Will Butler-Adams | |
|---|---|
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| Born | William David Butler-Adams 11 May 1974 [1] London  |
| Alma mater | Newcastle University |
| Spouse(s) | Sarah Georgina MacIntyre (m. 2004) |
| Children | Three daughters [1] |
| Website | twitter |
William David Butler-Adams (born 11 May 1974 in London) [1] OBE [2] FRGS is the managing director of Brompton Bicycle Limited [3] [4] [5] [6] a manufacturer based in the United Kingdom [7] and Brompton Bike Hire Limited [5] a provider of bicycle-sharing systems. [8] [9]
Butler-Adams was born in London, the last of four children of Rosalie, daughter of Major General William Pat Arthur Bradshaw and David Bernard Butler-Adams (b. 1939), a wine merchant. David's father was Derek Butler-Adams (1908–1996). David's mother was Beatrice Margaret Baker (1911–1994), the latter by whom William David Butler-Adams is related to Anglican priest Robin Griffith-Jones, cricket enthusiast Nigel Baker and British politician Peter Baker.
Butler-Adams was educated at Aysgarth School in Yorkshire [1] and Rugby School from 1987 to 1992 in Warwickshire. [10] He was awarded a first class Master of Engineering (MEng) degree in Mechanical engineering from Newcastle University in 1997. [1] During his degree he studied the Spanish language at the University of Valladolid in Spain. [11]
He started his career as a project manager for Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) where he worked from 1997 to 2000 and continued as a Plant Manager for DuPont from 2000 to 2002. [1] He joined Brompton at the age of 28, [12] following a serendipitous meeting with the company's chairman, Tim Guinness, on a coach journey. [13]
At Brompton, he was promoted to director in 2006 and managing director (aka CEO) in 2008. [13] Since 2002, Brompton has increased in size by an order of magnitude, from around 27 employees to over 200 employees while turnover has increased from around £2 million to £25 million. [13] [14] As of 2016 [update] he serves as a commissioner on the UK Commission for Employment and Skills. [14] [15] [16]
Butler-Adams has been a member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (MIMechE) since 1993 and a Fellow (FIMechE) since 2014. [1] He qualified as a Chartered Engineer (CEng) in 2001 [1] and has been a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society since 2013. [1] He was appointed Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2015 New Year Honours. [2]
Butler-Adams married Sarah Georgina MacIntyre in 2004 [1] and has three daughters. [17] His recreations include aviation (he holds a private pilot licence) and wine (he has been a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Vintners since 2010). [1]
Other recreations include travel and the environment: in 1995 he led a nine-week expedition up the Amazon River, which was the subject of a Channel 4 documentary[ better source needed ] and also led an expedition to summit of Aconcagua in 2000, which raised over £130,000 for charitable causes. [1] [ clarification needed ]
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