Simon Murray
Encyclopedia
Simon Murray CBE is a British
businessman, adventurer, author, and former French Foreign Legionnaire. He was the oldest man to reach the South Pole unsupported, at the age of 63.
, England
into a family with some tradition of military service. His father belonged to a wealthy family. Murray's grandfather on his father's side retained a permanent suite at the Connaught Hotel, while his grandmother retained a similar suite at Claridges Hotel. Murray's father abandoned the family early on and Murray claims to have had no recollection of him at that time. An uncle paid for Murray to attend the private fee-paying Bedford School
. In 1960, having dropped out of school, he joined the French Foreign Legion
, and served for five years in the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment
(2e REP). During his service, he fought in the Algerian War against the guerrillas of the Front de Libération Nationale
(FLN). After rising to the rank of Chief Corporal, he turned down an offer to attend Officers School in France, and left the Legion in 1965.
. He has in the past served on boards and held advisory positions with a number of companies such as Vodafone, Tommy Hilfiger Corporation, Vivendi Universal, Usinor SA, Hermes, General Electric (USA), China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), Macquarie Bank, N.M. Rothschild, and Bain (the consultancy company). He continues to serve on the advisory board of Lightbridge Corporation (USA), and the Development Advisory Board of Imperial College, London.
Better known as the “Tai Pan” of Hong Kong in the ‘80s and ‘90s, he was a former soldier in the French Foreign Legion for five years - an experience he wrote about in his autobiography Legionnaire.
On leaving the Foreign Legion in 1965, he married and moved with his wife Jennifer, to the Far East working for Jardine Matheson for fourteen years and he left to start his own company Davenham Investments, a project advisory company – N M Rothschild took a 50% stake in Davenham. Amongst many high profile deals, Davenham went on to represent Mitsui in the Singapore Mass Transit Railway project.
In 1984 Davenham was sold to Li Ka-Shing and Simon became the Group Managing Director of Hutchison Whampoa – he stayed for ten years, overseeing Hutchison’s acquisition of Hong Kong Electric, and negotiating their entry into the oil business through their acquisition of Husky Oil. Whilst CEO of Hutchison, they founded the mobile phone company, Orange, turning it into a global brand which was ultimately sold to Mannesmann for US$33 billion.
From 1994 to 1998 Simon was the Executive Chairman of the Deutsche Bank Group in Asia before establishing his own company GEMS, a mid-sized investment group operating across Asia. In addition to this Simon was a founder of Distacom which made a number of mobile telecoms investments including Madacom in Madagascar, Spice Telecom in India, Sunday Communications in Hong Kong. He has also invested in other mobile operations in New Zealand, San Marino, Papua New Guinea and elsewhere.
He is an adventurer, and explorer – and appears in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest man to walk unsupported to the South Pole in 2004 at the age of 64. Prior to this, at the age of 60, he completed the Marathon des Sables, a 242 km race across the Moroccan desert. He and his wife Jennifer have three children and six grandchildren, and are both experienced helicopter pilots – his wife being the first woman to fly a helicopter solo around the world.
Murray remarked in April 2011 that he was not keen to hire young women in his company named Glencore (Swiss-Based) because they were likely to get married and get pregnant; he was subsequently forced to issue a "humbling apology".
He has been awarded the CBE (Commander of the British Empire) by H.M. The Queen, and the Order of Merit of the French Republic and is a “Chevalier de La Legion d’Honneur”. He holds an Honorary Degree in law, from the University of Bath
and attended the (SEP) Stanford Executive Programme in the US.
for a trek to the Geographic South Pole
. The 1,200 km trek started in early December 2004 at Hercules Inlet
on the Zumberge Coast
, Antarctica and was completed when they reached the South Pole about two months later. They climbed up to 2,835 m above mean sea level on the way. Murray became the oldest man to reach the South Pole unsupported.
was the first woman to fly around the world in a helicopter.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
businessman, adventurer, author, and former French Foreign Legionnaire. He was the oldest man to reach the South Pole unsupported, at the age of 63.
Early life
Murray was born in LeicesterLeicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
into a family with some tradition of military service. His father belonged to a wealthy family. Murray's grandfather on his father's side retained a permanent suite at the Connaught Hotel, while his grandmother retained a similar suite at Claridges Hotel. Murray's father abandoned the family early on and Murray claims to have had no recollection of him at that time. An uncle paid for Murray to attend the private fee-paying Bedford School
Bedford School
Bedford School is not to be confused with Bedford Modern School or Bedford High School or Old Bedford School in Bedford, TexasBedford School is an HMC independent school for boys located in the town of Bedford, England, United Kingdom...
. In 1960, having dropped out of school, he joined the French Foreign Legion
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
, and served for five years in the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment
2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment
The 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment is an Airborne regiment of the French Foreign Legion. It is a part of the 11e Brigade Parachutiste and the spearhead of the French Rapid reaction force.-Indochina:...
(2e REP). During his service, he fought in the Algerian War against the guerrillas of the Front de Libération Nationale
National Liberation Front (Algeria)
The National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Algeria. It was set up on November 1, 1954 as a merger of other smaller groups, to obtain independence for Algeria from France.- Anticolonial struggle :...
