Sir Douglas Myers
Celebrating the life of a business achiever
Sir Douglas Myers’ memorial was a celebration of a man who achieved so much in his life. The long-time chief executive of Lion Breweries, business advocate and philanthropist died in London last week, aged 78, after an almost four-year battle with cancer.
In a reflection of the impact Myers had on both the business and philanthropic community, hundreds of people gathered at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Parnell, Auckland, yesterday to share their stories and pay their respects.
Family friend Reverend Warner Wilder, who took the service, described Myers as a visionary and deep thinker.
Myers’ early adulthood was dedicated to business. Following in the footsteps of his father, Sir Kenneth, and grandfather Sir Arthur, Myers took on the role of chief executive at Campbell & Ehrenfried, which eventually became Lion Nathan.
Four years after selling his Lion shareholding to Japanese brewer Kirin in 1998, Myers moved to live in London, although he continued to spend time on the family farm at Matauri Bay in Northland.
According to friend and colleague Mike Smith, if Myers had his way he would have died on the farm — something which almost happened on several occasions.
Aside from a well-publicised 18m fall in 2014 which left Myers with nine broken bones, Smith also detailed several car and quad-bike crashes — as well as a battle with the local “giant eel”, which took a chunk out of Myers’ leg necessitating a helicopter ride to hospital in Auckland for treatment.
In the words of his daughter Jessica Kimmel, Myers “didn’t believe in safety helmets or seatbelts”, viewing health and safety as a barrier to having fun.
A courageous and careful businessman, Myers was someone who took risks only after careful consideration and extensive due diligence, according to Smith, who said the entrepreneur succeeded against the odds. He was made a CBE in 1991 for his services to business management and was knighted in 2010.
Besides his accomplishments in the brewing industry, Myers put $3 million into the University of Auckland’s Kenneth Myers Arts Centre, created the Sir Douglas Myers Scholarship worth $100,000 a year to study at Cambridge University, and supported the University of Auckland’s business school.
Described by daughter Kimmel as a conundrum, Myers was an introvert who became a prolific public speaker.
“Yes, he could be bombastic, but I think his intent was to be direct and real,” Kimmel said. “For a man who didn’t need to be liked, he liked people and underneath the gruffness he was incredibly kind.”
Long-time friend Peter Thomas said it was hard to sum up the kind of person Myers was, but in three words he was generous, passionate and sincere.
Myers is survived by his wife, Lady Barbara, children Jessica, Laura and Campbell, and nine grandchildren.