Sir David McMurtry
Born
David Roberts McMurtry

(1940-03-15) 15 March 1940 (age 84)[1]
Clontarf, Ireland
EducationMountjoy School
Known forChairman and co-founder, Renishaw plc
SpouseTeresa Adams
Children3

Sir David Roberts McMurtry, CBE FRS FREng FIMechE (born 15 March 1940) is an Irish-British billionaire, the co-founder and executive chairman of Renishaw plc, the UK's largest supplier of metrology equipment. As of October 2021, his net worth was estimated at US$1.3 billion.[2]

Early life

David Roberts McMurtry was born in 1940 in Clontarf, Ireland.[3] He was brought up in Dublin and educated at Mountjoy School (now the Mount Temple Comprehensive School) in Dublin.[4]

Career

McMurtry joined Bristol Aero Engines as an apprentice in 1958.[5] In 1966, following an acquisition, he found himself employed by Rolls-Royce plc where he became Deputy Chief Designer and Assistant Chief of Engine Design at Filton.[5] In 1973, while working on Concorde's engines, he designed his first trigger probe.[5] He worked on the Turbo-Union RB199 engine.[6]

In 1973, he joined his former colleague John Deer to set up Renishaw plc.[5][2] The company floated on the Unlisted Securities Market in 1983, and gained a full listing the following year.[7] In 1987, McMurtry acquired the patents for his trigger probes from Rolls-Royce plc and began to exploit the patents himself.[5] In 1989, he became a Royal Designer for Industry.[8]

McMurtry was awarded the CBE in 1994[9] and was knighted in the 2001 New Year Honours.[10]

McMurtry received an honorary doctorate from Heriot-Watt University in 1998.[11] In 2001, McMurtry was elected a Fellow[12] of the Royal Academy of Engineering.[12] In 2008, the University of Bath[13] awarded him an honorary doctorate. In 2011, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.[14] He won the Institute of Physics Swan Medal and Prize in 2012.[15]

In 2018, McMurtry stepped down as chief executive of Renishaw and was replaced by marketing and sales director William Lee.[16]

On 2 March 2021, McMurtry, along with John Deer, indicated that they wished to dispose of their entire holdings in Renishaw, comprising some 53% of the shares, as 'we recognise that neither of us is getting any younger'. The Renishaw board then announced that it was launching a formal sale process for the entire company.[17] This process was terminated on 7 July 2021, the board concluding that none of the proposals met their objectives.[18]

Personal life

McMurty and his wife, Teresa, have two sons and a daughter.[19] He lives in Wotton-under-Edge, England.[2]

In 2001, McMurtry started work on Swinhay House. Now complete, the "£30m futuristic eco-house" appeared in an episode of the BBC television series Sherlock.[3]

References

  1. ^ Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knighthood (107 ed.). Burke's Peerage & Gentry. p. 2538. ISBN 0-9711966-2-1.
  2. ^ a b c "Forbes profile: David McMurtry". Forbes.com. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  3. ^ a b "David McMurtry". Independent.ie. 8 March 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  4. ^ "Irish-born designer receives knighthood". Irish Times. 15 January 2001. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Renishaw: Biography". renishaw.com. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  6. ^ "End of an era for Renishaw". Business West. 4 March 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  7. ^ "Our History". Renishaw. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  8. ^ New Year Honour for David McMurtry, EngineeringTalk.com, 9 March 2001.
  9. ^ "No. 53863". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 November 1994. p. 16701.
  10. ^ "No. 56070". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2000. p. 2.
  11. ^ "Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh: Honorary Graduates". Heriot-Watt University. Archived from the original on 18 April 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  12. ^ a b "List of Fellows". Archived from the original on 8 June 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  13. ^ "Internal News". bath.ac.uk. 27 June 2008. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  14. ^ "Sir David Roberts McMurtry CBE FREng FRS". Royal Society. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
  15. ^ "The Swan/Business and Innovation medal recipients". Institute of Physics. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  16. ^ "Co-founder of Britain's Renishaw to step down as CEO". Reuters. 24 January 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  17. ^ "Renishaw PLC - Commencement of formal sale process". Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  18. ^ "Investegate |Renishaw PLC Announcements | Renishaw PLC: Update on Formal Sale Process & Current Trading". investegate.co.uk. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  19. ^ Inventor's Probing Mind Defies UK Industry Meltdown Archived 14 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine Investing News, 16 June 2005

External links

Fellows of the Royal Society elected in 2011
Authority control databases: Academics
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