effect as instruments of civic innovation", as long as the winner is not already "bedecked with medals"...
, 1995 - Honorary doctorate, Brunel UniversityBrunel UniversityBrunel University is a public research university located in Uxbridge, London, United Kingdom. The university is named after the Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel....
, 1997 - Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Warwickshire