Alastair Morton, South African businessman (b. 1938)
Sir Robert Alastair Newton Morton (11 January 1938 – 1 September 2004) was Chief Executive of Eurotunnel and Chairman of the Strategic Rail Authority and an industrialist of considerable achievements and renown.
Morton was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and read law at Worcester College, Oxford. He was managing director of the British National Oil Corporation 1976–80; chief executive of Guinness Peat Group 1982–87 and chairman in 1987; co-chairman of Eurotunnel, 1987–96 and group chief executive 1990–94; chairman of the British Treasury's private finance panel 1993–95 and chairman of the Strategic Rail Authority, 1999–2001.
In 1990, he was awarded an Honorary Degree (Doctor of Laws) from the University of Bath. He was chairman of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain 1994–2004. Morton was knighted in 1992. He died on 1 September 2004 aged 66.
As managing director of the British National Oil Corporation (1976–80), he fought to resist privatisation. In 1993 he chaired the United Kingdom Treasury's private finance panel, which sought private capital for transport projects. He was appointed co-chairman of Eurotunnel in 1987. The project cost more than twice its projected £4.8 billion price tag. The Conservative Government of Margaret Thatcher had insisted that the project had to pay its own way, and the UK legislation which authorised and facilitated the project contained an outright ban on any British public subsidy for the works.