John Gray

Q: When did John Gray die?

John Gray died on November 19, 2009.

Q: How old was John Gray when they died?

John Gray was 75 years old at the time of death.

John Malcolm Gray, CBE (28 July 1934 - 19 November 2009) was a Scottish businessman and the former chairman and chief executive of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation in Hong Kong from 1993 until his retirement in 1996. He was the third generation of his family to work for the organisation. Gray was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1996.

Background

John Malcolm Gray was born in Hong Kong on 28 July 1934. At the beginning of the Second World War, Samuel Gray, his father, was manager of the bank in Calcutta. He sent his family to Australia for safety. Gray was educated in Australia and at Strathallan School in Perthshire, Scotland.

Gray's family connection with the HSBC began in 1883 when his great uncle joined the Hongkong Bank serving as its agent in Hankow. His father joined the bank in 1914 and his great uncle in 1920, all of whom would become bank managers.

Career

Gray joined the London branch of the bank as a trainee in 1952 before moving out to Hong Kong in 1956. Further postings with the bank led him to India, Malaysia, Brunei, France and Germany. In 1979 Gray was appointed as chief accountant closely followed by several promotions in the early eighties to executive director and subsequently deputy chairman of the bank. During this time he also served as chairman of James Capel, the newly acquired stockbroking arm of the organisation. In 1992 he was appointed a director of the recently founded HSBC Holdings in London.