The former chairman of Dundee firm Alliance Trust, Bruce Johnston, has died following a short illness. He was 72.
Mr Johnston was a member of the Dundee University court and was well known in his home town, Blairgowrie.
Born in Alyth, the only child of Bruce and Margaret, and brought up in Newtyle, Mr Johnston went to school at Morgan Academy before an apprenticeship with Mackay Irons & Co accountants in Dundee.
After qualifying he was a partner of Arthur Young now Ernst & Young from 1970 to 1986, concentrating on audit and advisory work for companies and private clients.
He moved to the commercial sector in 1986 and was executive chairman of City Centre Restaurants PLC, based in London, from 1986 to 1996, combining general management with responsibility for finance and investor relations.
He returned to Scotland, settling in Blairgowrie, and joined Alliance Trust in 1991 as a non-executive director and was appointed chairman in 1996, holding the role until 2004.
He was also chairman of the audit committee and was a director of Mid-Wynd International Investment Trust and Scott & Fyffe Limited, an unlisted industrial fabrics company.
Mr Johnston was a keen hillwalker and ‘Munro bagger’, conquering around 150 of Scotland’s highest peaks.
He was also a dedicated supporter of Dundee University and a member of the university court until his second term as a lay member came to an end in July 2009.
Appointed a lay member in 2001, Mr Johnston became chairman of the finance and policy committee and held this role for the rest of his time on court. He was also a trustee of the university’s superannuation scheme for many years.
University principal Professor Pete Downes said, “Bruce Johnston was a constant supporter and champion of the university, and made a vital contribution to the good governance of the institution through his diligence, integrity and objectivity.”
University court chairman Eric Sanderson said, “Bruce was recognised by senior management as being a loyal friend of the university, but also a firm and respected critic who helped this institution to reform its financial management processes and whose contribution went far and above what is normally expected of a court member.”