(FLN). After rising to the rank of Chief Corporal, he turned down an offer to attend Officers School in France, and left the Legion in 1965.
Business career
Simon Murray is currently the Executive Chairman of GEMS, and a Board Director of the Cheung Kong Holdings Ltd., Orient Overseas (International) Ltd., Wing Tai Properties Ltd., Arnhold Holdings Ltd., Richemont SA, Essar Energy plc, and Sino Forest Corporation, Omnicorp Limited and IRC Limited. He is now chairman of GlencoreGlencore
Glencore International plc is a multinational mining and commodities trading company headquartered in Baar, Switzerland and with its registered office in Saint Helier, Jersey...
. He has in the past served on boards and held advisory positions with a number of companies such as Vodafone, Tommy Hilfiger Corporation, Vivendi Universal, Usinor SA, Hermes, General Electric (USA), China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), Macquarie Bank, N.M. Rothschild, and Bain (the consultancy company). He continues to serve on the advisory board of Lightbridge Corporation (USA), and the Development Advisory Board of Imperial College, London.
Better known as the “Tai Pan” of Hong Kong in the ‘80s and ‘90s, he was a former soldier in the French Foreign Legion for five years - an experience he wrote about in his autobiography Legionnaire.
On leaving the Foreign Legion in 1965, he married and moved with his wife Jennifer, to the Far East working for Jardine Matheson for fourteen years and he left to start his own company Davenham Investments, a project advisory company – N M Rothschild took a 50% stake in Davenham. Amongst many high profile deals, Davenham went on to represent Mitsui in the Singapore Mass Transit Railway project.
In 1984 Davenham was sold to Li Ka-Shing and Simon became the Group Managing Director of Hutchison Whampoa – he stayed for ten years, overseeing Hutchison’s acquisition of Hong Kong Electric, and negotiating their entry into the oil business through their acquisition of Husky Oil. Whilst CEO of Hutchison, they founded the mobile phone company, Orange, turning it into a global brand which was ultimately sold to Mannesmann for US$33 billion.
From 1994 to 1998 Simon was the Executive Chairman of the Deutsche Bank Group in Asia before establishing his own company GEMS, a mid-sized investment group operating across Asia. In addition to this Simon was a founder of Distacom which made a number of mobile telecoms investments including Madacom in Madagascar, Spice Telecom in India, Sunday Communications in Hong Kong. He has also invested in other mobile operations in New Zealand, San Marino, Papua New Guinea and elsewhere.
He is an adventurer, and explorer – and appears in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest man to walk unsupported to the South Pole in 2004 at the age of 64. Prior to this, at the age of 60, he completed the Marathon des Sables, a 242 km race across the Moroccan desert. He and his wife Jennifer have three children and six grandchildren, and are both experienced helicopter pilots – his wife being the first woman to fly a helicopter solo around the world.
Murray remarked in April 2011 that he was not keen to hire young women in his company named Glencore (Swiss-Based) because they were likely to get married and get pregnant; he was subsequently forced to issue a "humbling apology".
He has been awarded the CBE (Commander of the British Empire) by H.M. The Queen, and the Order of Merit of the French Republic and is a “Chevalier de La Legion d’Honneur”. He holds an Honorary Degree in law, from the University of Bath
University of Bath
The University of Bath is a campus university located in Bath, United Kingdom. It received its Royal Charter in 1966....
and attended the (SEP) Stanford Executive Programme in the US.
South Pole trek
In 2004, at the age of 63 following a suggestion by his wife, Murray joined Pen HadowPen Hadow
Rupert Nigel Pendrill Hadow known as Pen Hadow, , is founding director of Geo Mission Ltd, an environmental sponsorship organisation, and British polar guide and explorer. He is the first person to trek solo and without resupply from the north coast of Canada to the North Pole...
for a trek to the Geographic South Pole
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
. The 1,200 km trek started in early December 2004 at Hercules Inlet
Hercules Inlet
Hercules Inlet is a large, narrow, ice-filled inlet which forms a part of the southwest margin of Ronne Ice Shelf. It is bounded on the west by the southeast flank of the Heritage Range, and on the north by Skytrain Ice Rise. Named by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names for the LC-130 Hercules...
on the Zumberge Coast
Zumberge Coast
Zumberge Coast is that portion of the southeast coast of Palmer Land between Cape Zumberge and the south entrance point to Hercules Inlet. Overlooking the west part of Ronne Ice Shelf, this coast was mapped by United States Geological Survey from U.S. Navy aerial photographs taken 1961-66 and...
, Antarctica and was completed when they reached the South Pole about two months later. They climbed up to 2,835 m above mean sea level on the way. Murray became the oldest man to reach the South Pole unsupported.
Personal life
Murray married long-time sweetheart, the former Jennifer Mather, with whom he has three children. Jennifer MurrayJennifer Murray
Jennifer Murray circumnavigated the globe aboard a Robinson R44 helicopter the distance of 36,000 miles in 97 days in 1997, earning her the current Guinness World Record for the first helicopter circumnavigation by a woman.- Awards & Honours :* Rhode Island Aviation Hall of Fame Inductee 2005* The...
was the first woman to fly around the world in a helicopter.