Sir John Madejski
Chancellor, University of Reading, UK
Sir John Madejski OBE, DL is Chairman and Director of 18 companies worldwide.
His most high-profile position is as Chairman of the Reading Football Club, and in 2006 he led them into the English Premier League for the first time in their 135-year history.
He is Chairman of the BGP Group, one of the largest web offset printing companies in Europe, specialising in printing high quality colour magazines.
He is also Chairman of the Clearview Traffic Group; manufacturers of the revolutionary Astucia SolarLite road stud – a sequel to the “cats eyes” invention found on roads world-wide. He owns the Royal Palm Hotel in the Galapagos Islands, a five star luxury resort set in just under 400 acres and a destination for many of the world’s celebrities and dignitaries.
He is also Chairman of Sackville Properties Ltd, a leading property investment and development company.
He is a well-known philanthropist and in 2009 he was knighted for charitable services, the highest accolade in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours. He is a significant benefactor to the Royal Academy of Arts in London and has funded the John Madejski Academy in Reading, along with a new garden at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
He was on the Board of Governors at Henley Management College for 10 years until 2007, when he was made an Honorary Fellow for his contributions to the college, including his endowment of the John Madejski Centre for Reputation.
In December 2007, he was made an honorary doctorate of literature at University of Reading and installed as its Chancellor.
