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SIR DENNIS HARPER
Sir Dennis Harper is well known as one of the top managers
in Britain. He eventually chose a career in business after participating
in many different activities, as there were always other things he
wanted to do apart from business.
He studied history at Cambridge University between 1946
and 1951, but during this period he had many other interests. He always
wanted to be a sportsman; so he played rugby for the University team and
for his hometown. He also wanted to be a great actor and, when he was a
student, he acted in a lot of plays in the university. In 1947, he
played the long and difficult role of Hamlet. He also wanted to be a
politician. During that same year, he became chairman of the University
Conservative Club. Three years later, he was chosen candidate for
parliament in his hometown, Worthing. Unfortunately he lost the election,
but he increased the vote for his party.
In 1955, Dennis Harper organized and prepared a big
international conference about "The Labour Risks in industry"- the
chairman at that time was The Duke of Edinburgh. Dennis Harper worked as
a manager for various companies during the 50s and 60s, and later
became well known to the public as Chairman of the BBC. He joined the
BBC in 1975, and left in 1985. In 1979, he was given a knighthood by the
Queen, and became Sir Dennis Harper. He received another award from the
Queen in 1994 for his collaboration in foreign diplomatic affairs.
Today, he is Chairman of several companies, including Sony
(UK) of which he was appointed in 1983. He was the first non-Japanese
person to become chairman of a Japanese company. The Japanese Government
awarded him the "Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure" in
1990.
In 1990 he started to write his autobiography, "The
Beginnings" and finished it in 1992.
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