A Dead End Job – Gordon Rae

A Dead End Job

He was the Chairman of Imperial Chemical Industries [ ICI] when he came to visit us at our Division. There was no one more senior or important in our multinational, multidivisional corporation, at that time a bellwether of UK industry. A small group of junior senior or senior junior managers, I forget which we were, were invited to meet our leader for about an hour before lunch,

for a ‘Q&A’ session. As we sat around the Board Room table with him the questions flowed easily, and the Chairman gave answers to each of them. About three minutes to one o’clock he looked at his watch and announced that there was time for one more question. From the far end of the table a lone voice piped up. “Yes” said the Chairman, “what is your question?” The voice replied, “As Chairman of ICI, what do you actually do?” You could have heard a pin drop, but in a flash, without missing a beat, the Chairman responded, “In the three minutes we have remaining it would not be possible to explain to you exactly what I do, but as the Chairman of ICI I will tell you one thing, there are no promotion prospects whatsoever!” We left for lunch.

Gordon Rae VMH, was Director General of the RHS and is the President and Patron of Grayshott Gardeners.

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