Background: Michael Bishop’s father was an Australian who settled in Manchester. Bishop went to Mill Hill School in north London and became interested in the airline industry after a flight to Dublin at the age of seven. At 16 he took a summer job with a small charter business at Manchester airport.

Work: After school Bishop joined the family engineering firm and then joined Mercury Airlines which was then bought by British Midland in 1964. He rose through the ranks and became the general manager in 1969, managing director in 1972, and chair in 1978.
Bishop was the non-executive chair of Channel 4 Television from 1991 to 1997.
Bishop also owns the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company which owns the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas.

Greatest Achievement: Working in the top echelons of business whilst being openly gay (not the easiest thing).

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