My friend George Cyriax, who has died aged 81, was a prominent financial journalist for the Financial Times and the Economist, a financial consultant and publisher, and an honorary treasurer to the Alzheimer’s Society.
He was one of the brilliant editorial team on the Financial Times from 1960 to 1966, contributing a regular, influential weekly column in which he repeatedly advocated modernising reform of British business. In 1960, with Robert Oakeshott, he wrote The Bargainers: A Survey of Modern Trade Unionism.
After leaving the Financial Times, Cyriax set up a joint financial consultancy as well as co-founding Gower Press, an academic publishing company. He retired in the 1990s, but continued to support and advise small businesses as well as retaining a highly informed interest in the investment market.
Active in the voluntary sector, in 1987 he became honorary treasurer to the Alzheimer’s Society at a time when it was in serious difficulties. He greatly strengthened the financial position of the society, its income increasing 50-fold, from £300k to £15m over the 12 years of his tenure. He also acted as honorary treasurer of the Acton Housing Association.
Born in Wimpole Street, central London, George was the son of an Italian mother, Leonora (nee Capello), and James Cyriax, a consultant in physical medicine. He was educated at Wellington college and then at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, where he gained a double first in economics. After graduating he worked for the soap manufacturer Hedley, selling soap products to small retailers. When he met Jack Cohen, the founder of Tesco, he was impressed by his marketing philosophy of “pile it high, sell it cheap”.
He met Moira Hogan at a party and they married in 1959. Every summer they enjoyed great parties for both the English and Italian sides of the family in their house in the hills above Nice, France.
George’s talents were remarkable. At one time the wine correspondent for the Financial Times, he was knowledgeable about wine, music, art and wildlife. In his later years he became an accomplished artist.
He was a wonderful companion, exuberantly enthusiastic about everything, bubbling with ideas, argumentative and opinionated, yet always willing to listen. His flow of conversation never stopped, even on the long and exhausting walks we and others took with him all over Europe.
He is survived by Moira, his three children, Julian, Dominic and Amanda, and by four grandchildren.
