Hal Miller
Encyclopedia
Sir Hilary Duppa "Hal" Miller (born 6 March 1929), known as Hal Miller, is a British
Conservative Party
politician.
Educated at Eton College
, Miller graduated from Merton College, Oxford
in 1956 and the University of London
in 1962. Following colonial service in Hong Kong
, he served as Member of Parliament
(MP) for Bromsgrove and Redditch
from February 1974 to 1983, and for Bromsgrove
from 1983 until he retired in 1992. He is a former vice-chairman of the Conservative Party.
After retiring from politics, he joined the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the trade association of the motor industry in the UK, as its chief executive. He modernised and transformed the somewhat staid society by introducing and implementing a strategy of commercialisation.
After a four year term, he resigned from SMMT to become managing director and later chairman of Cosmopolitan Textiles Limited, a UK-based subsidiary of the Hong Kong textile conglomerate Mingley Corporation with a brief to take the company into the auto industry. This was achieved successfully as a second tier supplier of patented substrates, mainly for headliners.
In 2005, he became a key supporter of Project Kimber. This had been formed to keep MG sportscars British after MG Rover's entry into administration in April of that year. Following the surprise sale of the entire assets of MG Rover and its subsidiary Powertrain Limited by the administrators, PricewaterhouseCoopers, to Nanjing Automotive Corporation against letters of credit to the reported value of £55m on July 22, 2005, Project Kimber developed a new business plan. This focussed on a key element of the original MG plan, which was to acquire the rights to produce and sell a rebranded and re-engineered version of the successful smart roadster, that had sold at a rate of 15,000 cars per annum in Europe for the previous two years, from DaimlerChrysler.
Miller has been twice married: in 1956 to Fiona McDermid, with whom he had four children, and in 1976 to Jacqueline Roe, with whom he has two children. He was Deputy Lieutenant
(D.L.) of Worcestershire in 2000. His brother, Michael Miller, was a QC
and died in 2008.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician.
Educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, Miller graduated from Merton College, Oxford
Merton College, Oxford
Merton College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor to Henry III and later to Edward I, first drew up statutes for an independent academic community and established endowments to...
in 1956 and the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
in 1962. Following colonial service in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, he served as Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Bromsgrove and Redditch
Bromsgrove and Redditch (UK Parliament constituency)
Bromsgrove and Redditch was a parliamentary constituency centred on the towns of Bromsgrove and Redditch in Worcestershire. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
from February 1974 to 1983, and for Bromsgrove
Bromsgrove (UK Parliament constituency)
Bromsgrove is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post voting system...
from 1983 until he retired in 1992. He is a former vice-chairman of the Conservative Party.
After retiring from politics, he joined the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the trade association of the motor industry in the UK, as its chief executive. He modernised and transformed the somewhat staid society by introducing and implementing a strategy of commercialisation.
After a four year term, he resigned from SMMT to become managing director and later chairman of Cosmopolitan Textiles Limited, a UK-based subsidiary of the Hong Kong textile conglomerate Mingley Corporation with a brief to take the company into the auto industry. This was achieved successfully as a second tier supplier of patented substrates, mainly for headliners.
In 2005, he became a key supporter of Project Kimber. This had been formed to keep MG sportscars British after MG Rover's entry into administration in April of that year. Following the surprise sale of the entire assets of MG Rover and its subsidiary Powertrain Limited by the administrators, PricewaterhouseCoopers, to Nanjing Automotive Corporation against letters of credit to the reported value of £55m on July 22, 2005, Project Kimber developed a new business plan. This focussed on a key element of the original MG plan, which was to acquire the rights to produce and sell a rebranded and re-engineered version of the successful smart roadster, that had sold at a rate of 15,000 cars per annum in Europe for the previous two years, from DaimlerChrysler.
Miller has been twice married: in 1956 to Fiona McDermid, with whom he had four children, and in 1976 to Jacqueline Roe, with whom he has two children. He was Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
(D.L.) of Worcestershire in 2000. His brother, Michael Miller, was a QC
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
and died in 2008.