John Madejski

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John Robert Madejski OBE DL, born Robert John Hurst on April 28, 1941 in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, is a British businessman, mainly active in publishing and the hotel industry. As of 2005, he is in the top 200 wealthiest people in the UK, with a net worth said to be in the region of £325 million (see Sunday Times Rich List 2005). He changed his name when his stepfather, a Polish airman during World War II, returned to Britain to marry his mother.

1 Life and career
2 Honours
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Life and career

While on holiday in Florida in the mid 1970s Madejski saw a car sales magazine that included pictures of the vehicles on sale. He immediately realised the potential of the idea, and founded Thames Valley Trader in 1976. Initially the magazine sold anything and everything, from houses to cars and even aircraft, but it soon concentrated solely on vehicles, and was renamed Auto Trader. In 1998 he sold his company Hurst Publishing for £174 million.

Madejski became chairman of the Football League club Reading F.C. in 1990, and has given his name to the club's Madejski Stadium, built in 1998 with £25 million largely contributed by him. In 2006 he led the Royals to the top tier of English football in the first time in their 135-year history, and has since proposed plans for an expansion of the stadium to 38,000 seats ^[1]. Having guided Reading to the Premier League Madejski is ready to sell up, so long as the offer is a good one. He said "The brand is getting stronger all the time and if there is a billionaire who wants a nice accessory down the M4 then come and talk to me. Apart from Manchester United, unless you've got a sugar daddy with really deep pockets, you're wasting your time." ^[2]

He is also a benefactor to the Royal Academy of Arts in Piccadilly, London and in 2004 had the John Madejski Fine Rooms at Burlington House named after him in recognition of a contribution of £3 million to the institution. A sculpture by Edgar Degas, La Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans, he purchased at Sotheby's in 2004 is also on display in the John Madejski Fine Rooms. The John Madejski Centre for Reputation at Henley Management College, the new garden at the Victoria and Albert Museum, a lecture theatre at the University of Reading and a gallery at the Museum of Reading also bear his name. He has recently contributed to the runnings of Thamesbridge College, Reading, and it will soon be opened under the new name of the John Madejski Academy.

Madejski is active in politics: he has contributed extensively to the Conservative Party and was vociferous in his calls for the removal of the then party leader Iain Duncan Smith in 2003.

He owns a large number of luxury cars, owning a couple of Rolls-Royces, two Bentleys, four Jaguars, an AC Cobra and a pair of Ferraris, including a red 328 which sits inside a glass case in the gym of his home.

Madejski has two children, but has never married. He made front-page headlines in UK tabloid newspapers in October 2004 due to his alleged romantic attachment with singer and TV star Cilla Black. The pair became friends due to their mutual affiliation with the Conservative Party.

[edit] Honours

In 2000 Madejski was awarded the OBE in "recognition of his contribution to Reading Football Club and the Reading community". He is also Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire.

In 2006 he was admitted as a Freeman of the Borough "in recognition of the distinguished service rendered to the Borough of Reading, by his contribution to the growth and success of football in Reading, and by his support for education and arts".