Michael Roderick Oliver

Michael Roderick Oliver OBE is an English businessman, philanthropist and chairman of three Cheshire-based companies – Oliver Valves, Oliver Valvetek and Oliver Twinsafe – which manufacture high-pressure valves for the oil and gas sector.

Business career

Michael Oliver established his first business, Oliver Valves, in 1979 in a one-car garage at his home in Hale, Cheshire, England.[1][2] The business began by producing a single product – an innovative severe-service needle valve.[1] Today, the three companies sell over 400,000 valves a year, employ over 350 people in Knutsford and 600 internationally and operate through offices in 10 locations around the world, including Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Brazil and Houston. The companies’ customers are major energy companies including Petrobras and Exxon.[3][4][5] The 2013 Sunday Times Rich List placed him as Britain's 169th richest person with an estimated £517million fortune.[5][6][7] He was awarded the Order of the British Empire by the Queen at Buckingham Palace in 2012 and has been a Deputy Lieutenant of Cheshire since 2011.[8][9][10] He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Engineering by the University of Chester for his services to Engineering in 2013.[11]

Philanthropy

Oliver is a long-term supporter of a wide range of charities in the North West of England, nationally and internationally:

  • Oliver recently established the Michael Oliver Foundation, which supports carers living in the Cheshire area.[8]
  • In 2011, he helped fund the creation of a memorial to the Canadian aircrews who fought alongside the Royal Air Force during World War II, located at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.[12]
  • To raise funds for the Bomber Command Memorial in Green Park, he bought and donated a limited edition maquette sculpture to the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund for permanent display at the RAF Club in Piccadilly, London, and pledged to fund half of any future costs to ensure it is well maintained.[13]
  • Also donating to the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund, Oliver bought a Row 2 Recovery boat originally used by a six-man crew of former British soldiers for a 3,000-mile cross-Atlantic challenge. He then returned it to the crew to be used again for a nominal fee of £1.[14]
  • Oliver is a key donor to Greater Manchester charity Wood Street Mission, donating two vans to the charity in 2013.[15]
  • Various donations to Destination Florida, a Manchester-based charity, have been made, including directly funding a trip to Florida for numerous sick children along with their doctors and carers. [16]
  • Pictor Academy in Manchester, a school for children with special educational needs, were donated a specially adapted Variety Sunshine Coach along with a number of tablet computers for the classrooms.[17]

Automobile and aircraft collection

Oliver has a large collection of automobile, motorcycles, aircraft and aircraft engines and his collection also includes the late Fred Dibnah's traction engine.[18][19]

References
  1. "The Sunday Times online - Leading Edge : My biggest influence was the Viet Cong" thesundaytimes.co.uk 23 July 2010
  2. "The Daily Telegraph Online - Engineer calls for tax breaks for exporters" telegraph.co.uk 21 August 2012
  3. "Financial Times online - A bastion of British engineering" ft.com 3 May 2011
  4. "The Daily Telegraph online - Find the right partner to be an exporting success" telegraph.co.uk 18 July 2013
  5. "Real Business - How to get on the Sunday Times Rich List" realbusiness.co.uk 9 May 2011
  6. "The Sunday Times online - Wealth reaches new peaks" thesundaytimes.co.uk 21 April 2013
  7. "Sky News online - Britain's Rich Enjoying Record Wealth" news.sky.com 28 April 2012
  8. "Knutsford Guardian online - Oliver Valves boss Michael Oliver awarded OBE in Queen's birthday honours list" knutsfordguardian.co.uk 21 June 2012
  9. "Cheshire Lieutenancy - Deputy Lieutenants F-O" Archived 2013-09-15 at the Wayback Machine cheshirelieutenancy.org.uk 21 June 2012
  10. "Manchester Evening News online - Exports push Oliver Valves profits to almost £20m" manchestereveningnews.co.uk 10 December 2012
  11. "University of Chester website - A day to cherish for new graduates" chester.ac.uk 15 March 2013
  12. "The Windsor Star online - England creates memorial for fallen Canadian airmen" Archived 2013-10-02 at the Wayback Machine http://canada.com/windsorstar 28 June 2011
  13. "Cheshire businessman donates Bomber Command Memorial maquette to RAF Benevolent Fund". Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  14. "A humbling experience at Oliver Valves". Knutsford Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  15. "Oliver Valves is on a mission to support a good cause". Knutsford Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  16. "Oliver Valves helps to send sick children on holiday to Florida". Knutsford Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  17. "Oliver Valves Brings Joy to Pictor School". Variety, the Children's Charity. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  18. "Dibnah's engine sold for £240,000" BBC.co.uk 25 July 2010
  19. "Manchester Evening News online - How valve-maker millionaire Michael lets off some steam" manchestereveningnews.co.uk 12 May 2011
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