International Thomson Organization
| Company type | Holding company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing, travel, natural resources |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Founder | Roy Thomson, 1st Baron Thomson of Fleet |
| Defunct | 1989 |
| Fate | Merged with Thomson Newspapers to form the Thomson Corporation |
| Headquarters | Canada |
Key people | Kenneth Thomson (leadership) |
| Products | Publishing (including Jane's, Physicians' Desk Reference), travel services, natural resources |
International Thomson Organization (ITO) functioned as a Canadian holding company from 1978 until 1989, with business interests spanning publishing, travel, and natural resources. It emerged from a restructuring of the Thomson Organization, which had been established by Roy Thomson, 1st Baron Thomson of Fleet in 1959 and once owned the The Times newspaper (divested in 1981). In 1989, ITO combined with Thomson Newspapers to create the Thomson Corporation.
History
Founded in 1978, ITO served as the parent company for Thomson's worldwide enterprises. This reorganization coincided with shifting its headquarters from the United Kingdom to Canada to circumvent British monopoly laws, foreign exchange restrictions, and dividend caps.
During the leadership of Roy Thomson's son, Kenneth Thomson, ITO reduced its involvement in natural resources while broadening its publishing and media portfolio. In 1980, it acquired Jane's, a publisher focused on military intelligence. The following year, the company expanded further by purchasing Litton Industries' publishing division, which included the Physicians' Desk Reference. That same year, due to ongoing labor disputes, ITO sold the The Times newspaper to Rupert Murdoch.
By 1986, International Thomson had obtained several key publishers: Warren, Gorham & Lamont (business publishing), Callaghan & Company and Clark Boardman (legal publishing), as well as automotive publisher Ward's. Additional acquisitions comprised Gale, Mitchell, and Thomson & Thomson. In 1988, ITO acquired Associated Book Publishers from the UK, which encompassed Sweet & Maxwell, Chapman & Hall, The Law Book Company of Australasia, and Routledge. The following year, it purchased Lawyers Cooperative Publishing along with its subsidiaries Bancroft-Whitney and Research Institute of America.