Born: April 11, 1942:
Died: December 24, 2021.
PETER Charles Marshall Roger, former chairman of the Scottish Stock Exchange, has died at the age of 79. He also served as managing partner of stockbroker Speirs and Jeffrey.
He was a director of numerous charities including the Lodging House Mission, which he chaired, and The Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice; a governor of Merchiston Castle School and the treasurer and later Preses of Newlands South Church. He was also a member and chairman of Glasgow’s Western Club.
Roger was educated at The High School of Glasgow then completed an apprenticeship in chartered accountancy with Alexander Sloan and Co. His traineeship followed the academic year, affording him time to travel. In 1961, he attended the World Scout Moot in Australia for a month as one of the Scottish Rover Scouts. It was a journey he was to repeat in later life, after his daughter Alison moved to Australia for work and ultimately married and settled there.
Once qualified, Roger joined Thomson McLintock, where he completed a five-year stint, latterly as manager of its trust department. But he was restless and an interview with Coopers and Lybrand resulted in a written offer for a job in Sydney.
A chance encounter with Herbert Waddell, then managing partner of Speirs and Jeffrey, suggested he might find something closer to home. This was confirmed over lunch in a Gordon Street pub and a glass of wine at a mutual friend’s wedding.It was not an interview process that today’s HR departments would recognise, but it was characteristic of the times.
Roger started his new role in 1971. He made his name tightening up back-office protocols, delivering significant improvements in the firm’s cashflow and bolstering its bottom line.
In 1989, he became chairman of the Scottish Stock Exchange. He also served on a national committee to reconcile the impact of the ‘Big Bang’ – the deregulation of financial markets and introduction of electronic trading – on regional stockbrokers.
He rose to managing partner at Speirs and Jeffrey and was at the helm as it took its first steps into the digital age.
He retired in 1999, choosing to focus on his voluntary roles and spend more time in Boat of Garten. His love of the Cairngorms had its roots in outward bound expeditions from his teenage years and he had become a member of Boat of Garten Golf Club in 1970.
He was an avid golfer and was also a lifelong member of Pollok Golf Club (1966) and Prestwick Golf Club (1981). Holidays and golfing societies helped feed his passion to play different courses and his final tally was 527, including 64 nine-hole courses. He never divulged how many shots this had taken him.
He is survived by his wife Fiona, to whom he was happily married for 49 years, their children Kenneth, Andrew and Alison, eight grandchildren, and his siblings, Jennifer and David.
Edward Murray
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