Peter Roberts, who has died in his 87th year following complications of surgery, will be remembered fondly by those that worked alongside him.
When Peter retired in 1990, he was Shipping Director in the Hong Kong office and had been with the Group for 28 years.
Peter was born in Sydney, Australia in August 1940, his mother having been evacuated there from Hong Kong to avoid the Japanese threat. His father, Swire Taipan C. C. Roberts, remained in Hong Kong and after the Japanese invasion was interned in Stanley Camp.
Peter joined Swire in 1962 as a management trainee and spent his early months as a tally clerk on Mercantile Wharf in Brisbane. After this, Peter worked primarily with Swire’s shipping businesses in various executive positions in Australia, the UK, the US, Japan, Singapore, Canada and Hong Kong. Peter was particularly instrumental in the establishment of Swire Pacific Offshore’s original operational base in Dubai. His shipping colleagues remember a bright, kind man with an acerbic wit and a, not always orthodox, way of getting things done.
Latterly Peter was CEO of United States Cold Storage and is remembered here by his successor, David Harlan: “Peter was only there for about a five-year tenure but he had a dramatic effect. Ultimately, he would lay the foundation for our management team for what would be the next 30 years.”
Our deepest sympathies go to Peter’s wife Lisa.
