Trevor Chinn
{{Short description|British businessman}}
{{about|the British businessman and philanthropist|the New Zealand glaciologist|Trevor Chinn (glaciologist)}}
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{{Infobox person
| name = Sir Trevor Chinn
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| birth_name = Trevor Edwin Chinn
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1935|07|24|df=y}}
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| nationality = British
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| education = King's College, Cambridge
| occupation = Businessman
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| spouse = Susan Chinn
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| children = 2, including Simon Chinn
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Sir Trevor Edwin Chinn {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CVO}} (born 24 July 1935) is a British businessman, philanthropist, and political activist. He is a Labour Party supporter and donor as well as active in Jewish and pro-Israel causes.
Career
Chinn was educated at Clifton College and King's College, Cambridge, and started his career at Lex Garages (later Lex Service plc) where he followed in his father Rosser's footsteps, ascending to the role of managing director in 1968 at the age of 33 and to chairman and Chief Executive in 1973. In 1968 Lex made £1m in profits, but by the time he retired in 2003 the profits were over £85m. His most notable achievement at Lex was the acquisition of the RAC in 1999 for £425m,{{cite news |title=Windfalls for RAC members and staff |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/332102.stm |access-date=25 October 2021 |work=BBC News |date=30 April 1999}} which completely changed the nature of the company and led to its change of name in 2001 to RAC plc. In 1989 he initiated the Lex Report on Motoring (now the RAC Report on Motoring), the most authoritative study of motorists' attitudes in Britain.
He has become a successful entrepreneur. He is Senior Adviser, CVC Capital Partners; Chairman of ITIS plc, a traffic information company; and Chairman of Streetcar, the largest UK pay-as-you-go car club, concentrating its operations around London and five other UK cities.
Public roles
Chinn's leadership roles include Chief Barker of the Variety Club of Great Britain for two successive terms (1977 and 1978), Chairman of the Friends of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme (for which he was appointed CVO in 1989), Vice-chairman of the Wishing Well Appeal for Great Ormond Street Hospital (for which he received a knighthood in 1990), and Deputy Chairman of the Royal Academy Trust.{{cite web |url=https://www.variety.org.uk/photos/former-chief-barkers/trevor-chinn |title=Trevor Chinn – 1977/78 |date=27 June 2014 |publisher=Variety, the Children's Charity |access-date=27 December 2019}}{{cite web |url=https://www.philanthropy-impact.org/inspiration/personal-stories/sir-trevor-chinn |title=Sir Trevor Chinn |publisher=Philanthropy Impact |date=September 2008 |access-date=27 December 2019}}
Described as a Jewish community grandee,{{cite news|url=https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/reform-judaism-appoint-sir-trevor-chinn-as-new-president/|title=Reform Judaism appoint Sir Trevor Chinn as new president|last=Oryszczuk|first=Stephen|date=28 June 2016|accessdate=26 January 2021|work=Jewish News}} throughout his life he has also devoted himself to the Jewish community in Britain and supporting Israel in a number of roles, for example: chairman and President of the Joint Israel Appeal, the leading organisation in Britain supporting Israel's humanitarian needs; board member of The Jewish Community Centre for London, President of Norwood from 1996 to 2006; one of the founders of the Jewish Association for Business Ethics (and now vice-president). Chinn sits on the executive committee of the Jewish Leadership Council and the Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre (BICOM).{{cite web|url=https://www.thejlc.org/sir_trevor_chinn_cvo|title=Sir Trevor Chinn CVO|accessdate=24 July 2019|work=Jewish Leadership Council}} In 2016, he became President of the Movement for Reform Judaism.
