Sir Peter Fenwick Holmes MC (27 September 1932 – 8 March 2002) was a British businessman who was the chairman of Shell Transport and Trading from 1985 to 1993 and chairman of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group from 1992 to 1993.[1]
Sir Peter Fenwick Holmes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 27 September 1932 Athens, Greece |
| Died | 8 March 2002 (aged 69) Wiltshire, England |
| Education | Malvern College Trinity College, Cambridge |
| Spouses | Judith Millicent Walker
(m. 1955; div. 1999)Mary Lois Snead (m. 1999) |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | .svg){kind=small} United Kingdom |
| Service |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1950–1952 |
| Rank | Second Lieutenant |
| Unit | Royal Leicestershire Regiment |
| Battles / wars | Korean War |
Early life
editHolmes was born in Athens, and lived in Hungary for a time, as his father had a company there, and his mother was American. His grandfather and great grandfather lived in Turkey, where they worked for the Levant consular service.[1]
Holmes was educated at Malvern College, and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he earned a bachelor's degree in history in 1955.[1]
While a university student, he served in the Royal Leicestershire Regiment during the Korean War, where he won the Military Cross in 1952.[1]
Career
editAfter earning his degree, Holmes spent some time on an expedition to the Himalayas, then he was hired by Shell UK in 1956. He worked during four years before going back to the mountains.[1]
He then held positions for Shell in various countries, including Sudan, Libya (when Muammar Gaddafi came to power), Dubai, Turkey and Nigeria (1977).[1]
He was appointed chairman of Shell Transport and Trading Company in 1985. During his tenure, he quickly faced a sharp drop in oil prices from $30 to $10 a barrel.
He also had to deal with angry protests against the company because of its presence in South Africa, country overwhelmed by apartheid problems. He came to terms with the African National Congress, and helped fund a training scheme to prepare ANC executives for government. Nelson Mandela even thanked him when he was released from jail.[1]
He became chairman of the committee of managing directors of the Royal Dutch Shell Group in 1992 and stepped off in 1993, leaving the chair to Cor Herkströter.
Retirement
editWhen Holmes retired in 1993, instead of continuing as a non-executive director in the boards of large corporations, he became president of the Hakluyt Foundation, a new office in charge of providing intelligence for big companies. He thus went back to some adventure, but missed being killed in a light plane crash in Zambia.[1]
Personal life
editAfter graduating in 1955, Holmes made the second ascent, with Trevor Braham, of 6,303 metres (20,679 ft) Chau Chau Kang Nilda, from the barren plateau of Spiti.[2][3][4] There were other mountaineering achievements during the two year visit to the Himalayas with his wife Judy, who was also a mountaineer.[1][5][6]
They had three daughters and remained married until 1999. He entered into a second marriage with Mary Snead, an old American friend. He died of leukemia in March 2002 at the age of 69.[1]
Writing
editHolmes wrote under the name Peter Fenwick, a truncation of his full name.[7][8] His publications included Mountains and a monastery (1958), Nigeria, giant of Africa (1985), Turkey, a timeless bridge (1988), Türkye (1988).[8]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Sampson, Anthony (15 March 2002). "Obituary: Sir Peter Holmes | Business". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
- ^ Braham, Trevor (1956). "Cambridge University Expedition to Spiti, 1955" (PDF). Alpine Journal. 61. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ "Spiti 1955". MEF – Mount Everest Foundation. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
- ^ Kapadia, Harish (1989). "Unknown Spiti: The Middle Country" (PDF). Alpine Journal. #31 (63): 52–56. ISBN 9780930410391. ISSN 0065-6569. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ Holmes, P.F. (1957). "Expeditions to the Ratang and Parbati Regions, 1955 and 1956". Himalayan Journal. #20, pp 78-86. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ "Ratang Himalayan 1956". MEF – Mount Everest Foundation. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
- ^ Joseph F. Clarke (1977). Pseudonyms. BCA. p. 61.
- ^ a b "Worldcat". Retrieved 7 January 2023.
External links
edit- "Sir Peter Holmes". www.telegraph.co.uk. 12 March 2002. Retrieved 8 January 2023.