Neil Carson
Areas of Interest
BusinessHonorary Award
Honorary Doctor of Business Administration, 2010Biography
Neil Carson is the Chief Executive Officer of Johnson Matthey plc, a FTSE 100 listed company that he has helped to become the highly successful, global, environmentally driven business it is today.
For his dramatic and outstanding business achievements, he has been described by the Financial Times as the man with the 'golden touch'.
Johnson Matthey is a major player in the chemicals, precious metals and environmental engineering industry. It has also carved itself an enviable lead in the specialised business of supplying automotive catalytic converters, and is now one of the UK's leading contenders in fuel-cell technology.
He grew up in south London and went to grammar school . Moving on to higher education, he went on to gain a BSc in Engineering from Coventry University and this opened the door for him to join Johnson Matthey in 1980. He was appointed Division Director of Catalytic Systems in 1997 after having held senior management positions in the Precious Metals Division as well as Catalytic Systems in both the UK and US. Neil was appointed Managing Director, Catalysts & Chemicals in 1999 and additionally assumed board level responsibility for Precious Metals Division in 2002.
Additionally he is a non-executive director of AMEC (FTSE 100 oil and gas services co) and he was Chairman of the Business Taskforce on Sustainable Consumption and Production.
Neil Carson is a true visionary within business. It was for his inspirational leadership in establishing a clear strategic vision for Johnson Matthey that the Chartered Management Institute awarded him the 2008 Gold Medal.
Neil Carson now lives and works in Cambridge where he is respected and revered as an international business phenomenon.
Citation
"Vice Chancellor, it is my pleasure to read the citation for Neil Carson for the award of Honorary Doctor of Business Administration.
Neil Carson is the Chief Executive Officer of Johnson Matthey plc, a FTSE 100 listed company that he has helped to become the highly successful, global, environmentally driven business it is today.
For his dramatic and outstanding business achievements, he has been described by the Financial Times as the man with the 'golden touch'.
Johnson Matthey is a major player in the chemicals, precious metals and environmental engineering industry. It has also carved itself an enviable lead in the specialised business of supplying automotive catalytic converters, and is now one of the UK's leading contenders in fuel-cell technology.
Johnson Matthey has a history in gold but platinum is the key to the company's main business activity today. It is the world's largest manufacturer of catalytic converters which use small amounts of platinum group metals to reduce harmful emissions from vehicle exhausts. Green legislation on the environment has driven up sales but the company is far from dependent on the car business. It operates in a range of markets including oil, gas, chemicals, agri-chemicals and pharmaceuticals.
Neil Carson is very modest regarding his own personal journey through education. Although self evidently a role model to Anglia Ruskin University Ashcroft International Business School students, he explains that he was not a natural scholar but always had an interest in how things were made.
His curriculum vitae is impressive. He grew up in south London and went to grammar school . Moving on to higher education, he went on to gain a BSc in Engineering from Coventry University and this opened the door for him to join Johnson Matthey in 1980. He joined as a 'fresh-faced' graduate engineer but even then had designs on the top job.
He was appointed Division Director of Catalytic Systems in 1997 after having held senior management positions in the Precious Metals Division as well as Catalytic Systems in both the UK and US. Neil was appointed Managing Director, Catalysts & Chemicals in 1999 and additionally assumed board level responsibility for Precious Metals Division in 2002.
Additionally he is a non-executive director of AMEC (FTSE 100 oil and gas services co) and he was Chairman of the Business Taskforce on Sustainable Consumption and Production.
Neil Carson is a true visionary within business. It was for his inspirational leadership in establishing a clear strategic vision for Johnson Matthey that the Chartered Management Institute awarded him the 2008 Gold Medal.
Neil Carson now lives and works in Cambridge where he is respected and revered as an international business phenomenon. He has, of course, earned his place through hard work and dedication. His management style and attitude to innovation issues mirror those expounded by our own Business School.
Anglia Ruskin University recognises the contribution of Neil Carson to the management profession as a practitioner of excellence who through his work in business is helping to improve our global prospects.
Vice Chancellor, it is my pleasure to present Neil for the award of Doctor of Business Administration, honoris causa."