‘WARTS AND ALL’ NEWSPAPER MEMOIR FROM EMINENT QUEEN’S GRADUATE
02 September 2019
Colin McClatchie, BSc Economics (1971), formerly the Managing Director (Scotland and Ireland) of News International Newspapers, has published 'A Musing', a personal account of his long and varied career in the UK newspaper industry.
Born in Belfast and educated at Coleraine Academical Institution, Colin James Stewart McClatchie came to Queen’s in the late 1960s to study Economics. After graduating in 1971 he joined Thomson Regional Newspapers as a graduate trainee, working in their offices in Belfast, Newcastle and Edinburgh.
“When I set out on my Economics degree at Queen’s way back in the 1960s I had no idea where my career would take me. I have many fond memories of those university days – some of which appear in the book – and am very grateful that I got a good degree that led directly to a great start in life in the Belfast Telegraph," Colin told Queen's.
Moving to The Scottish Daily Record and Sunday Mail in 1984, increasing sales of both titles in eight out of eleven years, Colin switched sides to News International Newspapers in 1995 (known as News UK since 2013) after being fired by fellow Queen’s graduate David Montgomery (BA 1970).
There he would go on to become General Manager, Scotland, before also taking on the brief for Ireland as Managing Director. Colin worked for the News International for over 10 years during which time he helped establish The Scottish Sun as market leader.
During a prominent and prolific career in the newspaper business, Colin McClatchie was in regular contact with a wide cross section of well-known personalities, businesses leaders and organisations. Described as ‘hard hitting’ and ‘highly amusing’, his written account of this high point in newspaper dominance of the media world, pulls no punches. And he is no less controversial in his dealings with many public figures.
Since retiring from News International in 2008, Colin McClatchie has had a significant non-executive portfolio. Former Chairman of the Scotland Institute of Directors, he was Chairman of Scottish Opera for seven years, Chairman of St Columba’s independent school in Kilmacolm in Renfrewshire and Chair of Glasgow UNESCO City of Music.
He was also a non-executive director of Scottish Enterprise, Dunfermline Press Group and Beattie Media and a former Chairman of the Scottish Society of Epicureans. He still runs Prescient, his own mentoring consultancy.
In 2015 Colin was elected a Fellow of The Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) and received a CBE for services to music and the community in the West of Scotland in 2017. The same year, he was appointed to a four-year term as a Public Interest Member for the Institute of Chartered Accountants Scotland (ICAS), the profession’s main body in the UK.
“I feel privileged to have earned a living in newspapers, which saw me work for two of the last great press barons – Rupert Murdoch and Robert Maxwell – and have seen and heard a lot," said Colin.
"A Musing is my way of sharing some personal recollections – not to mention the odd skeleton and a few funny stories! – in what has been for me, an exciting working life," he added.
A co-founder of the Queen’s University Association, Scotland (QUAS) in 2003, Colin served as its President for a number of years. QUAS organises regular events for the University’s alumni in Scotland.
He is married to Claire and has two daughters, Amanda and Milena.
Copies of ‘A Musing’ can be ordered via www.colinmcclatchie.com or from William Anderson & Sons Ltd on telephone: +44 (0)141 440 2881.
To submit graduate news items, or for general enquiries about this story, please contact Gerry Power, Communications Officer, Development and Alumni Relations Office, Queen's University Belfast or telephone: +44 (0)28 9097 5321.
Main photo credit – Jessica McDermott Photography; headline photo by PDPics from Pixabay.
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