David McMurtry

Irish businessman

Sir David McMurtry

CBE FRS FREng FIMechE

Born|

David Roberts McMurtry

(1940-03-15)15 March 1940[1]

Clontarf, Ireland

Died| December 2024
Education| Mountjoy School
Known for| Chairman and co-founder, Renishaw plc
Spouse| Teresa Adams
Children| 3

Sir David Roberts McMurtry (15 March 1940 – December 2024) was an Irish-British billionaire, the co-founder and executive chairman of Renishaw plc, the UK's largest supplier of metrology equipment. As of December 2024, his net worth was estimated at US$1.3 billion.[2]

## Early life

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David Roberts McMurtry was born in 1940 in Clontarf, Ireland.[3] He was brought up in Dublin and educated at Mountjoy School (now the Mount Temple Comprehensive School) in Dublin.[4]

## Career

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McMurtry joined Bristol Aero Engines as an apprentice in 1958.[5] In 1966, following an acquisition, he found himself employed by Rolls-Royce plc where he became Deputy Chief Designer and Assistant Chief of Engine Design at Filton.[5] In 1973, while working on Concorde's engines, he designed his first trigger probe.[5] He worked on the Turbo-Union RB199 engine.[6]

In 1973, he joined his former colleague John Deer to set up Renishaw plc.[5][2] The company floated on the Unlisted Securities Market in 1983, and gained a full listing the following year.[7] In 1987, McMurtry acquired the patents for his trigger probes from Rolls-Royce plc and began to exploit the patents himself.[5] In 1989, he became a Royal Designer for Industry.[8]

McMurtry was awarded the CBE in 1994[9] and was knighted in the 2001 New Year Honours.[10]

McMurtry received an honorary doctorate from Heriot-Watt University in 1998.[11] In 2001, McMurtry was elected a Fellow[12] of the Royal Academy of Engineering.[12] In 2008, the University of Bath[13] awarded him an honorary doctorate. In 2011, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.[14] He won the Institute of Physics Swan Medal and Prize in 2012.[15]

In 2018, McMurtry stepped down as chief executive of Renishaw and was replaced by marketing and sales director William Lee.[16]

On 2 March 2021, McMurtry, along with John Deer, indicated that they wished to dispose of their entire holdings in Renishaw, comprising some 53% of the shares, as 'we recognise that neither of us is getting any younger'. The Renishaw board then announced that it was launching a formal sale process for the entire company.[17] This process was terminated on 7 July 2021, the board concluding that none of the proposals met their objectives.[18]

In June 2024, McMurtry stepped down as executive chairman of Renishaw and remained on the board as a non-executive director.[19]

## Personal life

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McMurtry and his wife, Teresa, have two sons and a daughter.[20] He lived in Wotton-under-Edge, England.[2]

In 2001, McMurtry started work on Swinhay House. Now complete, the "£30m futuristic eco-house" appeared in an episode of the BBC television series Sherlock.[3]

His death was announced on 9 December 2024.[21]

## References

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1. ^ Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knighthood (107 ed.). Burke's Peerage & Gentry. p. 2538\. ISBN 0-9711966-2-1.
2. ^ a b c "Forbes profile: David McMurtry". Forbes.com. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
3. ^ a b "David McMurtry". Independent.ie. 8 March 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
4. ^ "Irish-born designer receives knighthood". Irish Times. 15 January 2001. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
5. ^ a b c d e "Renishaw: Biography". renishaw.com. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
6. ^ "End of an era for Renishaw". Business West. 4 March 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
7. ^ "Our History". Renishaw. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
8. ^ New Year Honour for David McMurtry, EngineeringTalk.com, 9 March 2001.
9. ^ "No. 53863". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 November 1994. p. 16701.
10. ^ "No. 56070". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2000. p. 2.
11. ^ "Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh: Honorary Graduates". Heriot-Watt University. Archived from the original on 18 April 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
12. ^ a b "List of Fellows". Archived from the original on 8 June 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
13. ^ "Internal News". bath.ac.uk. 27 June 2008. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
14. ^ "Sir David Roberts McMurtry CBE FREng FRS". Royal Society. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
15. ^ "The Swan/Business and Innovation medal recipients". Institute of Physics. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
16. ^ "Co-founder of Britain's Renishaw to step down as CEO". Reuters. 24 January 2018. Archived from the original on 30 November 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
17. ^ "Renishaw PLC - Commencement of formal sale process". Retrieved 16 March 2021.
18. ^ "Investegate |Renishaw PLC Announcements | Renishaw PLC: Update on Formal Sale Process & Current Trading". investegate.co.uk. Archived from the original on 25 July 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
19. ^ "Gloucestershire billionaire Sir David McMurtry to step down as executive chair of Renishaw". Gloucestershire Live. 13 June 2024. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
20. ^ Inventor's Probing Mind Defies UK Industry Meltdown Archived 14 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine Investing News, 16 June 2005
21. ^ Robinson, Jon (9 December 2024). "Billionaire Renishaw co-founder Sir David McMurtry dies". City AM. Retrieved 9 December 2024.

## External links

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Fellows of the Royal Society elected in 2011

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* Robin Allshire
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Authority control databases: Academics |

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