William Castell
Encyclopedia
Sir William Castell LVO (born 10 April 1947) is Chairman of the Wellcome Trust
and a Director of General Electric
and BP
. He was CEO of Amersham plc
from 1989 until it was acquired by GE
in April 2004 and then became CEO of GE Healthcare
and a Vice-Chairman of GE
.
He was born on 10 April 1947 and educated at St. Dunstan's College and Cass Business School where he earned a BA. He qualified as an accountant
with Spicer and Pegler (1971-75) and then joined Wellcome plc as Financial Controller, Europe (1976-79) rising to MD Wellcome Biotech (1982-84) and Commercial Director (1984-89).
He was a non-executive Director of The General Electric Company (UK) which became Marconi plc 1997-2002, and was appointed a Non-Executive Director of BP
in 2006.
He joined the Board of Governors of the Wellcome Trust
as Chairman-designate on 1 January 2006, succeeding Sir Dominic Cadbury as Chairman in May 2006. Prior to joining Amersham, he held various positions with the Wellcome pharmaceutical company, which was then owned by the Wellcome Trust.
Alongside his business career he has been involved for many years in not-for-profit activities, including being a council member of the Medical Research Council
(2001-2004) and Chairman of the Prince's Trust (1998-2003). He is currently a trustee of the Natural History Museum
, a board member of the University of Michigan
's Institute of Life sciences, a board member of the National Bureau of Asian Research
, a Visiting Fellow at Green College, Oxford University, and an Honorary Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences
.
Wellcome Trust
The Wellcome Trust was established in 1936 as an independent charity funding research to improve human and animal health. With an endowment of around £13.9 billion, it is the United Kingdom's largest non-governmental source of funds for biomedical research...
and a Director of General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
and BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
. He was CEO of Amersham plc
Amersham plc
Amersham plc was a UK pharmaceutical company, specializing in medical diagnostics and life science products. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but was purchased by General Electric; it is now part of GE Healthcare.-History:The company had...
from 1989 until it was acquired by GE
Gê
Gê are the people who spoke Ge languages of the northern South American Caribbean coast and Brazil. In Brazil the Gê were found in Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Bahia, Piaui, Mato Grosso, Goias, Tocantins, Maranhão, and as far south as Paraguay....
in April 2004 and then became CEO of GE Healthcare
GE Healthcare
GE Healthcare is a division of GE Technology Infrastructure, which is itself a division of General Electric . It employs more than 46,000 people worldwide and is headquartered in Little Chalfont, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom. GE Healthcare is the first GE business segment to be headquartered...
and a Vice-Chairman of GE
Gê
Gê are the people who spoke Ge languages of the northern South American Caribbean coast and Brazil. In Brazil the Gê were found in Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Bahia, Piaui, Mato Grosso, Goias, Tocantins, Maranhão, and as far south as Paraguay....
.
He was born on 10 April 1947 and educated at St. Dunstan's College and Cass Business School where he earned a BA. He qualified as an accountant
Accountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...
with Spicer and Pegler (1971-75) and then joined Wellcome plc as Financial Controller, Europe (1976-79) rising to MD Wellcome Biotech (1982-84) and Commercial Director (1984-89).
He was a non-executive Director of The General Electric Company (UK) which became Marconi plc 1997-2002, and was appointed a Non-Executive Director of BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
in 2006.
He joined the Board of Governors of the Wellcome Trust
Wellcome Trust
The Wellcome Trust was established in 1936 as an independent charity funding research to improve human and animal health. With an endowment of around £13.9 billion, it is the United Kingdom's largest non-governmental source of funds for biomedical research...
as Chairman-designate on 1 January 2006, succeeding Sir Dominic Cadbury as Chairman in May 2006. Prior to joining Amersham, he held various positions with the Wellcome pharmaceutical company, which was then owned by the Wellcome Trust.
Alongside his business career he has been involved for many years in not-for-profit activities, including being a council member of the Medical Research Council
Medical Research Council (UK)
The Medical Research Council is a publicly-funded agency responsible for co-ordinating and funding medical research in the United Kingdom. It is one of seven Research Councils in the UK and is answerable to, although politically independent from, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills...
(2001-2004) and Chairman of the Prince's Trust (1998-2003). He is currently a trustee of the Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
, a board member of the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
's Institute of Life sciences, a board member of the National Bureau of Asian Research
National Bureau of Asian Research
The National Bureau of Asian Research is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research institution based in Seattle, Washington, with a branch office in Washington, D.C. The organization’s mission is to inform and strengthen Asia-Pacific policy...
, a Visiting Fellow at Green College, Oxford University, and an Honorary Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences
Academy of Medical Sciences
The Academy of Medical Sciences is the United Kingdom's national academy of medical sciences. It was established in 1998 on the recommendation of a group that was chaired by Michael Atiyah. Its president is John Irving Bell....
.
Sources
- Debrett's People of Today 2007 entry
- Wellcome Trust website