George Harriman

Who was George Harriman?

George William Harriman OBE, CBE was a leading figure in the British motor industry in the 1960s.

He began his career in 1923 as an apprentice at the Hotchkiss works of Morris Motors Limited. He was promoted repeatedly, becoming assistant works superindendent with Morris in 1938. Two years later he switched to Austin in 1940, and by 1945 had become a director of that company. There followed a succession of promotions through the management of BMC, a car manufacturing conglomerate created from the merger in 1952 of the Morris and Austin businesses.

He was appointed Chairman and Managing Director of the British Motor Corporation in 1961, having in principal taken over many of the responsibilities involved some years earlier from Leonard Lord.

In addition to his business career, he was a noted rugby football player, captaining the Coventry and Warwickshire teams in the 1930s, and playing briefly for the England team in 1933.