Derek Higgs
{{short description|British businessman}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2017}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Derek Higgs
| image = 34. ISC-Symposium-Sir Derek Higgs-HSGN 028-01715.JPG
| caption = Higgs in 2004
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1944|04|03|df=y}}
| birth_place = Birmingham, UK
| death_date = {{death date and age|2008|4|28|1944|4|3|df=y}}
| death_place = London, UK
| occupation = Businessman
| known_for = Higgs review (2003).
| title =
| children = 3
| spouse = Julia Higgs, née Arguile (married 1970–2008)
| website =
}}
Sir Derek Alan Higgs (3 April 1944 – 28 April 2008) was an English businessman and merchant banker.{{cite web
|url = http://www.bristol.ac.uk/cms/go/hon-degree/2005/jul-higgs.html
|publisher = University of Bristol
|date = 2005-07-13
|title = Sir Derek Higgs: Doctor of Laws
|access-date = 20 October 2007
}} He was knighted in 2004. His father, Alan Higgs, was a multimillionaire through property businesses in the Midlands.
Early life
Sir Derek was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire and was educated at Solihull School,{{cite web
|url = http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/search/article/407452/the-mt-interview-matthew-lynn-derek-higgs/
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080828182927/http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/search/article/407452/the-mt-interview-matthew-lynn-derek-higgs
|url-status = dead
|archive-date = 2008-08-28
|date = 2002-11-01
|publisher = Management Today
|title = The MT interview by Matthew Lynn: Derek Higgs
|access-date = 20 October 2007
}} and in 1963 he went to the University of Bristol and graduated in Economics and Accounting in 1966.
Business career
After graduating from the University of Bristol in 1966, Sir Derek joined Price Waterhouse, a large accountancy firm, and after training he qualified as a Chartered Accountant. In 1969 he became a corporate finance executive at Baring Brothers, a merchant bank. He moved-on and joined S. G. Warburg & Co. in 1972 and continued his career in merchant banking.{{cite web
|url = http://www.cmi.eu.com/mentors/derek_higgs.htm
|publisher = CMi
|title = Board Mentors: Sir Derek Higgs
|access-date = 20 October 2007
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080303163627/http://www.cmi.eu.com/mentors/derek_higgs.htm |archive-date = 3 March 2008}} He was also a board member of several companies including Prudential, British Land, and Coventry City Football Club.
In 2002 the British Labour Government commissioned Sir Derek to chair the Review of the role and effectiveness of non-executive directors. The report, widely known as the "Higgs review" or "Higgs report", was published on 20 January 2003 and many of its recommendations for large companies have been implemented.{{cite web
|last = Higgs
|first = Derek
|url = http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file23012.pdf
|title = Review of the role and effectiveness of non-executive directors
|publisher = Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
|date = 2003-01-20
|access-date = 28 April 2008
|url-status = dead
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080910081648/http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file23012.pdf
|archive-date = 10 September 2008
|title = The Higgs Review
|url = http://www.berr.gov.uk/bbf/corp-governance/higgs-tyson/page23342.html
|access-date = 28 April 2008
|publisher = Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
|url-status = dead
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080414205912/http://www.berr.gov.uk/bbf/corp-governance/higgs-tyson/page23342.html
|archive-date = 14 April 2008
|df = dmy-all
}}
In October 2005 he became the chairman of the Alliance & Leicester bank and worked there through difficult times, which were partly caused by the credit crunch that took effect during 2007 in Britain.
Trustee
His father, Alan, died in 1979. As he felt inherited wealth did more harm than good, Alan Higgs left his entire fortune to a charity to be created after his death to help deprived children from Coventry and nearby localities. The Alan Edward Higgs Charity (also sometimes incorrectly called the Alan Higgs Trust) was set up, and Sir Derek and his sister became the trustees. In January 2008 he also became one of the trustees of the Scott Trust, a British non-profit organisation which owns the Guardian Media Group. He has been on the Board of Trustees of The Architecture Foundation.{{cn|date=January 2023}}
Personal life
Sir Derek married Julia Arguile in 1970 and they had two sons and one daughter. He died unexpectedly owing to a heart attack aged 64 years on 28 April 2008 in a London hospital.{{cite news |first = Jill |last =Treanor |url = https://www.theguardian.com/business/2008/apr/29/allianceleicesterbusiness.banking|title = Sir Derek Higgs dies suddenly aged 64 |publisher = guardian.co.uk |access-date = 29 April 2008 | location=London | date=29 April 2008}}{{cite news |url = http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article3842018.ece|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100524200200/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article3842018.ece|url-status = dead|archive-date = 24 May 2010|title = Sir Derek Higgs|publisher = timesonline |access-date = 29 April 2008 | location=London | date=30 April 2008}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20100524200200/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article3842018.ece Obituary: Times]
- [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/sir-derek-higgs-banker-and-chairman-of-alliance--leicester-who-brought-sweeping-reforms-to-britains-boardrooms-818013.html Obituary: Independent]
- [https://www.theguardian.com/business/2008/apr/30/allianceleicesterbusiness.banking1 Obituary: Guardian]
- [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1912035/Sir-Derek-Higgs.html Obituary: Telegraph]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Higgs, Derek}}
Category:Alumni of the University of Bristol