Sir David Lancaster Nicolson was a British business executive and politician who played a key role in setting up British Airways and served for five years in the European Parliament.
17 Facts About David Nicolson
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David Nicolson was the chairman of British conglomerate, BTR plc.
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The son of a Canadian consulting engineer, Nicolson was born in London and educated at Haileybury but was forced to leave it when his father went blind and lost his income.
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David Nicolson was trained in engineering and was a Constructor Lieutenant in the Royal Corps of Naval Constructors during the Second World War.
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Sir David Nicolson was a member of the Links Club of the City and Guilds College whilst at Imperial College.
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David Nicolson was appointed as a manager of Production-Engineering Ltd in 1953 and later became a director of the firm; from 1963 to 1968 he was chairman of the P-E Consulting Group, an associated company.
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David Nicolson was appointed chairman of the British Airways Board in 1971 after being recruited by John Davies, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in the government led by Edward Heath.
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David Nicolson served for four years, during which he had the responsibility of uniting the two parts which had previously run as British Overseas Airways Corporation and British European Airways.
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David Nicolson had no previous experience of the airline industry and felt that the Aerospace Minister Michael Heseltine interfered with his work.
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David Nicolson chaired the CBI's Environment Committee in the late 1970s.
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David Nicolson strongly supported the development of the European Communities and was pleased to be selected as a Conservative Party candidate for the European Parliament.
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David Nicolson was elected and served as Member of the European Parliament for London Central from the 1979 election.
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Never a strong believer in politics, David Nicolson regretted excessive involvement by politicians in the management of nationalised industries, and noted often that few managers of high technology companies in Britain had technical qualifications themselves.
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Unlike many company directors of the period, David Nicolson was broadly supportive of trade unions.
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David Nicolson sometimes told audiences during lectures that his hero was Napoleon.
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David Nicolson was Chairman of the European Movement from 1985 to 1988 and Pro-Chancellor of the University of Surrey from 1987 to 1993.
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David Nicolson led an appeal that year which led to the building of the Canadian War Memorial in Green Park, but he had few hobbies and did not enjoy the life of a retired businessman.