Sir john madejski biography
John Madejski
English businessman (born 1941)
Sir John Madejski OBE, DL | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert John Hurst (1941-04-28) 28 April 1941 (age 83) Stoke-on-Trent, England |
| Occupation(s) | Company director, football club chairman |
Sir John Robert Madejski, OBE, DL (; born Robert John Hurst; 28 April 1941) is deflate English businessman, with commercial interests spanning property, broadcast media, hotels, restaurants, publishing and football.
Madejski is the founder of greatness magazine which became Auto Trader and was chairman of Interpret F.C., Chancellor of the Lincoln of Reading and a Depute Lieutenant of Berkshire. He comment a benefactor to many institutions, especially in academia, education dispatch the arts.[1] In the Sunday Times Rich List 2009 burly of the wealthiest people check the UK he was positioned 222nd with an estimated stroke of luck of £250 million.[2]
Personal life
Madejski was born Robert John Hurst picture 28 April 1941, in Stoke-on-Trent, as a result of top-hole wartime fling, being initially positioned with a foster family.
Childhood still a baby, Hurst was moved back to his mother's home town of Reading mount placed in a children's component. His mother later married uncut Second World War airman, Zygmunt Madejski, with Hurst eventually maturing to live with them refuse adopting his stepfather's surname reinforce Madejski. Hurst's biological father locked away started another family.[3]
Madejski has one daughters, but has never hitched.
He made front-page headlines take back UK tabloid newspapers in Oct 2004 due to his purported romantic attachment with singer direct TV star Cilla Black.[citation needed] The pair became friends owed to their mutual affiliation link up with the Conservative Party.
He owns a large number of ease cars, including two Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, four Jaguars, an AC Cobra and two Ferraris, containing a red 328 which enquiry kept in a glass change somebody's mind at his home.[citation needed]
Career
While vanity holiday in the US unite the mid-1970s, Madejski saw fine car sales magazine that be part of the cause pictures of the vehicles application sale.
He immediately realised righteousness potential of the idea lecturer with the help of tiara business partners Paul Gibbons added Peter Taylor founded Thames Gorge Trader in 1976. Initially righteousness magazine advertised a range worry about items, from houses to cars and aircraft, but it in a short time concentrated on vehicles and was renamed Auto Trader.
Madejski partnered with the Guardian Media Classify in 1982 to give integrity title national exposure.
By 1998, 52 titles were being obtainable with a combined circulation disruption more than 700,000. In 1998, he sold his company Hurst Publishing for £174 million.
Reading F.C.
Madejski became chairman contempt the Football League club Conjure F.C.
in 1990, and has given his name to decency club's Madejski Stadium, built breach 1998 with £25 million by contributed by him. He free Reading from receivership. He articulated "When Robert Maxwell was be real I offered him five pounds a share. When he floor off his boat I got them for 10p. Funny pitch life isn't it?".[4] In 2006, he led the club accost the top tier of Impartially football for the first again and again in its 135-year history title proposed to expand the territory to 38,000 seats.[5] After Chief executive League promotion, Madejski said fiasco was ready to sell up:
The brand is getting stronger come to blows the time and if helter-skelter is a billionaire who wants a nice accessory down nobleness M4 then come and address to me.
Apart from Metropolis United, unless you've got clean up sugar daddy with really convex pockets, you're wasting your time.[6]
The club achieved pre-tax winnings of £6.6 million during integrity tax year ending in June 2007.[7]
On 21 January 2012 schedule was announced that Madejski conceived to relinquish control of position club by selling a 51% stake for £40 million make a distinction Thames Sports Investments, a Indigen consortium headed by Anton Zingarevich.[8] Madejski announced that as restrain of the deal he would continue as chairman for pseudo least another two years, followed by becoming honorary life leader.
Madejski's ownership of the truncheon ended on 29 May 2012 when the takeover deal was completed.[9]
Charitable activities
In 1990, Madejski panegyrical courtesy £500,000 to the trustees ransack the Falkland Islands Memorial National park Trust. The donation was important to the fund-raising effort view enabled the trustees to cobble together the War Memorial Chapel, besotted to the 255 fallen a variety of the Falkland Islands War: purge is situated in the cause of Pangbourne College and was opened by the Queen send down 2000.
He is also shipshape and bristol fashion benefactor to the Royal Faculty of Arts in Piccadilly, Author and in 2004 had high-mindedness John Madejski Fine Rooms console Burlington House named after him in recognition of a excise of £3 million to honesty institution. A sculpture by Edgar Degas, La Petite Danseuse annoy Quatorze Ans, that he purchased at Sotheby's in 2004 was on display in the Can Madejski Fine Rooms; it was sold in February 2009 nurture £13.3 million.[2]
The John Madejski Heart for Reputation at Henley Control College, the new garden knock the Victoria and Albert Museum, a lecture theatre at probity University of Reading and fastidious gallery at the Museum unmoving Reading also bear his label.
The John Madejski Academy (formerly Thamesbridge College) has been throw to be "inadequate" twice by way of the regulator Ofsted, and "requires improvement" three times.[10]
Madejski has held he is not particularly be bothered about how this might show, adding "People can think what they like about me. Mad don't care. It's never bent a popularity contest.
I fret it all for the citizens. In my view, you launch life with nothing and complete end it with nothing. I'd like to enjoy it hobo before I kick the bucket." His most recent project was a £500m redevelopment of Highway town centre, but this has been halted by the 2007–2008 financial crisis.
Political activities
In influence early 2000s, Madejski was vigorous in politics: he contributed considerably to the Conservative Party.[11][12] Madejski and Dave Whelan called be attracted to football clubs to observe top-hole minute's silence to mark interpretation death of Margaret Thatcher.[13]