Sir Ronald Halstead KBE (17 May 1927 – 18 June 2021) was a British businessman who was chairman and chief executive of the Beecham Group from 1984 to 1985 and deputy chairman of British Steel from 1986 to 1994.
Sir Ronald Halstead | |
|---|---|
| Born | 17 May 1927 |
| Died | 18 June 2021 (aged 94) |
| Alma mater | Queens' College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Chairman and Chief Executive of Beecham Group (1984-1985) Deputy Chairman of British Steel (1986-1994) |
Biography
Halstead was born on 17 May 1927 in Lancaster, Lancashire, to Richard Halstead and Bessie (née Harrison), the elder of two sons.[1] He was educated at Lancaster Royal Grammar School and Queens' College, Cambridge, where he obtained a M.A. degree in natural science and gained an athletics Blue.[1][2]
He began his working life as a research chemist with H. P. Bulmer.[3] He joined Beecham in 1954 as a manufacturing manager with Macleans Ltd.[1] In 1955, he was posted to the US as factory manager of Beecham Products Inc. (USA), rising to become President of Beecham Research Labs Inc. (USA) in 1962.[2] He returned to the U.K. in 1964, joining the board of Beecham, and became managing director for consumer products in 1973.[2][4] He was appointed chairman and chief executive of Beecham Group in 1984, leaving in 1985 after 18 months following a boardroom coup.[1][4][5] Halstead joined the board of British Steel as a non-executive director in 1979, becoming deputy chairman in 1986 until 1994.[2][4] He held numerous directorships, appointments in government and industry working groups and other organisations.[2][4]
Halstead was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1976 for services to the food industry and knighted in 1985.[6][7] He was married twice: in 1968 to Yvonne de Monchaux (died 1978) with whom he had two children, and in 2000 to Susanne Stoessl (died 2013).[1] He died on 18 June 2021, aged 94, of heart failure.[1]