Michael Roderick Oliver is an English businessman, philanthropist and chairman of three Cheshire-based companies – Oliver Valves, Oliver Valvetek and Oliver Twinsafe – which manufacture high-pressure valves for the oil and gas sector.
Business career
Michael Oliver established his first business, Oliver Valves, in 1979 in a one-car garage at his home in Hale, Cheshire, England. The business began by producing a single product – an innovative severe-service needle valve. Today, the three companies sell over 400,000 valves a year, employ over 350 people in Knutsford and 600 internationally and operate through offices in 10 locations around the world, including Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Brazil and Houston. The companies’ customers are major energy companies including Petrobras and Exxon. The 2013 Sunday Times Rich List placed him as Britain's 169th richest person with an estimated £517million fortune. He was awarded the Order of the British Empire by the Queen at Buckingham Palace in 2012 and has been a Deputy Lieutenant of Cheshire since 2011. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Engineering by the University of Chester for his services to Engineering in 2013.
Philanthropy
Oliver is a long-term supporter of a wide range of charities in the North West of England, nationally and internationally:
Oliver recently established the Michael Oliver Foundation, which supports carers living in the Cheshire area.
Also donating to the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund, Oliver bought a Row 2 Recovery boat originally used by a six-man crew of former British soldiers for a 3,000-mile cross-Atlantic challenge. He then returned it to the crew to be used again for a nominal fee of £1.
Various donations to Destination Florida, a Manchester-based charity, have been made, including directly funding a trip to Florida for numerous sick children along with their doctors and carers.
Pictor Academy in Manchester, a school for children with special educational needs, were donated a specially adapted Variety Sunshine Coach along with a number of tablet computers for the classrooms.
Automobile and aircraft collection
Oliver has a large collection of automobile, motorcycles, aircraft and aircraft engines and his collection also includes the late Fred Dibnah's traction engine.
