John Houston

Died: April 6, 2015

John McLellan Houston, who died aged 70, was a significant businessman who made important contributions to both Coats Patons and Kwik Fit; he was also a loving and loved family man and a man with many life-long friends.

Brought up and educated locally in Johnstone, he left school at 16 with no formal qualifications, worked first at Lang Engineering and then joined J & P Coats in Paisley where he finally recognised that qualifications were both necessary and important and committed to part-time study, qualifying as an ACCA in 1969.

Having demonstrated his undoubted intelligence and managerial potential, he was selected for the famous Coats graduate management scheme the same year which saw him travel for 18 months training in India, but not before he had made a more important personal decision. This was to ask another Coats employee, Elizabeth Glen from Elderslie, to marry him.

They were married in Elderslie Kirk West on 21 August 1971 by a treasured friend, the Rev Donald Keith, and this marriage was by far the most important part of his life. His first managerial appointment was as finance director of the large and long-established Coats subsidiary in Mexico City where he and his wife arrived as newly-weds and spent over three years. They enjoyed Mexico and made many friends both within and without the company and considered themselves blessed when their first daughter Karen was born there in 1972.

Mr Houston had already demonstrated an independent streak in Mexico which provided the platform for a long career in the head office finance division in Glasgow where he ploughed a steady furrow as he rose, becoming assistant accountant, accountant and in December 1985, after the executive course at London Business School, finance director of Coats Patons, taking over from his mentor Charles Wallace.

During this period Linda was born in 1977 and Colin in 1983, thus completing their family which remained the bedrock of his life. His children remember his dedication to them and their interests, his presents on return from work trips overseas, how he made time despite a challenging business life to attend their school events and the many sacrifices that were made to their interests. They remember his unalloyed pleasure in them and his grandchildren and recognise the terrible all-consuming grief that overcame him on the loss of his beloved young grandson Leo at the age of three. He was totally devoted to Liz who had her share of ill health issues to battle but who "managed" the family while he "managed" his career.

As accountant and finance director, he was instrumental in much of the thinking at the top of the company when it was seeking a way to defy an unfavourable UK tax regime and the unfashionable City views of the textile industry and of Coats Patons. He came up with a number of initiatives, particularly in the overseas tax area, many of which were indeed adopted, to enhance both the reality and the image of the company. He had a very clear mind, was independent-minded, principled and highly respected by his peers. He was equable and rarely, if ever, raised his voice in discussion but it has to be said that he was determined and could be provocative in argument, although this was usually because either his memory was infallible or because he was right. He was however unfortunate to achieve his ambition of a Coats Patons directorship at the precise moment that the merger was agreed that gave rise to Coats Viyella. While he was appointed to the Coats Viyella board, he was junior to the group finance director and as a result found the new circumstances both irksome and unrewarding. He believed he was not being properly utilised and decided to resign within two years, leaving with glowing testimonials from both chairman Sir James Spooner and chief executive David Alliance.

He continued to regard Coats as a great company even after he left and appreciated the opportunities that he had enjoyed, valuing the quality of those he worked with and the friendships he made. Indeed he was an active member and became captain of the Wellington Golf Club (Coats pensioners) and was part of a group that went regularly to play golf in the Algarve at Easter.

As always with Mr Houston, his departure from Coats was a matter of principle and he left without the next phase in his life planned. However his abilities were soon recognised and he became the director of finance for Sir Tom Farmer's Kwik Fit in 1988. He and Sir Tom went on to form a formidable partnership as Kwik Fit grew in size, scope and value. Graeme Bissett, subsequently finance director as Mr Houston moved to become strategy and development director, said he was impressed by and learnt much from watching the Farmer/Houston team give a masterclass in negotiation, particularly when bargaining with the Ford executives over the sale of the company. His input to board discussion and strategic discussion was also much appreciated by colleagues on the board of British Polythene Industries where he was a valued non executive director.

Mr Houston retired at 55 in order to support Liz, to see more of the family and to travel. He gave many years to Haven Products in Glasgow and played golf at Elderslie and then Gleddoch. He both established and maintained wide-ranging and close friendships related to inveterate Munro-bagging, walking, photography from box Brownie to Canon and treasurership of the Renfrewshire & Inverclyde Conservative Association, which Liz referred to as his lost cause. It was typical of the man that he persisted here and one of his regrets towards the end was that he would not know the result of the May election.

In late 2013 his health problems began but he faced this with great equanimity and remained positive about both life and the outcome with family and friends. He gave no hint that he was facing the inevitable and demonstrated great courage. It was a surprise to all when he deteriorated very quickly and died within two weeks at the Royal Alexandra Hospital but not without having the time to say his farewells. The centre of all was family, summed up when in these last few days, he said to his son: "Colin, we have a good family".

He is survived by his devoted wife Liz, his children Karen, Linda and Colin and his grandchildren Sam, Amy and Calvin.