Norman Springford OBE (born December 1944) is the former chairman of The Ross Development Trust and former Executive Chairman of Apex Hotels.
An accountant by profession, Norman Springford, worked for the Inland Revenue and then became the owner/manager of a number of public houses, bingo halls, and the Edinburgh Playhouse.
He opened his first hotel, the Apex International Hotel, in Edinburgh in 1996. [1] The group now own ten hotels across London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and Bath. In 2014 relinquished his position as chairman of the company, handing over to his son Ian. [2]
In 2011 he was credited with saving the Princes Street Gardens ice rink. [3] In June 2018, he was awarded the OBE for services to the Scottish tourism industry. [4] [5]
The City of London Corporation, officially and legally the Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London, is the local authority of the City of London, the historic centre of London and the location of much of the United Kingdom's financial sector.
Cribbs Causeway is both a road in South Gloucestershire, England, running north of the city of Bristol, and the adjacent area which is notable for its out-of-town shopping and leisure facilities. The retail and leisure complex takes its name from the road, and includes retail parks, supermarkets, an enclosed shopping centre known as The Mall, an ice-rink, Vue, a cinema, Hollywood Bowl, a ten-pin bowling venue, and a gym.
JW Marriott Grosvenor House London, formerly the Grosvenor House Hotel, is a luxury hotel that opened in 1929 in the Mayfair area of London, England. Across from Hyde Park, the hotel is built on the former site of the 19th century aristocratic Grosvenor House residence. The hotel is managed by JW Marriott Hotels, which is a brand of Marriott International, and it is owned by Katara Hospitality.
John McFarlane OBE is a British businessman. He served as group chairman of Barclays from 2015 to 2019. From 2020 to 2023, McFarlane served as Chairman of Westpac.
Brian Robert Barwick is an English rugby league administrator. He has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in major sports broadcasting and administration. He was awarded an OBE in the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to sport and broadcasting.
Stephen Charles Rodan MLC is a Manx politician who served as the President of Tynwald from 2016 to 2021 and is a former Minister of the Isle of Man Government and former MHK for the constituency of Garff. He was first elected to the seat in a by-election in 1995.
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Walter Hugh Malcolm Ross, was a member of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, and from 2006 to 2008, master of the household to then Prince Charles.
Duncan Walker Bannatyne, is a Scottish entrepreneur, philanthropist, and author. His business interests include hotels, health clubs, spas, media, TV, and property. He is most famous for his appearance as a business angel on the BBC programme Dragons' Den. He was appointed an OBE for his contribution to charity. He has written seven books.
Norman Roy Blackwell, Baron Blackwell is a British former businessman, public servant, Conservative politician, campaigner and policy advisor.
Leonard John Nike OBE DL was an English businessman, and a Bracknell-based leisure and hotel entrepreneur. He was best known for being the owner of the eponymous John Nike Leisuresport chain of dry ski slope complexes.
Kevin Harry Dunion is the Convener of the Standards Commission for Scotland and was the first Scottish Information Commissioner 2003−2012. He is an Honorary Professor in the University of Dundee School of Law and a member of the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission. He was formerly Rector of the University of St Andrews 2008−11.
Apex Hotels is an operator of four star hotels based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The company operates 8 hotels in the United Kingdom.
Cyrus Rustom Todiwala OBE, DL,, is an Indian chef proprietor of Café Spice Namasté and a celebrity television chef. He trained at the Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces chain in India, and rose to become executive chef for eleven restaurants within those hotels. He moved to the UK in 1991 with his family, and following some initial financial difficulties after taking over a restaurant, Michael Gottlieb provided investment funding, allowing Todiwala to open Café Spice Namasté in 1995, the restaurant for which he is best known.
Autism Plus is charity in England, United Kingdom. An Autism specialist charity, they offer support to adults and young people with autism, learning disabilities and mental health conditions.
Prithviraj Singh "Biki" Oberoi was an Indian hotelier. He was the executive chairman of the third-largest hospitality chain in India, the Oberoi Group, which runs a chain of luxury hotels under the Oberoi Hotels & Resorts and Trident brands.
Michael Tobin is an English technology entrepreneur, author and philanthropist. He was CEO of FTSE 250 data centre operator. Further In 2014 he was awarded an OBE for his ‘Services to the Digital Economy' in The Queen's Birthday Honours List.
Darcus Beese OBE is a British music executive and the former president and chief executive officer of Island Records from his appointment in 2018 till his departure on 3 February 2021. During his time at the label, he signed several top musicians including Amy Winehouse and Jessie J. Beese, who has been described by Music Week as "one of the great A&R people of his or any other generation", subsequently joined Warner Music UK as executive vice-president.
Patrick Philip Vernon is a British social commentator and political activist of Jamaican heritage, who works in the voluntary and public sector. He is a former Labour councillor in the London Borough of Hackney. His career has been involved with developing and managing health and social care services, including mental health, public health, regeneration and employment projects. Also a film maker and amateur cultural historian, he runs his own social enterprise promoting the history of diverse communities, as founder of Every Generation and the "100 Great Black Britons" campaign. He is also an expert on African and Caribbean genealogy in the UK. He was appointed a Clore Fellow in 2007, an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2012 Birthday Honours for "services to the Reduction of Health Inequalities for Ethnic Minorities", and in 2018 was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Wolverhampton.
The Ross Development Trust (RDT) is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) established to refurbish West Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh. Their declared mission is "to create a unique, internationally recognisable venue for all to enjoy, in an attractive and reanimated West Princes Street Gardens, as a year round, socially inclusive centre promoting a diversity of cultural activities."