Sir John Michael Leal Uren OBE (1 September 1923 – 9 August 2019) was a British businessman. He served as the chairman of Civil & Marine from 1955 to 2006. He donated GBP £40 million to his alma mater, Imperial College London, becoming the most generous benefactor in the College’s history.[1]
Sir Michael Uren | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | John Michael Leal Uren 1 September 1923 |
| Died | 9 August 2019 (aged 95) |
| Education | Sherborne School,Imperial College London |
| Alma mater | Sherborne School,Imperial College London |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, philanthropist |
Early life
editMichael Uren was born on 1 September 1923.[2] He was educated at Sherborne School and Imperial College London, from which he graduated in 1943 with a BSc in Mechanical Engineering and Motive Power.[1]
Career
editUren founded Civil & Marine, a manufacturer of ground granulated blast-furnace slag, in 1955.[3] In the 80’s his company developed the technology that allowed them to make high-quality cement from blast-furnace slag, a waste product of the steel industry.[2] Uren and his business partner John Hobbins turned this invention into a profitable business.[2]
He served as its Chairman until he sold it for GBP£245 million in 2006 to the Hanson Group.[4][3]
As of 2015, he was worth an estimated GBP£170 million.[4]
Philanthropy
edit
Uren served as the chairman of the Royal London Society for the Blind.[3]
Uren donated GBP £30 million to the King Edward VII's Hospital Sister Agnes in 2013.[5] In 2014, he also donated GBP£40 million to his alma mater, Imperial College London,[4][1] to fund the creation of the College's new "Bio-Medical Engineering Research Centre" in White City, London, which he envisioned as becoming a cornerstone for "a new Silicon Valley" of biotechnology.[6]
Honours
editUren was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1999[3] and was knighted in the 2016 New Year Honours for philanthropic services.[7][8]
Death
editHe died on 9 August 2019 at the age of 95.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c Evanson, Deborah (10 September 2018). "Sir Michael Uren: 1923 – 2019". Imperial College London. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Sir Michael Uren obituary". The Sunday Times. 8 October 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Company Overview of Civil and Marine (Holdings) Limited: Mike Uren OBE". Bloomberg Business. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
- ^ a b c "Sunday Times Rich List". The Sunday Times. No. 73. 26 April 2015.
- ^ "A gift fit for a Queen". Health Service Journal. 4 December 2013. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
- ^ "Sir Michael Uren, engineer who poured vast sums into charitable projects from a fortune built on recycling steel-industry slag – obituary". The Daily Telegraph. 17 September 2019. Archived from the original on 31 May 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
- ^ "No. 61450". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2015. p. N2.
- ^ "New Year's Honours 2016 list" (PDF). GOV.UK. 30 December 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2015.