Joseph Lockwood

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Joseph Lockwood
Born
Joseph Flawith Lockwood

(1904-11-14)14 November 1904
Died6 March 1991(1991-03-06) (aged 86)
NationalityBritish
Occupation(s)Businessman, record and entertainment company executive

Sir Joseph Flawith Lockwood (14 November 1904 – 6 March 1991), was a British industrialist and businessman, whose initial reputation was as an executive of a

flour milling company. Later, as chairman of EMI between 1954 and 1974, he oversaw the company's expansion in the music business, and the signing and marketing of acts including The Beatles. He was knighted
in 1960.

Early life

He was born in

Sir Frank Lockwood, their common ancestor being Joseph Lockwood (c. 1758 – 1837), a former Mayor of Doncaster, Yorkshire.[1] Lockwood attended schools in Southwell, Lincoln and Newark, but left at the age of 16 without qualifications and described his education as "little more than rudimentary".[2]

Flour milling and related activities

He worked at the family mill before travelling to Chile at the age of 19, and becoming manager of a flour mill in Santiago, later moving to Concepción. He returned to England in about 1928, and began working for Ernest Simon in his family firm of mill builders, Henry Simon (later known as Simon Carves). Despite his lack of engineering qualifications he successfully supervised the rebuilding of a mill in Belgium, and moved up through the company's management until he was appointed to the board around 1934.[2] With his enthusiasm for research and development, the company expanded under his direction, becoming the world's largest manufacturer of flour mills.[3] He wrote the standard book on the subject of mill technology, Flour Milling, in 1945, and also researched and wrote on the subject of pelletised animal feed and its manufacture.[2]

At the start of the

Hitler.[2]

He became chairman of Henry Simon Ltd. in 1950, and in 1951 became a director of the National Research Development Corporation.[2]

Management of EMI

In early 1954, he was approached by Sir Edward de Stein to join the board of

record industry, buying and developing the American Capitol company in the late 1950s,[2][5] and appointing George Martin to take charge of the Parlophone label.[6] By 1960, EMI's annual profits were some £5 million. Joseph Lockwood was appointed Knight Bachelor in the 1960 New Year Honours list.[2]

He prioritised the production and sale of popular records, rather than

Lockwood was regarded as close to the

Two Virgins album because of its controversial sleeve design.[6]

Later years and death

Lockwood retired as chairman of EMI in 1974.[4] He died at his home in Buckinghamshire in 1991 at the age of 86.[7]

References