Tony Murray | |
|---|---|
|
Chairman, London Security plc Chairman, Andrew Sykes Group plc | |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Gaston Jacques Kalifa 8 February 1920 Paris, France |
| Died | 6 June 2023 (aged 103) |
| Nationality | British |
| Children | 2 |
| Occupation | Businessman |
Jacques Gaston Murray (born Gaston Jacques Kalifa; 8 February 1920 – 6 June 2023) was a French-born British billionaire businessman.[1]
Murray owned Andrew Sykes Group, the heating and air-conditioning equipment hire company, and London Security, the Leeds-based fire protection business which includes the Nu-Swift fire extinguisher brand.[2]
According to The Sunday Times Rich List 2022,[3] his net worth was estimated at £2.53 billion.
Early life[]
Tony Murray was born in Paris, France on 8 February 1920 and was originally named Gaston Jacques Kalifa. His father ran a construction company that worked on infrastructure projects such as bridges.[4] He was accepted to study architecture at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris before the outbreak of World War II.[4] He escaped from Paris at the time of the German invasion of France and reached Biarritz where he boarded a Polish ship which took him to England. He enlisted in the Free French forces and eventually transferred to the Royal Air Force (RAF). He flew 38 missions as a navigator in No. 613 Squadron RAF.[5][4] He received British citizenship after the war.[6]
His father was murdered in Auschwitz. He was awarded the Legion of Honour by the French government.[7]
Career[]
In 1982, Murray bought Nu-Swift, a Leeds manufacturer of fire extinguishers then in difficulties, with the businessman Michael Ashcroft. Murray later "became irritated" by Ashcroft getting too much of the credit for turning round the company.[8]
Personal life and death[]
His sons, Jean-Jacques Murray and Jean‑Pierre Murray are both directors of London Security, the latter being non-executive.[9]
Murray turned 100 in February 2020,[10] and died on 6 June 2023, at the age of 103.[11]
References[]
- ↑ "Un Français Libre parmi 51809" (in French). http://www.francaislibres.net/liste/fiche.php?index=87147.
- ↑ "New billionaire on Yorkshire Rich List | Insider Media Ltd". Insider Media. 24 April 2015. http://www.insidermedia.com/insider/yorkshire/138236-new-billionaire-yorkshire-rich-list/.
- ↑ "The Sunday Times Rich List 2022". https://www.thetimes.co.uk/sunday-times-rich-list.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Wood, Martin (24 August 1998). "Murray's made mint without meaning to; French war hero turned international takeover tycoon really wanted a farm". The Birmingham Post. http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Murray%27s+made+mint+without+meaning+to%3B+French+war+hero+turned...-a060770475.
- ↑ "Rich List 2015: No.3 - Jacques Gaston Murray & family". 22 January 2015. http://www.birminghampost.co.uk/business/manufacturing/rich-list-2015-no3---8479568.
- ↑ Zhuravlyova, Sonia (11 May 2020). "He escaped Nazi-occupied Paris, flew for RAF - and is on the Rich List aged 100". The Jewish Chronicle. https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/he-escaped-nazi-occupied-paris-flew-for-raf-and-at-100-is-on-the-rich-list-1.499644.
- ↑ "Birmingham Post Rich List 2014: No.4 - Jacques Gaston Murray and family (£850m)". 23 January 2014. http://www.birminghampost.co.uk/business/manufacturing/birmingham-post-rich-list-2014-6530700.
- ↑ "Movers and shakers among the contacts and business buddies". 17 July 1999. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/1999/jul/17/thatcher.uk1.
- ↑ "London Security PLC". http://www.londonsecurity.org/about_board.php.
- ↑ Stockwatch: Keep backing this 100-year-old chairman
- ↑ Susin, Michael (8 June 2023). "Andrews Sykes, London Security Chairman Jacques-Gaston Murray Dies Aged 103". MarketWatch. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/andrews-sykes-london-security-chairman-jacques-gaston-murray-dies-aged-103-fab5f31d.
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