Book description
In Gerald Ronson: Leading from the Front, the last of the
great British tycoons reveals how he fought his way to the top of the
business ladder, lost everything twice, then clawed his way back up again.
Amazingly for a man who now holds an iconic status in British
business, Ronson quit school before his 15th birthday to work with his
father in the family's furniture factory, and as a young man he and
his friends were street fighters, using their fists to take on the
British fascist movement. This propelled into a role as a leader in
the country's Jewish community, and he is now considered to b the most
influential secular Jew in the UK.
Ronson will forever be associated with the famous Guinness affair,
which was the biggest financial scandal of the '80s. He was found
guilty after a media circus of a trial in which the cards were stacked
against him and he spent six months in jail. Years later, the European
Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg ruled that it had been an unfair
trial. True to character, he organised his life in prison, tried to
assist his fellow inmates and has since helped many of them find their
way back into society.
After Guinness, which Ronson calls the greatest crisis in his life,
he suffered a major financial crash that nearly bankrupted him, and he
has spent the last two decades rebuilding his empire and reputation.
Now in his 70s, he spends a great deal of time raising money for
charities and good causes. His company, Heron, was for a time the
second-largest private company in the country, and he is arguably the
most respected property developer in Europe. He is also responsible
for bringing cut-price petrol to Britain, and it was he who turned
petrol stations into convenience stores and introduced self-service at
the pumps.
Told in his own tough, no-nonsense words, Ronson's insights into
British business, the British Establishment and justice system, and
his family, friends and foes make this the single most important
autobiography of the year.
Gerald Ronson is an international property and petrol station
magnate, and is one of the most notable philanthropists in Britain.
Jeffrey Robinson is the bestselling author of The Sink,
The Merger and The Laundrymen, which first brought to
the world's attention the problems of money laundering.
