How I sent Maxwell packing, by Victor Watson

ONE of the region’s most popular and respected businessmen has written a book revealing how he twice thwarted takeover bids from tycoon Robert Maxwell.

Victor Watson, the former chairman of family printing and board games firm Waddingtons, launched his book – The Waddingtons Story – at a literary luncheon at Leeds Civic Hall attended by more than 200 Yorkshire business leaders.

In the book Mr Watson gives the inside story of how he and his team successfully outwitted Maxwell’s bids despite the disgraced former Daily Mirror owner resorting to plenty of underhand tactics.

Waddingtons, guided by by Mr Watson’s grandfather, also called Victor, and his father Norman, became a household name producing best-selling board games like Monopoly and Cluedo as well as packs of playing cards.

In defeating the Maxwell bids, Mr Watson, who turned 80 in September, said he owed a great deal to his fellow directors and many friends who offered support, including Leeds-based property developer Neil Pullan who instantly offered to buy a large tranche of Waddingtons shares as soon has he was approached by Mr Watson.

“Much of business is based on friendship and trust – more than we think. I think it is still the case. I was extremely lucky in my life to make friends. Yes I was taken for a ride a few times and cheated but I was better off for trusting people than not trusting them, ” Mr Watson told the audience, which included top table guests such as Dame Fanny Waterman, founder of the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition and former England rugby captain and Waddingtons managing director David Perry.

The lunch was sponsored by Directorbank, Leeds, York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, PricewaterhouseCoopers and PrintYorkshire and supported by corporates including Kleinwort Benson, Coutts, Mitchells Group and Brewin Dolphin.

Mr Watson, still an active member of the Yorkshire business community, is partnership president of PrintYorkshire and a former president of Leeds Chamber of Commerce.

Mr Watson was encourage to write the book by Robert McClements, the former director of PrintYorkshire who is West Yorkshire chairman of the Prince’s Trust.

Yesterday’s lunch raised funds for the Prince’s Trust and saw a leather-bound copy of Mr Watson’s book auctioned for the charity. It was bought by Robin Smith, chairman of Leeds Building Society for £2,000.

To buy a copy of Victor Watson’s book, The Waddingtons Story, telephone Jeremy Mills Publishing on 01484 463340 or email sales@jeremymillspublishing.co.uk