THE name of Graham Strachan was synonymous with that of the Clydeside
firm of John Brown Engineering for many years. He was killed yesterday
in an Aviemore hotel fire.
Mr Strachan, who was 64, masterminded JBE's successful transition from
shipbuilding to turbine manufacturing.
As the quietly spoken but highly determined managing director, he also
guided the firm through a profitable period in the 1970s and early '80s
while the parent company, John Brown PLC, was #130m in debt.
JBE was the jewel in the crown, which made his resignation in
September 1983 as MD after a career of 30 years with the company all the
more shocking to the workforce and the business community.
After more than a decade in which the company's record in exports was
acclaimed, Mr Strachan said he wanted to pursue new horizons. Within
months, he was appointed executive director of Scott Lithgow on the
lower Clyde.
He came from a family with long traditions in shipbuilding in both
Scotland and Northern Ireland, and first saw Clydeside in 1935 when his
family moved from Belfast.
His father George was engineering director and later deputy managing
director of John Brown's shipyard.
After graduating from Cambridge in mechanical sciences, Mr Strachan
joined Alexander Stephens of Linthouse as an engineering apprentice in
1950. Two years later, he switched to John Brown and Co Ltd (Clydebank)
to complete his apprenticeship.
After National Service, he returned to John Brown's in 1957 as a
design engineer -- and the relentless drive to the top had begun in
earnest.
He became development engineer in 1959, engineering director in 1963,
and was appointed director and general manager in 1966. He became
managing director in 1968, group managing director in 1975, and was
deputy chairman in 1983.
The services of Mr Strachan, who received the CBE in 1977, also
included leading positions with, among others, British Smelter
Constructions, CJB Offshore Ltd, and Stephens of Linthouse Ltd for many
years.
He perhaps walked tallest during the 11-month international crisis in
1982 over US sanctions against a Russian gas pipeline project that put
JBE's biggest and best contract, worth #104m, in peril.
He was determined to preserve Scotland's leading engineering firm,
regardless of President Reagan's embargo.
That was when his political skills came to the fore -- on both sides
of the Atlantic, after threatening to load turbines for the pipeline on
a Russian freighter.
The crisis also underlined his business acumen. Even before a
face-saving peace formula was devised, Mr Strachan had ensured any gaps
in keeping the shopfloor busy were filled by bringing other customers'
orders forward.
A former executive committee member of the Scottish Engineering
Employers' Association, his current positions included chairmanship of
the Scottish Council Foundation and vice-presidency of the Scottish
Council (Development and Industry). He was also a director of Glasgow
Chamber of Commerce, a post held since 1978.
Mr Strachan was a former member of the Court of Strathclyde
University. His favourite recreations were skiing, golf, and jazz. He
also found time to write. Last month, he had a letter published in The
Herald -- about HCI's hospital at Clydebank.
He is survived by his wife, Catherine, who was injured in the fire at
the ski resort. They married in 1960, and have two sons.
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