Jack Walker
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Jack Walker (19 May 1929 - 17 August 2000) was an industrialist from Little Harwood in the English town of Blackburn, Lancashire. Making a fortune in the steel industry, Walker's name is popularly associated with Blackburn Rovers, the local football club in which he invested tens of millions of pounds. He was also involved in the airline industry.
Leaving school at 14, Walker worked as a sheet metal worker and a conscript craftsman in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers before taking over the family business with his brother, Fred Walker. Together, they transformed Walkersteel into a steel stockholding concern, which, in 1990, Walker sold to British Steel for £360m, before retiring to St Helier, Jersey.
Rises in the fortunes of Blackburn Rovers attributed to Walker include the redevelopment of the club's stadium, Ewood Park, persuading Kenny Dalglish to come out of retirement to manage Blackburn in 1991 and twice breaking the British record for the most expensive transfer of a football player, signing Alan Shearer from Southampton for £3.3m in 1992 and Chris Sutton from Norwich for £5m in 1994. And in the 1994-95 season, Blackburn Rovers won the Premiership title. Walker was also involved with Jersey club First Tower United from the 1970s.
Jack also had a keen aviation interest. In November 1983 the WalkerSteel group took over Jersey European Airways, already being the parent company to Blackpool based airline Spacegrand. The two airlines were initially run separately until 1985 when they were amalgamated and Exeter became the airline's headquarters and base for technical services. The airline grew throughout the 1990s and was recognised in 1993 and 1994 when it won 'Best UK Regional Airline'. The new millennium saw the airline announce a new brand name at the beginning of May: British European. The rebrand reflected the true size and scope of what was now the UK’s third-largest scheduled airline. July 2002 saw the start of a new beginning for the airline, British European was forced to dramatically change its business model to survive in such a highly competitive and aggressive new low cost travel era. Flybe was born and along with it a bright modern brand and changes to commercial, fleet and operational policies that were to transform the airline. The Walker Trust own 69% of the company with the remaining shares owned by British Airways (15%) and staff through an employee share scheme. At the airlines Head Office in Exeter there are two buildings named in his honour: Jack Walker House and the New Walker Hangar both based on the Exeter International Airport complex.
Jack Walker was 71 when he died of Lung Cancer in 2000. A commemorative statue stands at Ewood Park, and a nearby road is named "Jack Walker Way" in his honour.
Blackburn Rovers is still owned by his family with Fred Walker at the helm.
