William Coates

Who was William Coates?

Sir William Henry Coates was a British civil servant and businessman who worked principally for Imperial Chemical Industries.

Born in Runcorn, Cheshire, the son of T. Mallalieu Coates MRCVS and his wife Esther, née Tough. He was educated at Loughborough Grammar School, before entering the HM Civil Service. He worked in the War Office, the Tax Inspectorate, and at the Inland Revenue. In 1925 he succeeded Josiah Stamp as company secretary of Nobel Industries, which was one of the four companies that merged to form ICI in 1926. He was treasurer of ICI from 1927 to 1929, and a director from 1929 until his retirement in 1950. He was made a Knight Bachelor in 1947. He died in 1963 at Eastbourne.