Obituary: Raymond Monbiot CBE | Meat Administration Journal

Posted on Jun 13, 2023

Meat Administration journal is deeply saddened to report the latest dying of Raymond Monbiot CBE.

Born in 1937 close to Margate, Kent, Raymond Monbiot was educated at Westminster Faculty and the London Enterprise Faculty. He joined J. Lyons & Co in 1956 as a bakery trainee and labored as a pastry chef throughout that point.

His expertise and heat persona earned him speedy promotion and he grew to become nationwide gross sales supervisor at Lyons Bakery aged solely 24, and by the age of 32 had been promoted nonetheless additional to a normal supervisor. He was managing director of Telfers earlier than leaving Lyons after 22 years to affix Related Biscuits as managing director and later Campbell’s Soups, as chairman and chief govt UK.

After a complete of 32 years with multi-nationals he arrange his personal enterprise Rotherfield Administration Ltd – a consultancy specialising within the meat and meals business.

A very talked-about and properly revered business persona, Raymond had a extremely developed data of the European meals market and the workings of the European Union (EU). He usually contributed to meals business magazines and began writing for Yandell Publishing quickly after its formation in 1986. The Raymond Monbiot Interview was a ‘should learn’ part throughout the firm’s Meat & Poultry Information title and featured the ‘nice and the nice’ for greater than 10 years, with an emphasis on revealing aspects about folks that maybe wouldn’t in any other case be well-known throughout the business. He additionally contributed the Raymond Monbiot Column to Meat Manufacturing journal, which for a few years attracted a large and dependable readership.

Aside from his columns and interviews, Raymond additionally was the writer of the extremely acclaimed ebook How To Handle Your Boss and in later life he revealed the favored ebook Retirement is for Youthful Individuals: Life is Too Brief to Retire. As well as, there have been additionally various different books centred round Norfolk and the personalities close by to the place he lived.

Raymond Monbiot had a lifelong involvement with the Conservative Get together and served for a few years on the Get together’s board. He grew to become chairman of the Henley constituency and controversially backed Margaret Thatcher to retain the management of the Get together when challenged by Michael Heseltine, who on the time was MP for Henley. Raymond’s letter of help despatched to Mrs Thatcher when he was Henley Constituency chairman, which was copied to the media, and by implication highlighting the rejection of his personal sitting MP, made the lead story in a BBC tv information essential night broadcast throughout a time of political upheaval and unrest.

Regardless of the chance to face as an MP he most popular to be a part of the ‘backroom staff’ together with having a giant affect on the Nationwide Govt. In recognition of his excellent service to the Get together he was made its deputy chairman and subsequently Raymond chaired the Conservative Get together Convention within the 12 months 2000 – a singular honour within the 12 months of the brand new millennium.

Raymond was awarded an MBE in 1981 after which a CBE in 1994. He grew to become a Liveryman of the Worshipful Firm of Butchers in 1991 and in addition served on the Council of the BMMA (now BMPA) while at Telfers after which subsequently at Campbell’s.

Married to his spouse Rosalie Monbiot OBE who handed away final 12 months in March 2022, herself a really energetic persona within the Conservative Get together and a neighborhood councillor, that they had three kids, one among which is the excessive profile political activist and journalist George Monbiot.

On listening to the information of Raymond’s passing, Graham Yandell, the writer of Meat Administration journal mentioned: “Raymond was an excellent pal to me and to the Yandell enterprise. He supported us with out reservation and was a constant fanatic for what we stand for and what we attempt to do – proper from the beginning. He backed us after we launched method again in 1986 and I shall always remember his kindness and encouragement.

“Raymond’s straightforward going and excellent writing fashion, coupled along with his wit and business data made him distinctive. I had the honour of publishing his ebook 100 Not Out within the 12 months 2000 after we recorded and compiled his first 100 interviews that we had featured in Meat & Poultry Information between December 1990 and July 1999. Wanting again by way of that publication now it has turn into an incredible historical past and catalogue of the commerce, and options many main business personalities – some not with us – however all of whom have been happy to be ‘grilled’ by Raymond. An expertise universally loved by all.

“Raymond was a exceptional man of nice stature and integrity, and he was monumental enjoyable. We used to dine collectively usually to catch up and his anecdotes and tales, in addition to his political and enterprise perception, was second to none. I bear in mind these events with nice affection and I shall at all times be flattered that he was such an excellent supporter of our media and a real pal. He was additionally an excellent ambassador for the meat business, an actual champion of the commerce who stood up for what he believed. He can be sadly missed and really warmly remembered.”