Sir Christopher Lewinton (6 January 1932 – 1 October 2023) was a British-American businessman.
Early life and education
Lewinton was born in Kentish Town, London, to Joseph and Elizabeth Lewinton. [1] During World War II, the family, including his sister Pamela, relocated to West London. [1] He attended Acton Technical College, focusing on maths and physics, and was a member of the Hayes Cricket Club. [1] [2]
In 1957, he married Jennifer Alcock and had two sons before their divorce in 1973. [1] [2] He later married Louise Head in 1979, becoming stepfather to her two children. [1] [2]
Career
Lewinton started his career at Graviner, an engineering firm in Buckinghamshire that specialized in fire protection equipment for aircraft. [1] While there, he pursued a Higher National Diploma in mechanical engineering. [1] Lewinton served as a lieutenant in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, with a posting in Egypt in 1953. [1]
Subsequent to his military service, Lewinton joined Wilkinson Sword. [1] He was tasked by Wilkinson Sword to oversee their disposable razor operation in the United States, leading to the establishment of a facility in New Jersey. [1] During this tenure, he worked with sports agent Mark McCormack, which led to Wilkinson sponsoring athletes such as Arnold Palmer and Bjorn Borg. [1] He also served on the advisory board of McCormack's firm, IMG, from 1975 to 1995. [1]
In 1970, Lewinton was appointed chief executive officer (CEO) of Wilkinson Sword Group. Under his leadership, the company expanded its turnover from £30 million to £600 million. [1] After Wilkinson's 1985 merger with Allegheny, Lewinton became TI's chief executive. [1] [3] He was knighted in 1993 for contributions to engineering. After Smiths Industries acquired TI in 2000, he took retirement. [4] [5] [6] Later, he established CL Partners, managing various business initiatives, including a directorship at Camper and Nicholsons Marina Investments. [1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Sir Christopher Lewinton obituary". 21 October 2023 – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
- ^ a b c Obituaries, Telegraph (12 October 2023). "Sir Christopher Lewinton, charismatic executive who increased tenfold the value of the engineering group TI – obituary" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
- ^ "BUSINESS PEOPLE; TI Group Chief Comes From Wilkinson Sword". 14 July 1986 – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ "Lewinton retires with £2.3m cash". The Telegraph. 24 October 2000.
- ^ Macalister, Terry (12 October 2000). "TI chairman to retire early with £3m" – via The Guardian.
- ^ Shah, Saeed (12 October 2000). "Lewinton forced to give up Smiths chairmanship". The Independent. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
Sir Christopher Lewinton (6 January 1932 – 1 October 2023) was a British-American businessman.
Early life and education
Lewinton was born in Kentish Town, London, to Joseph and Elizabeth Lewinton. [1] During World War II, the family, including his sister Pamela, relocated to West London. [1] He attended Acton Technical College, focusing on maths and physics, and was a member of the Hayes Cricket Club. [1] [2]
In 1957, he married Jennifer Alcock and had two sons before their divorce in 1973. [1] [2] He later married Louise Head in 1979, becoming stepfather to her two children. [1] [2]
Career
Lewinton started his career at Graviner, an engineering firm in Buckinghamshire that specialized in fire protection equipment for aircraft. [1] While there, he pursued a Higher National Diploma in mechanical engineering. [1] Lewinton served as a lieutenant in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, with a posting in Egypt in 1953. [1]
Subsequent to his military service, Lewinton joined Wilkinson Sword. [1] He was tasked by Wilkinson Sword to oversee their disposable razor operation in the United States, leading to the establishment of a facility in New Jersey. [1] During this tenure, he worked with sports agent Mark McCormack, which led to Wilkinson sponsoring athletes such as Arnold Palmer and Bjorn Borg. [1] He also served on the advisory board of McCormack's firm, IMG, from 1975 to 1995. [1]
In 1970, Lewinton was appointed chief executive officer (CEO) of Wilkinson Sword Group. Under his leadership, the company expanded its turnover from £30 million to £600 million. [1] After Wilkinson's 1985 merger with Allegheny, Lewinton became TI's chief executive. [1] [3] He was knighted in 1993 for contributions to engineering. After Smiths Industries acquired TI in 2000, he took retirement. [4] [5] [6] Later, he established CL Partners, managing various business initiatives, including a directorship at Camper and Nicholsons Marina Investments. [1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Sir Christopher Lewinton obituary". 21 October 2023 – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
- ^ a b c Obituaries, Telegraph (12 October 2023). "Sir Christopher Lewinton, charismatic executive who increased tenfold the value of the engineering group TI – obituary" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
- ^ "BUSINESS PEOPLE; TI Group Chief Comes From Wilkinson Sword". 14 July 1986 – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ "Lewinton retires with £2.3m cash". The Telegraph. 24 October 2000.
- ^ Macalister, Terry (12 October 2000). "TI chairman to retire early with £3m" – via The Guardian.
- ^ Shah, Saeed (12 October 2000). "Lewinton forced to give up Smiths chairmanship". The Independent. Retrieved 21 October 2023.