John H Ritblat
Sir John Ritblat, Honorary President at The British Land Company PLC at the FT Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award 2011 Date=2011-11-03 20:40; Creative Commons License
John Henry Ritblat (born 3 October 1935) is a British business man and philanthropist.
Contents
Personal life
Ritblat is married to Jill Ritblat (formerly Jill Zilkha, a former barrister and a patron of the arts) , his second wife:
- his first wife died in a bizarre accident, when she fell out of his executive jet as it was coming in to land. Seven years later, in 1986, he married Jill [Zilkha], a well-known collector of contemporary art. Since then he - and British Land - have been active on the contemporary art scene.[1]
Business career
- Ritblat, the son of a Hampstead dentist, started work for Edward Erdman, the estate agent who trained several generations of developers, and went on to learn at the feet of another famous figure, the late Sir Max Joseph, founder of Grand Metropolitan. For 10 years, he and another future developer, Neville Conrad, ran a highly successful agency of their own. Ritblat took control of a small company, Union Property, which he reversed into British Land in 1970. In building it up to its present size as one of Britain's top half dozen property groups, Ritblat has earned himself respect and dislike in equal measure.[1]
Science policy and communication
Ritblat has been involved in science policy and communication. He was a governor of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel from 1991 to at least 2005 and also a Vice President of Weizmann UK the UK fundraising arm of the Institute. He was made a Life Fellow of the Royal Institution in 2001 and joined its Council in 2002, a position he still holds in 2013. He has fnancially supported the Science Media Centre via dpnations from British Land and the JH Ritblat Charitable Trust UK. The SMC was set up inside the RI in 2002 and it noted on its website that'Refurbishment costs were met by a generous donation from John Ritblat. In recognition of this vital support, the main office of the Science Media Centre has been named the John Ritblat room.'[2] [3]
Business appointments
- 1952-58 West End firm of surveyors and valuers[4]
- Appointed Non-executive director of Fitzhardinge on 15 June 2001.
- 1958- Founder, senior partner and chairman of Conrad Ritblat and Co. [4]
- 1970-2006, chairman British Land(md 1970-2004, hon pres 2007-)[4]
- Member of the Audit committee of Colliers CRE
- Chairman of the board Milner Estates
- 1969, md Union Property Holdings (London) Ltd;[4]
- 1997- chm Milner Estates plc;[4]
Higher education, science and philanthropic roles
- Honorary fellow and Deputy Chairman of the board of governors of the London Business School (chairman 2006 -)[4]
- Honorary fellow and Deputy Chairman Royal Academy of Music (Governing body 1998-)[4]
- Life Fellow Royal Institution, 2001; Member of Council, 2002-[4]
- Trustee of JH Ritblat Charitable Trust | John and Isabel Ritblat Education Trust(a 'linked charity' with Weizmann UK [5] | The Sir John Ritblat Family Foundation (formerly known as The John Ritblat Charitable Trust No 1 (31 March 1971 - to date) | The John Ritblat Charitable Trust No 2 (3 June 1971-11 August 1997 CEASED TO EXIST)
- 1969 Commissioner Crown Estate Paving Cmmn;[4]
- 1991-2008 (at least) Board of Governors The Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel;[4][6][7]<ref>Weizmann Institute of Science Board of governors december 2008.
- 1978-2001 sole sponsor British National Skiing Championships;
- 1979, hon surveyor King George's Fund for Sailors[4]
- memb Cncl RGS 1984 (life memb 1982),
- pres British Ski Federation 1994- (vice-pres 1984-89),
- memb: Prince of Wales' Royal Parks Tree Appeal Ctee, [4]
- Fin Devpt Bd NSPCC,
- 1995, British Library Board; [4]
- dep chm and govr Hall School,
- hon life FRSA,
- FSVA 1968,
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Nicholas Faith Who is king of the castle?: As technocrats and fund managers move in on the commercial property front, the last few individualists are fighting for a leading role in the future shape of London. Deal-maker John Ritblat, is taking on developer Stuart Lipton, whose visions have included projects like the City's Broadgate. on two ways to build an empire, Independent on Sunday, SUNDAY 27 FEBRUARY 1994
- ↑ Science Media Centre About Us: funding System, to date March 2002, accessed from the Internet Archive of 26 July 2002
- ↑ Science Media Centre About Us: Funding To date January 2011, Accessed in the Internet Archive of 11 May 2011.
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 Debrett's People of Today Sir John Ritblat Authorised biography, Accessed 2 august 2013
- ↑ Data from the Charity Commission website http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/find-charities/
- ↑ Weizmann Institute of Science The Board of Governors, 2005
- ↑ Richard Northedge 'Ritblat casts off from British Land Shareholders gave him a standing ovation when they heard of his departure from the pounds 18bn FTSE100 company. Hardly surprising - after 36 years at the helm, Sir John Ritblat is the grand old man of British property' The Sunday Telegraph (LONDON) July 16, 2006 Sunday, City Profile; Pg. 7
