Anthony Bamford

Biographical Information
Sir Anthony Bamford wiki became Chairman and Managing Director of JCB at the end of 1975.

"Sir Anthony is on first name terms with the Prince of Wales, who has used his helicopter; Tony Blair and David Cameron. His wife Carole lunches with Joan Collins, Sir David Frost, and Nick Mason. Various Goldsmiths, Weinbergs and Rothschilds were said to have attended her lavish 60th birthday party in April.

"Power and money don't guarantee you an easy ride in the public eye, though. Bamford has been accused of using his £950m fortune to garner political and social influence; he figured on Tony Blair's notorious Chequers dinner-guest list. People who break bread with him have a nasty habit of ending-up in the news for the wrong reasons.

"On Monday, the Prime Minister met with accusations of freeloading after being photographed drinking bottled lager at Heron Bay, Bamford's holiday home in Barbados. The Blair family is reported to be using the £5m pile as a "glorified beach hut" while staying at Sir Cliff Richard's nearby villa.

"A week earlier, it had been the turn of David Cameron to feel heat from his relationship with Sir Anthony, who gave £1m to the Tories before last year's general eection. Cameron and his Shadow Chancellor, George Osborne, announced plans to open JCB's £25m new factory in Poonah, India, next month. Labour MPs accused them of improperly endorsing a commercial venture linked to a benefactor...

"In October, Daylesford Organics, a farm shop created by Lady Carole - and patronised by David Cameron, Kate Winslet, Liz Hurley and Kate Moss - was at the centre of a planning dispute, after locals opposed plans to expand its operations into selling clothes and gardening and "lifestyle" goods. Others have publicly raised objections to the drone of helicopters ferrying guests to the family home, and wondered why Daylesford Organic Farms Ltd, the firm's sister company, should be registered in the Republic of Liberia."

"He was knighted by Her Majesty The Queen in 1990 and awarded the Commendatore of the Order of Merit of Italy in 1995. More recently, an award by the UK India Business Council for his significant contribution to Anglo-Indian business relations was bestowed in 2008 and he was appointed a UKTI Business Ambassador in 2010 to promote UK excellence in overseas markets...JCB supports the NSPCC in the UK and its employees are active fundraisers for the charity’s campaigns to end cruelty to children. There are also many projects at JCB’s overseas locations to support local communities, including the Lady Bamford Charitable Trust in India to assist villages near its factories and the Lady Bamford Center for Early Childhood Development in Savannah, USA." 

He is married to Carole Bamford. His younger brother is Mark Bamford (UK).

Affiliations

 * Patron (2009), Resurgence
 * Member, India UK CEO Forum
 * Member, Midlands Industrial Council
 * Patron, Tickets for Troops

Related Sourcewatch

 * Critical web site: http://www.jcbdirt.com/thedirt