Peter J Crawford-Taylor: 1946-2023

Peter Crawford-Taylor died on 22 April 2023 in The Churchill Hospital, Oxford. He was 76. Born in Barnehurst, Kent, in 1946, Peter’s natural drive won him a place at Erith Grammar School, a route that ultimately led him to study Maths and Economics at Trinity Hall, matriculating in 1965. Transferring from the Maths course for his second year, the story he told was that he caught up on the year-one Economics content in two months over the summer! He was always very proud to be an alumnus of the college and several of his Cambridge contemporaries were able to join us at his funeral in May. Peter played rugby in the distinctive black and white jersey of the Trinity Hall team and we were delighted to see more photos from those days.

Upon graduation, Peter forged a career as a professional economist, initially as an analyst before moving into leadership roles, principally in the technology and information industries. Possessing the intellect and rigour to resolve complex business situations, his general management experience had a strong international dimension – while with Rank Xerox, he spent a decade living and working in Europe as MD of the Danish and Dutch subsidiaries.

Peter attended Harvard Business School and gained global expertise prior to leading a number of business development projects in the UK and abroad. An introduction to consulting came in 1992, working alongside McKinsey & Co., and during 2000-2001, he negotiated the restructuring of a Sino-British joint venture in Beijing, heading the launch of a much-needed multi-channel reservation and distribution system.

Although an economist, Peter was also, and always, a wordsmith: widely read, he loved poetry and song, studied the etymology of language and was a good historian, devouring and sharing books and museum content throughout his life. He became an avid student of genealogy in retirement, unearthing long-lost stories that he sought to corroborate in his own scientific way, cross-referencing sources in a relentless quest to ‘Prove It’.

Every year, he reunited with a tight-knit group of university friends and their spouses, each taking it in turn to organise ‘the Cambridge dinner’. To borrow some of their words of condolence, he will be greatly missed as, “a marvellous raconteur who could dominate the dining table with his humour, and all delighted in his natural gift.”

Married to Pam for 52 years, he remained devoted to her and their two children, Maxine and Adam, as well as five adored grandchildren.