Name James Baron | Role Political figure | |
Education University of Glasgow, St Aloysius' College, Glasgow, Glasgow Caledonian University | ||
James Stuart Gordon, Baron Gordon of Strathblane CBE (born 17 May 1936) is a Scottish businessman and manager.
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Early life
The son of James Gordon and Elsie Riach, he was educated at the St Aloysius' College, Glasgow and the University of Glasgow, where he graduated with a Master of Arts in classics in 1958.
Business career
Gordon worked as political editor for STV between 1965 and 1973, and as managing director of Radio Clyde between 1973 and 1996.
For the Scottish Radio Holdings, Gordon was chief executive from 1991 to 1996 and chair from 1996 to 2005. He was vice-chair of Melody Radio from 1991 to 1997, director of Clydeport Holdings from 1992 to 1998 and chair of the Scottish Tourist Board from 1998 to 2001. Since 1990, he has been a member of the Scottish Advisory Board of British Petroleum, and since 1996 director of Johnston Press plc as well as chair of AIM Trust plc (now Active Capital Trust). He has been also chair of Radio Audience Research (RAJAR) since 2003.
Gordon was member of the Scottish Development Agency between 1981 and 1990 and chair of the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre between 1983 and 1989. He was a member of the court of the University of Glasgow from 1984 to 1997 and of the Committee of Enquiry into Teachers' Pay and Conditions in 1986. For the Scottish Tourist Board, he has been a member since 1997, and was its chair between 1998 and 2001. From 1997 to 1998, Gordon was chair of the Advisory Group on Listed Events, from 1998 to 1999 member of the Independent Review Panel on Funding of BBC and from 1998 to 2001 board member of the British Tourist Authority.
Political career
In the 1964 general election he contested East Renfrewshire for Labour. Gordon was further a trustee of the National Galleries of Scotland between 1998 and 2001 and has been a trustee of the John Smith Memorial Trust since 1995. From 1995 to 1997 he was Chairman of the Glasgow Common Purpose organization.
In 1984, he was awarded a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) and received a Sony Award for his outstanding services to radio. On 4 October 1997, he was created a life peer with the title Baron Gordon of Strathblane, of Deil's Craig in Stirling. In 1994, Gordon was made a Fellow of The Radio Academy, and has received the Lord Provost's Award for Public Service in Glasgow as well as the honorary degree Doctor of Letters (DLitt) by the Glasgow Caledonian University. He was further made an Honorary Doctor of the University (DUniv) by the University of Glasgow in 1998.
Personal life
Since 1971, he has been married to Margaret Anne Stevenson. They have a daughter and two sons.