17 Facts About Jim McColl

James Allan McColl OBE was born on 22 December 1951 and is a Scottish businessman who is the chairman and chief executive officer of Clyde Blowers.

Jim McColl was a member of the Council of Economic Advisors.

The son of a butcher, Jim McColl was born and raised in Carmunnock, a small village outside East Kilbride, and educated at Rutherglen Academy.

Jim McColl left school at 16 to take up an engineering apprenticeship with Weir Pumps of Cathcart, Glasgow.

Jim McColl returned to Weir Pumps in 1978, studying during the next three years for an MBA.

Jim McColl joined Diamond Power Speciality Ltd in 1981, an engineering company supplying equipment to the power industry worldwide; during his tenure he studied part-time for a master's degree in International Accounting and Finance.

In May 2007, Clyde Blowers bought Weir Pumps from Weir Group plc, the company at which Jim McColl had started his career.

Jim McColl was involved in the takeover of Ferguson Marine Engineering Limited after the business went into liquidation in August 2014.

Jim McColl's intervention prevented the last remaining shipyard on the Lower Clyde from closure.

Jim McColl was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2001 Birthday Honours for services to the engineering industry.

Jim McColl won an "Alumnus of the Year" award from Strathclyde University in 1998, was awarded an honorary doctorate by Napier University in 2003, and an honorary doctorate by Glasgow University in 2007.

In July 2005, Jim McColl was awarded The Prince Philip Medal 2005 'Certificate of Achievement' for an outstanding contribution to the engineering industry.

In May 2006, Jim McColl was presented with a Scottish International Business Achievement award from The Princess Royal.

Jim McColl was a supporter of the Scottish Government's policy of independence for Scotland, but in early 2015 changed his view, stating that "the decision's been made" following the 2014 referendum; however, he supports the idea of further tax devolution.

Jim McColl was a member of the Scottish Government's Scottish Council of Economic Advisers, and spends much of his spare time working on a Glasgow-based welfare-to-work programme.

On 28 March 2010, it was reported in the Sunday Herald that, after discussions with the Rangers Supporters Trust about a takeover designed to make the football club a supporter-owned entity, Jim McColl was believed to be backing the Trust's bid for Rangers.

Jim McColl later told BBC Scotland that he had no interest in any personal financial involvement, but was providing finance advice to the Rangers Supporters' Trust.