Christopher Lewinton

Sir Christopher Lewinton (6 January 1932 – 1 October 2023) was a British-American businessman.

Lewinton was born in Kentish Town, London, to Joseph and Elizabeth Lewinton.^[1] During World War II, the family, including his sister Pamela, relocated to West London.^[1] He attended Acton Technical College, focusing on maths and physics, and was a member of the Hayes Cricket Club.^[1][2]

In 1957, he married Jennifer Alcock and had two sons before their divorce in 1973.^[1][2] He later married Louise Head in 1979, becoming stepfather to her two children.^[1][2]

Lewinton started his career at Graviner, an engineering firm in Buckinghamshire that specialized in fire protection equipment for aircraft.^[1] While there, he pursued a Higher National Diploma in mechanical engineering.^[1] Lewinton served as a lieutenant in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, with a posting in Egypt in 1953.^[1]

Subsequent to his military service, Lewinton joined Wilkinson Sword.^[1] He was tasked by Wilkinson Sword to oversee their disposable razor operation in the United States, leading to the establishment of a facility in New Jersey.^[1] During this tenure, he worked with sports agent Mark McCormack, which led to Wilkinson sponsoring athletes such as Arnold Palmer and Bjorn Borg.^[1] He also served on the advisory board of McCormack's firm, IMG, from 1975 to 1995.^[1]

In 1970, Lewinton was appointed chief executive officer (CEO) of Wilkinson Sword Group. Under his leadership, the company expanded its turnover from £30 million to £600 million.^[1] After Wilkinson's 1985 merger with Allegheny, Lewinton became TI's chief executive.^[1][3] He was knighted in 1993 for contributions to engineering. After Smiths Industries acquired TI in 2000, he took retirement.^[4][5][6] Later, he established CL Partners, managing various business initiatives, including a directorship at Camper and Nicholsons Marina Investments.^[1]