Marjorie Scardino
{{Short description|American-born British business woman (born 1947)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix = Dame
| name = Marjorie Scardino
| image = Marjorie Scardino at Financial Times 125th Anniversary Party, London, in June 2013.jpg
| honorific_suffix = {{postnominals|country=GBR|sep=|DBE|FRSA|size=100%}}
| alt =
| caption = Scardino in 2013
| birth_name = Marjorie Morris
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1947|01|25|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Flagstaff, Arizona, U.S.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2003/mar/09/pearson.city|title=Can Marje stay in charge?|last=Doward|first=Jamie|date=9 March 2003|work=The Observer|access-date=6 May 2010}}
| citizenship = British
| other_names =
| known_for =
| television =
| education =
| alma_mater = Baylor University
| employer = Pearson plc
| organization =
| occupation = Chief executive
| years_active =
| party =
| movement =
| spouse = Albert Scardino
| children = 3, including Hal Scardino
}}
Dame Marjorie Scardino ({{nee}} Morris; born 25 January 1947) is an American-born British business executive. She is the former CEO of Pearson PLC. Scardino became a trustee of Oxfam during her tenure at Pearson.{{Cite web|url=http://www.oxfam.org.uk/what-we-do/about-us/our-trustees|title=Oxfam's CEO, Directors and Trustees {{!}} Oxfam GB|website=Oxfam GB|language=en|access-date=25 November 2017}}
She was criticized by Private Eye magazine because, while Oxfam campaigns against corporate tax avoidance as part of the IF Coalition, Pearson was "a prolific tax haven user ... routing hundreds of millions of pounds through an elaborate series of Luxembourg companies (and a Luxembourg branch of a UK company) to avoid tax".{{Cite web|url=http://enoughfoodif.org/who-we-are|title=The IF Coalition {{!}} Enough Food IF|date=12 September 2014|access-date=25 November 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140912182903/http://enoughfoodif.org/who-we-are|archive-date=12 September 2014}}{{Cite web|url=http://groundreport.com/invisible-money-2-voyage-to-luxembourg/|title=INVISIBLE MONEY 2: VOYAGE TO LUXEMBOURG - Ground Report|website=groundreport.com|date=20 September 2012 |language=en-US|access-date=25 November 2017}}P5, no 1374, 5–18 September 2014, Private Eye. She became the first female Chief Executive of a FTSE 100 company when she was appointed CEO of Pearson[http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/timeline/keyevents_print.shtml?1990 BBC female achievements timeline], bbc.co.uk. Accessed 20 November 2022. in 1997. She is also a non-executive director of Nokia and former CEO of the Economist Group.{{cite web|title=Board of Directors|url=http://www.nokia.com/about-nokia/corporate-governance/board-of-directors/dame-marjorie-scardino|publisher=Nokia|access-date=15 June 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110219010720/http://www.nokia.com/about-nokia/corporate-governance/board-of-directors/dame-marjorie-scardino|archive-date=19 February 2011}}{{cite web|title=Yankee Expansionist Builds British Empire|url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1998/03/16/239300/index.htm|work=Fortune|first=Laura|last=Colby|date=16 March 1998|access-date=15 June 2010}} During her time at Pearson, Pearson's profits tripled, to a record £942m.{{cite news |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19811670 |title=BBC News - Pearson: Marjorie Scardino steps down as chief executive|work=bbc.co.uk|date=3 October 2012 |access-date=15 November 2012}}
In December 2013, she joined the board of Twitter, Inc. as its first female director, after a controversy involving a lack of diversity on the Twitter board.{{cite web|title=Thank you.|url=https://twitter.com/marjscar/status/408596775147020288|publisher=Twitter|access-date=5 December 2013}}{{cite web|title= Curtain Is Rising on a Tech Premiere With (as Usual) a Mostly Male Cast| website=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/05/technology/as-tech-start-ups-surge-ahead-women-seem-to-be-left-behind.html?_r=0|access-date=4 October 2013}}
Early life and education
Scardino was born in Flagstaff, Arizona in 1947, and grew up in Texarkana, Texas. While living in Texas she participated in rodeo riding as a teenager.{{cite book | last1 = Publishing | first1 = DK | title = 1000 CEOs | publisher = Penguin | year = 2009 | pages = 218 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=p-u4AOpIoeQC | access-date = 2013-12-05 | isbn = 978-0756670573}} Scardino is a graduate of Baylor University with a B..A in French and psychology in 1969. She began law school at George Washington University but dropped out to become a journalist at Associated Press in Charleston, West Virginia, and later obtained her J.D. degree from the University of San Francisco School of Law.
