Adrian Cadbury

Biographical information

RolesCompeted in Olympic Games
SexMale
Full nameGeorge Adrian Hayhurst•Cadbury
Used nameAdrian•Cadbury
Born15 April 1929 in Birmingham, England (GBR)
Died3 September 2015 in Birmingham, England (GBR)
Title(s)Sir
NOC Great Britain

Biography

A member of the famous chocolate dynasty, Sir Adrian Cadbury was the grandson of George Cadbury who built the company’s Bourneville factory and accompanying village. Cadbury joined the family business after the 1952 Olympics and was appointed chairman in 1965. He held the post for nearly 25 years and oversaw the famous merger with Schweppes. He was also a director of the Bank of England 1970-94, of computer giants IBM from 1979-94 and was also chancellor of Aston University in his home-town Birmingham from 1979-94. Cadbury retired from the family business at the age of 60 in 1990 and at the request of the Financial Reporting Council, he led an enquiry into how business were run in Britain and following its publication in 1992, the “Cadbury Report” set the standards for how business should be run all over the world. Two of his main observations were in separating the roles of the chairman and chief executive and also maintained that businesses built on trust and teamwork performed better than those who were not.

Cadbury was educated at Eton where he learned to row, and following National Service in the Coldstream Guards he read economics at King’s College, Cambridge where he became a rowing Blue in the famous race in 1952 which Oxford won by a canvas, the shortest winning margin since the dead-heat of 1877. Cadbury was then chosen for the British coxless fours at the Helsinki Games when they finished fourth, just two seconds off a medal position. Cadbury described the emotion of the occasion as “The greatest thing that ever happened to me.” He maintained close links with the sport he loved up to the time of his death and was President of the Birmingham Rowing Club for many years. He was a patron of the famous Leander Club, was made a steward at Henley Royal Regatta in 1969, where he was also a timekeeper. Cadbury was knighted in 1977 and in the 2015 New Year’s Honours List was made a Companion of Honour.

Results

Games Discipline (Sport) / Event NOC / Team Pos Medal As
1952 Summer Olympics Rowing GBR Adrian Cadbury
Coxless Fours, Men (Olympic) Great Britain 4

Special Notes