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on Jarvie
Page 33
Page 32
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R. JAR VIE," I said, "it looks as though ye born with a silver spoon in your mouth."
the innuendo: Mr. J. R. T. Gibson Jarvi aged 40, was a United Dominions Trust trainee in director of the company two years later, and, in P less than its joint deputy chairman. But his fathei redoubtable John Gibson Jarvie, chairman of the Mr. Jarvie, junior, made no deprecatory gesture. right," he replied. "Of course, on the face of it, i absurd that anybody should jump so suddenly to deputy chairman of an organization like this. Bu the answer to your innuendo: seven years after my tion I'm still joint deputy chairman. Be quite su if I'd shown ineptitude for the job the company wou had me out of it long ago. They'd rather pay me away." United Dominions Trust can afford to carry as a passenger—not even the chairman's son.
The Group is a banking and financial institutio prising more than 40 companies in the United Kingd Commonwealth, and in South Africa and the Rept Ireland. Assets exceed £215m. At home, in add the parent company, which offers complete corn banking facilities and accepts deposits and current a4 the Group includes the largest hire-purchase financ in the United Kingdom, United Dominions Trust mercial), Ltd., of which Mr. J. R. T. Gibson J managing director.
As that company is responsible for all the im credit business of the Group in England, Scotia Wales (with the exception of that transacted by Eng Finance, Ltd., the Cycle and General Finance Corp Ltd., and by Carplant, Ltd.) its importance is obvit especially for the operator of commercial vehicles.
to tell, I had almost expected to see the United Dns waiting room in London's Eastcheap filled with .faced haulage men, truck dealers and the like, waiting to catch some of the crumbs falling from man's table. It wasn't at all like that. Mr. Gibson old me that United Dominions sell to prospective is hard and pertinaciously as any other kind of dye business. "Your haulage man is usually a tough T who knows the state of the market well," he told nd you have to remember there's no closed shop inance business. Though there is a maximum rate est above which no finance house will go, there's to prevent the negotiation of lower rates."
from an orthodox education at Gibb's School, and Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where he read Law I'd taken Economics ") Gibson Jarvie learned a lot -y tough school. From 1940 until. 1946 he was in al Navy, serving from 1941 as an R.N.V.R. officer. him if he recalled any exciting moments. He paused Lnd then, in a sort of throw-away line, he told me, in the Arctic convoy PQ IF of which very, very our ships survived. That's the one Godfrey Winn 'out, you remember. And I was in the return match Scharnhorst."
ducation was rounded off by a call to the Bar in infer from other things he told me that his heart is nore in engineering than in Blackstone, and that Id rather be concerned with Laystall Engineering lember of the Group and of which he is a director, :ading.in the High Court (he has never practised). ovember, 1959, under the impetus of Jarvie and the " Amstel Club" was founded to provide .n co-operation on the financing of imports and exports. Both export credit, and negotiation facilities are offered, thus reducing some of the exporter's risks.
It is abundantly clear that Gibson Jarvie is what has come to be known technically as a "European." He, like many far-sighted British exporters, has his eye on the vast potentialities of the highly developed countries of the Common Market and the European Free Trade Area with their aggregate population, in addition to the United Kingdom's 50m. of 200m. people.
What about the Commonwealth? Is U.D.T. turning away from it? Not if vast interests in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, East Africa, Nigeria, Rhodesia and the West Indies mean anything. An expansion? Assuredly, as Mr. Jarvie emphasized, world-wide expansion is not held up by lack of finance. I put it to him that pension schemes which adamantly exclude able men over 40 or so from changing their job (or even, in some cases. finding one) tend to fend off the talent so desperately needed.
"Look After Staff"
He agreed that there is some truth in this, but believed it better, for the firm at any rate, to pay a man a pension than let him hope against hope for an ex gratia payment at some unspecified stage later on. "Anyway," he went on,
In this kind of business we do not look for the brilliant fellow who likes to 'sell his services to the highest bidder and may get out at any moment. What we need is plodding, patient merit; the man who is content to stay the course from youth to retirement."
This principle, I hasten to add, does not appear to include the Board. They by no means present such a picture. It does not include J. R. T. Gibson Jarvie who, whatever his merits—and they must be great to enable him to wield a major influence on British industry at home and overseas—and however great his patience (fortunately our interview did not seem to test it to breaking point), can hardly be described as "plodding." I judge him, if only on the evidence of the Amstel Club, to be a man of ideas, initiative and thrust.
Hobbies? "1 like boating. Used to drive fast cars. But now I have six children—what other hobby have I time for?"—H.C.