Career
Before 1985, Scardino was the publisher of The Georgia Gazette.
She is the board chair{{cite web|title=Marjorie Scardino Elected to Chair MacArthur Foundation Board of Directors|url=http://www.macfound.org/press/press-releases/marjorie-scardino-elected-chair-macarthur-foundation-board-directors/|publisher=MacArthur Foundation|access-date=8 September 2014}} of the MacArthur Foundation and a board member of the Carter Center.{{cite web|title=Management Team - Marjorie Scardino: Chief executive|url=http://www.pearson.com/about-us/management-team/Boardmembers/Marjorie-ScardinoChief-Executive-226/|publisher=Pearson PLC|access-date=15 June 2010}} She is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.{{cite news|title=British business people: The top 1,000: Media and entertainment 20 to 1|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/2954850/British-business-people-The-top-1000-Media-and-entertainment-20-to-1.html|work=The Daily Telegraph|first=Andrew|last=Cave|date=24 February 2008|access-date=17 June 2010}} She also won the 2002 Benjamin Franklin Medal.{{cite web|title=The Benjamin Franklin Medal |url=http://www.thersa.org/about-us/history-and-archive/medals/benjamin-franklin-medal |publisher=Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce |access-date=15 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608192650/http://www.thersa.org/about-us/history-and-archive/medals/benjamin-franklin-medal |archive-date=8 June 2011 }}
In 2007, she was listed 17th on the Forbes list of the 100 most powerful women in the World.[https://www.forbes.com/lists/2007/11/biz-07women_Marjorie-Scardino_MCY3.html #17 Marjorie Scardino]
On October 3, 2012, it was announced that she will step down as CEO of Pearson to be replaced by John Fallon.{{cite web |url= http://www.pearson.com/news/2012/october/john-fallon-to-succeed-marjorie-scardino-as-pearsons-chief-execu.html?article=true |title=John Fallon to succeed Marjorie Scardino as Pearson's chief executive|work=pearson.com|access-date=15 November 2012}}{{cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/04/business/media/scardino-ceo-of-pearson-to-step-down.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1353416506-jFFHYW5vCZm1S6CATWdNRQ&_r=0 |title=Scardino, Chief of Pearson, to Step Down - NYTimes.com|work=The New York Times|date=3 October 2012 |location=New York |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=20 November 2012 |last1=Chozick |first1=Amy }}
In December 2013, she joined the board of Twitter, Inc. as its first female director, after a controversy involving a lack of diversity on the Twitter board.
Personal life
Scardino is married to Albert Scardino, whom she worked with during her time at The Georgia Gazette and later a media reporter for The New York Times. She has three children, Adelaide, Will and Hal (producer and former child actor).{{Cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2001-01-22/marjorie-scardino |title=Marjorie Scardino |date=22 January 2001 |publisher=Bloomberg L.P.}}
Although she was born in the United States, she has taken British citizenship.{{cite web|title=Marjorie Scardino|url=http://www.businesswings.co.uk/articles/Marjorie-Scardino|work=Businesswings|access-date=15 June 2010}}
Awards and honors
Marjorie Scardino received an Honorary Doctorate from Brunel University in 1999 for her role as CEO of Pearson plc.{{Cite web |website=www.brunel.ac.uk |date=1999 |title=Honorary Graduates |url=https://www.brunel.ac.uk/about/people/Honorary-graduates}}
Scardino received an Honorary Doctorate from Heriot-Watt University in 2001 {{Cite web|url=http://www1.hw.ac.uk/annual-review/2001/our_peo_hon_grad.htm |title=Heriot-Watt University |website=www1.hw.ac.uk |access-date=2016-03-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413114505/http://www1.hw.ac.uk/annual-review/2001/our_peo_hon_grad.htm |archive-date=2016-04-13 }}
Scardino's contributions to the British media were recognized when she was named Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in February 2002, one month after she had adopted British citizenship.{{Cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/money/Marjorie-Scardino |title=Marjorie Scardino |access-date=17 November 2024 |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica}}
In 2014, Scardino received an honorary doctorate of laws from the University of Roehampton.{{cite web|title=Twitter director Marjorie Scardino awarded honorary doctorate
|url=http://www.roehampton.ac.uk/News/2014/July/Twitter-director-Marjorie-Scardino-awarded-honorary-doctorate/|publisher=University of Roehampton|access-date=8 September 2014}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Pearson}}
{{Twitter Navigation}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scardino, Marjorie}}
Category:American emigrants to England
Category:Baylor University alumni
Category:Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Category:University of San Francisco alumni
Category:British women chief executives