Businessman Sir Angus Grossart dies aged 85

Leading Scottish businessman Sir Angus Grossart CBE has died aged 85 after a short illness.

Noble Grossart bank confirmed its chief executive died peacefully at home on Friday with his family by his side.

Sir Angus jointly founded the merchant bank in 1969 and served as a director of several listed public companies in the UK, US and Canada.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon described him as a "titan of Scotland's business community".

"Through his significant contributions to the arts, culture, the economy and public life, Sir Angus leaves a deep and lasting legacy," she added.

He was a former vice chairman of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group and a former chairman of the Scottish Investment Trust PLC and of Edinburgh Fund Managers PLC

Sir Angus also served as chairman of the National Museums of Scotland, the National Galleries of Scotland, and the Heritage Lottery Fund in Scotland.

Sir Angus collected an honorary degree from the University of Edinburgh in 2005, alongside Gordon Brown, who was then UK Chancellor, US Governor of the Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan and Mervyn King, then governor of the Bank of England.

When he died he was chairman of communications firm Charlotte Street Partners, auction house Lyon & Turnbull and Edinburgh International Culture Summit.

Charlotte Street Partners founders Andrew Wilson and Malcolm Roberston said they were extremely sad to lose a "dear friend and colleague".

"Angus's contribution to Scottish business and arts is immeasurable, but we will forever remember the great interest he took in our small company, calmly guiding us through our early years and applying his vast experience, perspective and great humour to what we might otherwise thought of as problems," they said.

Sir Angus was also one of the key players in the refurbishment of The Burrell Collection, donating £1m to the project and chairing The Burrell Renaissance.

A Deputy Lieutenant of the City of Edinburgh, he was awarded a CBE in 1990 and then knighted 1997.

He also served as chairman of the Scottish Futures Trust, which aimed to improve "efficiency and effectiveness" of infrastructure investment.

Former first minister Alex Salmond said the trust "transformed value for money across public infrastructure, with tens of thousands of children now educated in quality new schools".

He added: "Angus was an engaging companion, a good friend and a thoroughly memorable character. He will be greatly missed by friends and family and by the many organisations, public and private, which have benefited from his wit and wisdom."

Sir Angus grew up in Carluke, South Lanarkshire, and trained in law at Glasgow University before becoming an advocate and serving at the bar until 1969.

Sir Angus Grossart was a long-time feature of the Scottish financial establishment. He was a formidable deal-maker, influencer and networker, but he came to it as an outsider.

He was from Lanarkshire and a Glasgow lawyer by training, and entered into Edinburgh's exclusive corporate finance community as something of a mould-breaker.

Quietly spoken, with a pawky sense of humour and strong patriotism, he was at the heart of numerous deals to expand Scottish businesses.

His legacy will last much longer in the leadership and fund-raising nous he brought to Scotland's national museums and galleries, as a vital player in unlocking funds, including his own, to facilitate key developments over the past 30 years.