Harold Musgrove
Encyclopedia
Harold Musgrove served as Chair of the Austin Rover Group
from 1982 until 1986. He was replaced by Graham Day
at the helm. During his time at Austin Morris he oversaw the sacking of Derek Robinson and the strike that followed. He also oversaw the introduction of the Maestro and Triumph Bounty; both were models that had limited success. His time was riddled with industrial relations problems much of which was considered to be provoked by heavy-handed management techniques.
Much of the controversy engendered by Musgrove during his tenure is attributed to hubris; however, some of his decisions did little (if anything) to endear employees. Such actions include his underhanded efforts to eliminate the Mini
and his decision to fire Director of Design David Bache
. Musgrove came up through the manufacturing ranks but lacked real commercial knowledge, at times using nostalgia as a reason for driving product plans forward—one such idea was to bring back the Austin of England brand as a way of dynamising the company.
Musgrove would later go on to join the National Health Service
in 1991 as chair of West Midlands Ambulance Service, before moving to Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham to manage the controversial merger with Solihull Hospital. He was linked with the new hospital in Worcester and the controversial semi-closure of Kidderminster General Hospital which led to the formation of the 'Save Kidderminster Hospital' campaign and the election of many members of that committee being elected as Wyre Forest Councillors and Dr Richard Taylor, a leading member of that campaign, who was previously a consultant at Kidderminster General, being elected to Parliament with the intention to fight the Musgrove plan, the semi closure of Kidderminster General and the building of the PFI Hospital at Worcester. He became chairman of the Hospital in 1998. The running of that hospital under his chairmanship was heavily criticised by the new Worcester MP Michael Foster and he left shortly afterwards.
Austin Rover Group
The Austin Rover Group was a British motor manufacturer. It was formed in 1981 as the mass-market car manufacturing subsidiary of British Leyland...
from 1982 until 1986. He was replaced by Graham Day
Graham Day
Sir Judson Graham Day ONS is a Canadian and British business executive, lawyer and corporate director who lives in Hantsport, Nova Scotia....
at the helm. During his time at Austin Morris he oversaw the sacking of Derek Robinson and the strike that followed. He also oversaw the introduction of the Maestro and Triumph Bounty; both were models that had limited success. His time was riddled with industrial relations problems much of which was considered to be provoked by heavy-handed management techniques.
Much of the controversy engendered by Musgrove during his tenure is attributed to hubris; however, some of his decisions did little (if anything) to endear employees. Such actions include his underhanded efforts to eliminate the Mini
Mini
The Mini is a small car that was made by the British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered a British icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout influenced a generation of car-makers...
and his decision to fire Director of Design David Bache
David Bache
David Ernest Bache was a British car designer. For much of his career he worked with Rover.-Early life:Bache was born in Worcestershire, the son of Aston Villa and England footballer Joe Bache...
. Musgrove came up through the manufacturing ranks but lacked real commercial knowledge, at times using nostalgia as a reason for driving product plans forward—one such idea was to bring back the Austin of England brand as a way of dynamising the company.
Musgrove would later go on to join the National Health Service
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
in 1991 as chair of West Midlands Ambulance Service, before moving to Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham to manage the controversial merger with Solihull Hospital. He was linked with the new hospital in Worcester and the controversial semi-closure of Kidderminster General Hospital which led to the formation of the 'Save Kidderminster Hospital' campaign and the election of many members of that committee being elected as Wyre Forest Councillors and Dr Richard Taylor, a leading member of that campaign, who was previously a consultant at Kidderminster General, being elected to Parliament with the intention to fight the Musgrove plan, the semi closure of Kidderminster General and the building of the PFI Hospital at Worcester. He became chairman of the Hospital in 1998. The running of that hospital under his chairmanship was heavily criticised by the new Worcester MP Michael Foster and he left shortly afterwards.