He was Chair of the London Mayor's Fund,Thompson, Susan, [http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/movers_and_shakers/article4215308.ece Business Big Shot Sir Trevor Chinn]{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} June 2008, The Times. Retrieved February 2011 {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120707192201/http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/movers_and_shakers/article4215308.ece |date=7 July 2012 }} and chair of the government's Motorists' Forum.{{cn|date=January 2024}}
Chinn is a Labour Party supporter. Up to 2016, Chinn donated to the office or campaigns of a number of Labour politicians, including MPs Tony Blair, Ruth Smeeth, Liz Kendall, Tom Watson and Dan Jarvis.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/multi-millionaires-who-keep-blair-in-his-office-1352967.html|title=Multi-millionaires who keep Blair in his office|last=Moyes|first=Jojo|date=18 November 1996|accessdate=23 April 2020|work=The Independent}}{{cite news |url=https://www.totalpolitics.com/articles/news/sir-trevor-chinn-becomes-latest-labour-donor-fund-dan-jarvis-machine |title=Sir Trevor Chinn becomes latest Labour donor to fund the Dan Jarvis machine |newspaper=totalpolitics |date=21 April 2016 |accessdate=9 January 2018}} Since 2016, he has additionally financially supported the MPs Ivan Lewis, Owen Smith, Lisa Nandy, Tristram Hunt, Jack Dromey, Ian Austin, Rachel Reeves, Liam Byrne and Wes Streeting.{{Cite web |title=Register of Interests for Wes Streeting |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=13 December 2022 |url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/4504/registeredinterests}}{{cite web |url=http://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/?currentPage=1&rows=10&query=Trevor%20Chinn&sort=AcceptedDate&order=desc&tab=1&et=pp&et=ppm&et=tp&et=perpar&et=rd&isIrishSourceYes=true&isIrishSourceNo=true&prePoll=false&postPoll=true®ister=gb®ister=ni®ister=none&optCols=Register&optCols=CampaigningName&optCols=AccountingUnitsAsCentralParty&optCols=IsSponsorship&optCols=IsIrishSource&optCols=RegulatedDoneeType&optCols=CompanyRegistrationNumber&optCols=Postcode&optCols=NatureOfDonation&optCols=PurposeOfVisit&optCols=DonationAction&optCols=ReportedDate&optCols=IsReportedPrePoll&optCols=ReportingPeriodName&optCols=IsBequest&optCols=IsAggregation |title=Donor: Trevor Chinn |publisher=The Electoral Commission |access-date=26 December 2019}}{{Primary source inline|date=April 2020}} In February 2020, he donated £50,000 to support the Labour party leadership election campaign of Keir Starmer.{{cite news|url=https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/hard-left-attacks-labour-leader-sir-keir-starmer-after-donation-from-jewish-philanthropist-1.499078|title=Hard-left attacks Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer after donation from Jewish philanthropist|last=Harpin|first=Lee|date=20 April 2020|accessdate=23 April 2020|work=The Jewish Chronicle}} Chinn is a long-time supporter of Labour Friends of Israel and has also donated to charities working for reconciliation and peace between Jews and Arabs including the New Israel Fund and Yachad.{{cite news|url=https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/friends-groups-head-to-israel-1.36336|title=Friends groups head to Israel|last=Bright|first=Martin|date=20 September 2012|accessdate=23 April 2020|work=Jewish Chronicle}}{{cite news|author=Pierce, Andrew|title=Blair's chance to raise cash for Pounds 1m refund|newspaper=The Times|date=18 November 1997}}
Personal life
He is married to Susan, and they have two sons, David, and Simon Chinn, who is a film producer.{{cite news |title=Producer Chinn scoops Oscar for Man on Wire |url=https://www.thejc.com/news/producer-chinn-scoops-oscar-for-man-on-wire-f5fdix1y |access-date=1 May 2024 |work=Jewish Chronicle}}
References
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{{New Labour}}
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Category:Alumni of King's College, Cambridge
Category:20th-century British Jews
Category:21st-century British Jews
Category:20th-century British philanthropists
Category:21st-century British philanthropists
Category:Jewish British philanthropists
Category:Businesspeople awarded knighthoods
Category:Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order
Category:People educated at Clifton College