Sidney Gordon (businessman)

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.

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

Positions held

Organization Position Held
Lowe, Bingham and Matthews Hong Kong (PricewaterhouseCoopers) Senior Partner
The Royal Hong Kong Golf Club President and Captain
The Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club Senior Steward
Executive Council of Hong Kong, ExCo Member; 1965–1980
Kadoorie Group, Sir Elly Kadoorie and Sons Chairman
China Light and Power Chairman
The Community Chest of Hong Kong Co-Founder
Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels group Director and Chairman

References

Political offices
Preceded by
Sir Kan Yuet-keung
Senior Unofficial Member of the Executive Council
March 1980 – August 1980
Succeeded by
Sir Chung Sze-yuen


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