Name Sidney Gordon Role Businessman | Died 2007, Hong Kong | |
Sir Sidney Gordon, CBE, GBM, JP (20 August 1917 – 2007) was a major force in the development of Colonial Hong Kong from 1956 until his death in 2007.
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Life in Scotland
Sidney Samuel Gordon was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and was the son of the managing director of British Lion Films in Scotland. In his early life he suffered from chronic ill health and was diagnosed with pleurisy as a child. This tendency towards sickness meant that Sidney, unlike his brother Lesley, never saw action during World War II. However, due to the experience he had accumulated in the Scottish accounting industry he was asked to work in the United Kingdom's biggest munitions factory at Ardeer in Ayrshire.
It was while working as an accountant here that Sidney was offered a position with Lowe, Bingham and Thomsons (which later became Lowe, Bingham and Mathews, and later PricewaterhouseCoopers) in Hong Kong. Sidney accepted this position in 1947, and by 1956 had become a senior partner at the firm.
Life in Hong Kong
As a Senior Partner in Lowe, Bingham and Matthews, Gordon became the primary accountant to Sir Elly Kadoorie and Sons, the corporation that, to this day, is the major shareholder in such companies as Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels group, China Light and Power, and Tai Ping Carpets. It was through his appointment as the accountant for this company that Sidney developed a deep friendship with Lord Kadoorie and the Kadoorie family, and when he left Lowe Bingham and Matthews, he joined the Board of Directors of Sir Elly Kadoorie and Sons, eventually becoming the group's chairman.
Sidney Gordon was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1967 and was knighted in 1972 for services to Hong Kong. He also received the Grand Bauhinia Medal in 1999, the highest award available to the Hong Kong government