The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Life of policeman turned oil tycoon
John Langler may have been ‘Tiny’ by name – but he certainly wasn’t by stature, business or reputation.
For the 6ft 7 tall oil tycoon got started in business by gifting secretaries doughnuts and offering weekly free champagne and fish and chips to everyone at the Earl’s Court Hotel at the peak of the oil boom.
The man who loved the company of women and refused to ever apologise, would go on to establish a global company, become honorary consul to Kazakhstan and Depute Lord Lieutenant of Aberdeen.
He’d also fly to New York to persuade Trump to come to Menie.
“If he thought it was best for Aberdeen then Tiny would fight for it. I’ve never known a salesman like him,” said Graham Birnie, his business partner.
John Langler was born in Liverpool on October 14 1949.
The statuesque teen attended Sir John Deane’s Grammar in Cheshire but his real passion was music.
A mod – ‘definitely not a rocker’ – he left school for life as a roadie. Later becoming a DJ, he was resident at Northwich memorial Hall where the Beatles and the Who played.
In 1970 he married Marolyn – always known as Mal – who worked in White and Swales record shop.
They had their daughter Janine in 1971 – the same year he joined Cheshire Constabulary.
Standing at an impressive 7ft 2 with his police hat on, ‘Tiny’ was the tallest in the force.
A job on Cheshire’s Pickmere land rig with Schlumberger opened the door for a new career in oil.
John brought his family to Aberdeen in 1979. He worked for several well services companies after Schlumberger including Christiansen and BJ Hughes. But by the mid 80s he set up his own well services business.
The oil slump in 1986 meant this eventually failed.
Tiny was undeterred, however, and set up four new companies in 1989 and from these his career in the Aberdeen Oil industry truly began.
By the end of his life he held 34 company directorships and had almost as many cars.
Never one to settle in a house, in one 18-year period he had 21 house moves.
By 1992 Langler was
running a job-by-job company using these innovation and research skills to solve problems for other businesses.
Graham came on board for a 24% share of the company and their partnership equated to clearer direction and exponential growth.
Tiny eventually achieved his lifelong ambition of owning a global oil services company with this business, Walker Technical Resources.
By 2009 with offices in Norway, Qatar, America and Egypt they employed 300 people.
Alongside Professor Simon Frost of Newcastle University, and with American standards and regulators, they paid for a benchmark standard to be developed, that all companies would need to adhere to.
However, a sense of ‘making it’ triggered a new wave of boredom in Tiny.
This would be short lived as his friendship with Lord Peter Fraser opened an unexpected door for Langler.
Fraser, who ran the Kazakh Society in London invited John to join. When the Russians pulled out of Kazakhstan he knew there were oil reserves there but with a lot of old Russian equipment.
He was appointed honorary consul to Kazakhstan, running the consulate out of his Silver Street office.
Another friend of Langler’s was then Provost, John Reynolds.
Attending various trade missions together he and Reynolds’ bonded over a mutual belief in the strength and expertise contained within Aberdeen.
Graham Birnie added: “Nobody was more passionate about Aberdeen than Tiny and so when the Depute Lieutenant opportunity came up he jumped at.”
It was with Reynolds that he flew to New York for a meeting in Trump Towers with Donald Trump.
In 1995 Langler and wife, Mal, separated.
A man who loved the company of women, he went on to raise son Matthew from another relationship.
His eclectic taste for life in general extended to business interests. He purchased everything from a yoghurt franchise to a wedding car business, which provided him with his beloved Rolls Royce.
He and Graham sold Walker in 2009 but short lived retirement saw the pair work together again to purchase another small business that they grew into a highly successful company called Nexus.
Despite millions in the bank and a fleet of cars that included BMWs, Mercedes, a Porsche and Bentleys he drove one of three Micras to work each day and lived in a terraced house in Nigg Way, near Kincorth.
A philanthropist and believer in the next generation of young people in Aberdeen, he supported charity and had it written into his business contracts that apprenticeships must be offered to local youngsters.
After an often gruelling 18 month illness Tiny passed away aged 72 at home.
His funeral takes place on Tuesday, April 26 in Aberdeen’s East Chapel.
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