Roland Franklin
Roland Franklin | |
|---|---|
| Born | 5 May 1926 United Kingdom |
| Died | 1 February 2024 (aged 97) |
| Occupation | Merchant banker |
| Years active | 20th century |
| Known for | Director at Keyser Ullman; founder of Pembridge group; business alliance with James Goldsmith |
Sir Roland Arthur Ellis Franklin (5 May 1926 – 1 February 2024) was a merchant banker originally from Britain who later resided in Antigua and Barbuda.
Early life
Born in 1926, Roland Franklin came from a wealthy British Jewish family. His father, Ellis Arthur Franklin (1894–1964), was engaged in merchant banking. Among his siblings were Rosalind Franklin, the scientist known for her pivotal contributions to uncovering DNA's structure, and Colin Ellis Franklin, a noted writer and bibliographer.
Career
Franklin's professional life included serving as a director at Keyser Ullman, a British merchant bank that collapsed during the financial turmoil of 1973-74.
He maintained a longstanding business alliance with corporate raider James Goldsmith. After Goldsmith scaled back his U.S. ventures in 1987, Franklin established the Pembridge group alongside his son, Martin E. Franklin. From 1987 to 1989, they orchestrated multiple deals, notably the $1.3 billion hostile acquisition of the Dickinson Robinson Group (DRG). Franklin installed Martin as CEO with the objective of dismantling the conglomerate through strategic asset disposals.
Upon retiring in 1991, Franklin left Martin Franklin and Ian Ashken to finalize the DRG asset sales. The following year, they returned to the United States with plans to apply their experience from DRG toward building companies rather than breaking them apart.
Defence of Israel
In June 2015, Franklin authored an opinion piece for j., a Jewish publication based in Northern California, where he criticized the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (Iran nuclear agreement), describing it as "the first step on the path to World War III." He drew parallels between U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain prior to World War II, asserting that "Obama is betraying Israel," and concluded that Iran "should be regarded as an extremely dangerous pariah."
Personal life and death
Franklin was married to Lady Nina Franklin, and together they resided on Jumby Bay, a private island near Antigua. Their son, Martin E. Franklin, is the co-founder and chairman of Jarden.
Franklin passed away on 1 February 2024 at the age of 97.