GEORGE COX, BORN 1940
COMPUTERS AND MANAGEMENT
Sir George Cox was born in Hackney. His father was a hall porter, and his mother was a waitress. It was the war years, and at first when looking back were quite an exciting time; playing on the bomb sites immediately after the war. Having started his career as an aeronautical engineer George Cox worked in the Flight Test department of Vickers Armstrong’s, before moving into the (then new) field of computers. Having worked as a management consultant and appointed head of a US-owned practice in the UK, he became co-founder of the research and consulting group, Butler Cox & Partners in 1977 and served as the company’s Chief Executive throughout its international expansion and subsequent flotation on the London Stock Exchange (as Butler Cox plc), until its sale in 1991. He was Executive Chairman of PE International plc from 1991 to 1993, and Managing Director of Unisys Europe from 1994 until 1999. He served as Director General of the Institute of Directors from 1999 to 2004 and was Chairman of the Design Council from 2005 to 2010. He was Chair of Council and Pro-Chancellor of the University of Warwick from 2012 till 2017.
This life story was added to the Lives Retold collection in 2024 with the kind permission of the Archives of IT at www.archivesit.org.uk.