The family of Scottish businessman and philanthropist Sir Ian Wood have announced that he “died peacefully at home” in Aberdeen at the age of 84 on Sunday (July 26).
Born in Aberdeen on July 21, 1942, Sir Ian attended Robert Gordon's College and the University of Aberdeen, where he graduated in 1964 with a degree in psychology.
He joined the family fishing business, becoming managing director in 1967, and was responsible for transforming it from a relatively small operation to a huge multinational engineering and consulting business operating in over 50 countries.
He created the Wood Group in 1982 and served as chief executive until 2006 and chairman until 2012. By the time it was acquired by Dubai engineering firm Sidera it employed more than 35,000 people globally.
The success of the company resulted in Sir Ian becoming one of Scotland’s wealthiest men, with an estimated net worth of around £1.7 billion (2020
In 2007, Wood and his family set up The Wood Foundation, a philanthropic organisation dedicated to donating millions of pounds every year to “people, ideas and businesses with the potential to create lasting change” across Scotland and Africa.
Here are 16 fascinating quotes from Sir Ian.
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1. Sir Ian Wood on...ambition
"If you wake up in the morning and you think you have made it, you should stay in bed. There are always new things to do. I have still got a bunch of ambitions and objectives." | Getty Images
2. Sir Ian Wood on...spending money
"I can do nice things. I love animals in the wild. I’m a bit of a safari freak. Mauritius is a favourite island and we are going to Cambodia and Vietnam later this year. I hate waste but I don’t have a problem spending money.” | Contributed
3. Sir Ian Wood on...money
"I don't think money has bought me happiness or unhappiness. I understand why people who don't have it think that it does. But it comes from your personality, your marriage, your relationships with others." | Iconic
4. Sir Ian Wood on...future generations
"I’d like to see them be more caring than my generation, because I don’t think we’ve been a caring generation at all." | Contributed