My father, Alexander Wishart, who has died aged 81, began at the foot of the banking ladder aged 16, eventually becoming general manager and director of Harrods Bank in the 1980s, and regional managing director of the Bank of Beirut (UK) in the 90s. He was a proud member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland.
Born in Edinburgh to Margaret (nee McDonald), a munitions worker, and Alexander Wishart, a draftsman and sergeant in the Royal Air Force, Alex grew up in Leith and the Edinburgh suburb of Colinton with his two younger brothers; he went to Leith academy and the Royal high school.
Fascinated by aeroplanes, he wanted to join the RAF, but his father, a Battle of Britain and Siege of Malta veteran, instead arranged a meeting with the manager of the National Commercial Bank (later Royal Bank of Scotland) on Leith Walk. Alex began as a junior clerk and, in 1966, while working at the Shandwick Place branch, met Myra Thomson, a secretary, from Kirkcaldy. He was transferred to the branch in London’s Lombard Street, and after marrying in 1969, the couple settled in Tonbridge, Kent.
Alex was promoted to assistant manager at the Piccadilly branch. His reputation for hard work and fairness attracted attention beyond RBS. Headhunted by the Harrods Trust in 1985, he oversaw the rebranding of Harrods Bank, its relocation to a state-of-the-art banking hall, the development of new computer systems and the Harrods bank card.
In 1994, Alex left Harrods to manage the successful incorporation of Beirut Riyad Bank as a full UK bank subsidiary. His final role before retirement in 2007 was as financial controller of Gorland, a large fashion agency.
Alex was skilled at carpentry and made all manner of household items for the family, such as bunk beds, and even dolls’ houses for his daughters. The family’s world was upended when their younger daughter, Kelly, was diagnosed with leukaemia.
In 1997 she died aged 18. Alex ran two London marathons, raising thousands for Children with Leukaemia, and in 1999 he and Myra founded Kelly’s Trust for Sick Children in their daughter’s memory. Over the past 25 years, the charity has helped hundreds of families with children who are terminally ill or living with long-term illnesses in Kent, and he also volunteered once a week with another charity, Demelza (Kent), helping with its finances. In his later years, Alex enjoyed travelling with Myra and spending time with his family.
He is survived by Myra, his children, Sara and me, his four grandchildren, Alexander, Edith, May and Phoebe, and by his brothers, Iain and Gavin.
