Sir Duncan McDonald, engineer and industrialist; born September 20, 1921, died February 23, 1997
SIR Duncan McDonald was the first group managing director of Northern Engineering Industries, one of the leading suppliers of plant and equipment to the British power industry. He stepped down as chief executive on 1983, but retained the chairmanship until his retiral in May 1986 at the age of 65.
Kenneth Vernon, former deputy chairman and chief executive, North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board said: ''He was a very considerate person who was respected throughout the industries in which he operated. He was a very clear thinking man who combined great technical ability with management skill. He had a view of what he wanted to achieve but took people along with him.
''He was extremely courteous, had great personal charm and will be missed by a large number of people.''
Duncan McDonald was educated at Dunfermline High School and went on to Edinburgh University where he graduated with a first class honours degree in electrical power engineering in 1942.
His early career was with British Thomson Houston in Rugby. His early work during the war was on the development of radar but subsequently he became a leading authority on extra high voltage power transformers.
''He was not afraid to take risks but they were always measured ones. He managed to design transformers which could handle ever higher voltages. He would take on jobs which other people shied away from and was not afraid to break new ground, both in terms of electrical engineering and commercial practice. He was a hands-on scientist who enjoyed making things happen. It was clear to me that he would go far,'' said a colleague who knew him in the early part of his career.
In 1952 he designed the first 275,000 volt transformer for the British Super Grid. He returned to Scotland in 1954 on his appointment as chief transformer designer to Bruce Peebles in Edinburgh.
The company ultimately became one of the largest power transformer manufacturers in Britain. He was appointed board member in 1960 and managing director in 1962. Bruce Peebles merged with Reyrolle Parson ( Tyneside) in 1969 and in 1976 he became chief executive of the Reyrolle Parsons Group, which subsequently became part of the NEI group. By the time he retired as chairmen of NEI in 1986 the group turnover had trebled under his leadership.
During his career Sir Duncan had to negotiate with some of Britain's most formidable businessmen, including Arnold, later Lord, Weinstock of GEC and John, later Lord King who was chairman on Babcock International. By all accounts Sir Duncan's technical skill and personal attributes allowed him to more than hold his own with Britain's most senior and determined industrialists.
Sir Duncan was one of the first of Scotland's industrialists to appreciate the importance of computers and pioneered the use of computers in design. He was awarded the John Hopkinson Premium of the Institution of Electrical Engineers and the Coopers Hill War Memorial Prize and Medal for his work on computer aided design.
In 1969 he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh for his published works and in 1980 he was elected to the Fellowship of Engineering, now the Royal Academy of Engineering. Other academic honours included the award of a Honorary Doctor of cience award from Heriot-Watt University and a Doctorate of Engineering from Newcastle University.
He was made a CBE in 1983 for services to export and was knighted in June 1983.
His public appointments included membership of the Scottish Economic Council; vice-president of the Engineering Employers Federations; membership of committees of the Scottish Council Development & Industry and chairmanship of the Scottish Universities/Industry Liaison Committees.
He was also a trustee of the Newcastle University Development Trust and a member of the board of the Scottish Electrical Training Scheme for Graduates.
Sir Duncan was a non-executive director of General Accident and the Northern Rock Building Society.
He was a keen angler and his other interests included golf and gardening.
He is survived by his wife Jean, whom he married in 1955, and by three sons and a
daughter.
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