THIS month sees the end of an era as four Scottish businessmen who dominated their fiefdoms bow out as chairmen, writes Andrew Wilson.
Departing are Sir Bruce Patullo at the Bank of Scotland, Lords Macfarlane and Weir from their packaging and engineering companies and Sir William Purves from HSBC.
Sir William vies with Lloyds TSB's Sir Brian Pitman for the accolade of the world's most successful banker in having built up major banks that have not only hugely enhanced shareholders' wealth, but not caused them a moment's loss of sleep.
A leading banking analyst said yesterday that Sir William was one of the great and the good and a legend in his own lifetime - seen as being tough and hard, but fair.
He ran the Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corporation, later to become HBSC after the take over of Midland Bank, and also the board - which was obvious even at formal events such as press conferences on the results.
The analyst added that Sir William's success could be measured by his having truly built up a global bank which drew upon the nationals of all the countries in which it operated and enabled them to reach the top.
It is a perfect template as it works - unlike Barclays or NatWest.
However, Sir William would rather contradict this, once growling that there are not enough Scots on the board, with only finance director Douglas Flint now carrying the flag.
Born on December 27, 1931, Sir William was educated at Kelso High School. After passing his banking examinations at the then National Bank of Scotland he did his National Service as an officer with the King's Own Scottish Borderers and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order during the Korean War.
He returned to the National Bank but in1954, joined ''Honkers and Shankers'' and was initially posted to Germany, before moving to Hong Kong. Thereafter, he was moved around Asia before returning to Hong Kong as the bank's chief accountant in 1970. He climbed the corporate ladder to become chairman in 1990.
Now, with his rugby-playing days a distant memory, he is a golfer but is more interested in racing and was a recent candidate for chairman of the Horse Race Levy Board.
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