Peter Gordon Williams
Peter Gordon Williams | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date |
| Died | October 14, 1982 (aged 62) London |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, company chairman |
| Years active | 1940s–1982 |
| Known for | Chairman of Dodwell & Co, Inchcape, Hongkong Electric Company, Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club; Unofficial member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong |
Peter Gordon Williams, OBE, JP (23 January 1920 – 14 October 1982), was a prominent British entrepreneur and served as an unofficial member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong.
Williams began his career as an artillery officer in the British Indian Army during the Second World War. Utilizing familial ties, he entered Dodwell & Co, a trading firm operating in the Far East based in Hong Kong. He advanced within the company to become director and subsequently chairman. After Inchcape acquired Dodwell for £13 million in 1973, Williams was named chairman of Inchcape. His executive influence extended to chairmanship of the Hongkong Electric Company and non-executive directorships at Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, The Hongkong & Kowloon Wharf & Godown Company Limited, and The Hong Kong Telephone Company. In 1975, he took over from Sir Douglas Clague as deputy chairman of HSBC.
In 1972, Williams was appointed chairman of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce and represented this body as an unofficial member of the Legislative Council between 1972 and 1978. Additionally, he acted as a provisional member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong during the absence of Sir Douglas Clague.
Between 1974 and 1981, Williams chaired the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club, during which time he managed the inauguration of the Sha Tin Racecourse in 1978—an important milestone for Hong Kong’s recreational sector. He also had the distinction of welcoming Queen Elizabeth II on her visit to Hong Kong in 1975. Williams and his family made their home at 35 Magazine Gap Road, The Peak.
Williams stepped down from his directorships by May 1982 and died in London on 14 October 1982 at the age of 62.