Sir Peter Colin Michael CBE (born 17 June 1938) is a British engineer and businessman whose interests include radio and wine-making. [1]
Peter Michael grew up in Croydon, the son of Albert and Enid Michael. His father was the chairman of the London philatelic shop Stanley Gibbons. [2] He was educated at Whitgift School. [1]
After training as an engineer at Queen Mary University of London, he worked at Smith Industries and Plessey, before leaving in 1968 to set up his first company.
He founded and managed a range of technology companies including Micro Consultants Group, UEI plc, Cosworth Engineering and Quantel. [3]
In 1983, he founded the Peter Michael Winery in the Knights Valley region of Calistoga, northern California. From 1989 to 1992 he served as CEO of Cray UK. In 1992 Sir Peter founded Classic FM.
Michael was knighted in the 1989 Birthday Honours. [4] [5]
His wife Margaret (Lady Michael) farms 1000 acres in Berkshire with arable cereals and a pedigree South Devon Red breeding herd.
Peter has set up two charitable foundations dedicated to fighting prostate cancer, the Pelican Cancer Foundation (UK) [6] and the Peter Michael Foundation (US). [7]
He also served as Vice-Patron of the Royal Society of British Sculptors.
Sir Matthew Clive Pinsent, is an English rower and broadcaster. During his rowing career, he won 10 world championship gold medals and four consecutive Olympic gold medals.
Hartley William Shawcross, Baron Shawcross,, known from 1945 to 1959 as Sir Hartley Shawcross, was an English barrister and Labour politician who served as the lead British prosecutor at the Nuremberg War Crimes tribunal. He also served as Britain's principal delegate to the United Nations immediately after the Second World War and as Attorney General for England.
Patrick Barnabas Burke Mayhew, Baron Mayhew of Twysden, was a British barrister and politician.
Henry George Reginald Molyneux Herbert, 7th Earl of Carnarvon, , was a British peer and racing manager to Queen Elizabeth II from 1969 until his death. From his birth until September 1987, he was known by the courtesy title Lord Porchester.
John Victor Aspinall was an English zoo and casino owner. From upper class beginnings he used gambling to move to the centre of British high society in the 1960s. He was born in Delhi during the British Raj, and was a citizen of the United Kingdom.
Sir John Bernard Burke, was a British genealogist and Ulster King of Arms, who helped publish Burke's Peerage.
Sir William Robert Ferdinand Mount, 3rd Baronet, FRSL, is a British writer, novelist, and columnist for The Sunday Times, as well as a political commentator.
Robert Temple Armstrong, Baron Armstrong of Ilminster, was a British civil servant and life peer.
John Archibald Boyd-Carpenter, Baron Boyd-Carpenter, PC, DL was a British Conservative politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Kingston-upon-Thames from 1945 to 1972, when he was made a life peer. He served in several ministerial roles throughout the Conservative governments of 1951 to 1964, and was Chief Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General from 1962 to 1964.
Michael Birkett, 2nd Baron Birkett was a British film producer/director, author and hereditary peer.
Sir Simon Peter Edmund Cosmo William Towneley was a British author who served as Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire from 1976 to 1997.
Sir David Philip Lane is a British immunologist, molecular biologist and cancer researcher. He is currently working in the Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology at the Karolinska Institute and is Chairman of Chugai Pharmabody. He is best known for the discovery of p53, one of the most important tumour suppressor genes.
Robert Crause Baden-Powell, 3rd Baron Baden-Powell was the elder son of Carine Boardman and Peter Baden-Powell, 2nd Baron Baden-Powell, and a grandson of Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, and Olave Baden-Powell.
Sir Dominic Anthony Gerard Asquith is a British career diplomat and former Ambassador to Iraq, Egypt, and Libya. He was First Secretary at the British Embassy in Washington DC. He was most recently the British High Commissioner to the Republic of India.
Sir Christopher Jeremy Morse KCMG was an English banker, cruciverbalist and chess composer who was Chancellor of the University of Bristol from 1989 to 2003, and was chairman of Lloyds Bank.
General Sir Edward Stanton was a British Army officer and diplomat.
Relatives of the former UK Prime Minister and former Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, feature throughout the law, politics and finance as well as being connected with the British aristocracy.
Sir Peter Ingram Walters was a British businessman. He was the chief executive and chairman of British Petroleum. He was born in Birmingham, United Kingdom, in the family of a police inspector.
Sir Simon Michael Hornby was a British businessman. He was chairman of WHSmith, the British retail chain, the Royal Horticultural Society and the Design Council. He founded the National Literacy Trust.
Sir Gavyn Farr Arthur was a British judge and prominent figure in the City of London who served as the 675th Lord Mayor from 2002 to 2003.