Keith Mills
Encyclopedia
Sir Keith Mills DL
(born 15 May 1950, Brentwood) is an English
entrepreneur who was knighted in the 2006 New Year Honours
in recognition of his services to sport.
on Hanging Hill Lane in Hutton
, Brentwood.
at the age of fifteen as a copy assistant and then at the Financial Times and Investors Chronicle
, where he was responsible for their marketing programmes. From there he moved into advertising in London. In 1981, he led a management buyout
of the London office of the New York-based company Nadler & Larimer, becoming the chief executive. In 1985 he found Mills, Smith & Partners.
He is also a non-executive director at Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.
petrol stations.
was set up in 1988 when Sir Keith started the Loyalty Management Group, then known as Air Miles International Group BV. He had the idea in 1987 when working at his advertising agency, which had Shell and British Caledonian
as clients who were looking to make the most of their customer base without devaluing the image of the products. People would buy Air Miles from Shell petrol to use on British Caledonian. He approached British Airways
and they liked the idea. He then sold similar ideas to in the USA and Canada, moving to the USA in 1990. In 1993, the US Air Miles system collapsed, costing him £15m. In 1994, his 49% sharehold of the scheme was sold to British Airways, although he still retains the intellectual property
rights.
in 2002. In December 2007, the company was sold for £350m to the Canadian company Aeroplan
, in which he had 46% of sharehold, netting £160m.
selected as host for the 2012 Summer Olympics
. He is now Deputy Chairman of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games
As a direct result of this and the following actions Sir Keith is the moving force behind the website http://www.couttsaigactiongroup.org/
. He enjoys sailing; in 1999 he was member of a team captained by Alex Thomson
that won the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. He founded Team Origin
in 2007.
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
(born 15 May 1950, Brentwood) is an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
entrepreneur who was knighted in the 2006 New Year Honours
New Year Honours 2006
The New Year Honours 2006 for the Commonwealth realms were announced on 31 December 2005, to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 2006....
in recognition of his services to sport.
Early life
He attended Brentwood St Martin's County Secondary School for BoysSt Martin's School
St Martin's School is a comprehensive school in Hutton, Brentwood.St. Martin's is a co-educational, comprehensive, foundation school for pupils aged 11 to 19 years. In 2000 the DfES designated St. Martin's as a national beacon school of excellence and in 2005 the DfES designated St...
on Hanging Hill Lane in Hutton
Hutton, Essex
Hutton is a former country village in south Essex. Today, it acts more as a commuter suburb of Brentwood. It has good links to Central London via Shenfield train station which is just from Hutton...
, Brentwood.
Career
Mills worked for over twenty years in marketing and advertising. Having left school with no qualifications, he started with The EconomistThe Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
at the age of fifteen as a copy assistant and then at the Financial Times and Investors Chronicle
Investors Chronicle
The Investors Chronicle is a weekly magazine in the United Kingdom for private investors and is published by the Financial Times Group. The magazine publishes articles about global markets and sectors, and news on corporate actions such as takeovers and share issues...
, where he was responsible for their marketing programmes. From there he moved into advertising in London. In 1981, he led a management buyout
Management buyout
A management buyout is a form of acquisition where a company's existing managers acquire a large part or all of the company.- Overview :Management buyouts are similar in all major legal aspects to any other acquisition of a company...
of the London office of the New York-based company Nadler & Larimer, becoming the chief executive. In 1985 he found Mills, Smith & Partners.
He is also a non-executive director at Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.
Loyalty cards
Sir Keith is chiefly known for inventing the Air Miles (in 1988) and Nectar Card (in 2002) loyalty card schemes. It diversified into other types of product, also being used by ShellRoyal 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...
petrol stations.
Air Miles
Air MilesAir Miles
Air Miles is the name of separately operated loyalty programs in Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain , the Netherlands and the Middle East, through which points are earned on purchases at participating merchants.-History:...
was set up in 1988 when Sir Keith started the Loyalty Management Group, then known as Air Miles International Group BV. He had the idea in 1987 when working at his advertising agency, which had Shell and British Caledonian
British Caledonian
British Caledonian was a private, British independentindependent from government-owned corporations airline, operating out of Gatwick Airport in the 1970s and 1980s...
as clients who were looking to make the most of their customer base without devaluing the image of the products. People would buy Air Miles from Shell petrol to use on British Caledonian. He approached British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
and they liked the idea. He then sold similar ideas to in the USA and Canada, moving to the USA in 1990. In 1993, the US Air Miles system collapsed, costing him £15m. In 1994, his 49% sharehold of the scheme was sold to British Airways, although he still retains the intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
rights.
Nectar Card
Loyalty Management UK was started in 2001, which produced the Nectar CardNectar loyalty card
Nectar is a loyalty card scheme in the United Kingdom comprising partner companies including the supermarket chain Sainsbury's, American Express, and BP. A separate Nectar program operates in Italy....
in 2002. In December 2007, the company was sold for £350m to the Canadian company Aeroplan
Aeroplan
Aeroplan is a Montreal, Quebec, Canada based coalition loyalty program owned by Aimia , a global leader in loyalty management. The Aeroplan Program was created in July 1984 by Air Canada as an incentive program for its frequent flyer customers...
, in which he had 46% of sharehold, netting £160m.
Olympics
From September 2003, he became Chief Executive and International President of the London 2012 campaign which saw LondonLondon
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...
selected as host for the 2012 Summer Olympics
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
. He is now Deputy Chairman of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games
London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games
The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games is a limited company, owned by the Government of the United Kingdom, that will oversee the planning and development of the 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. After the successful London 2012 Olympic bid, LOCOG was...
Coutts AIG action
The same month that Loyalty Management UK was sold, Sir Keith bought £73m of the "enhanced fund" version of AIG Life "premier bonds" on the advice of Coutts, the private bank owned by Royal Bank of Scotland. Coutts recommended to Sir Keith that he place his money in AIG Life Premier Bonds as a way of protecting his capital. They also said it would be a safe alternative to bank deposits and would earn a slightly better interest rate. Coutts said Sir Keith's money would be safe, as AIG was the largest insurance company in the world, AA rated, and that the bonds would provide instant access to his money, just like a deposit account. Later, given the negative press reports about the future of AIG, Sir Keith queried Coutts, in writing, the safety of keeping his money with AIG. Coutts replied that they did not have concerns about these bonds, so Sir Keith retained them. AIG Life is a UK subsidiary of American International Group, the US insurer rescued by the US Federal Reserve on September 16 2008.As a direct result of this and the following actions Sir Keith is the moving force behind the website http://www.couttsaigactiongroup.org/
Personal life
He married Maureen in 1974, has two children and lives near Tunbridge Wells in KentKent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. He enjoys sailing; in 1999 he was member of a team captained by Alex Thomson
Alex Thomson (sailor)
Alex Thomson is a British yachter.Alex Thomson was helped early in his sailing career by Sir Keith Mills, the British businessman who ran London's victorious bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and set up with British America’s Cup campaign TEAMORIGIN...
that won the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. He founded Team Origin
Team Origin
Team Origin is Great Britain's bid to compete in the 33rd and 34th America's Cups. The syndicate was founded by Sir Keith Mills, the man behind London's successful 2012 Olympic bid...
in 2007.