Melinda French Gates and John Swinney pay tribute at Sir Ian Wood service

Melinda French Gates and Scottish First Minister John Swinney were among those who paid tribute to the life of businessman Sir Ian Wood at a memorial service in Aberdeen on Friday.

The billionaire and philanthropist who ran the Wood Group company based in Aberdeen died at the age of 84 in July.

Sir Ian was one of Scotland’s wealthiest people, earning his fortune in the North Sea oil industry where he built up his engineering and consulting company.

Sir Ian died peacefully at his home on July 26 surrounded by his immediate family.

A memorial service was held at the MacRobert Hall of Robert Gordon’s College in Aberdeen on Friday, and it was attended by over 300 people, including Sir Ian’s immediate family, friends, former colleagues, and senior figures from the worlds of business, politics and philanthropy.

At one point, the service was watched on livestream by approximately 460 people.

Ms French Gates was among those who paid tribute to Sir Ian at the service and called him a “tremendous man” via a pre-recorded video message.

The American philanthropist, businesswoman, and global advocate for women and girls, knew Sir Ian through his involvement with The Giving Pledge, a global philanthropic initiative, which he became a signatory to in 2015.

Ms French Gates, the co-founder of the Giving Pledge, said Sir Ian was “warm and generous with everyone, and he was always there to learn and listen”.

“I like that he remembered, even though he’d had success in business, that he had a responsibility to make life better for others, whether it was a smallholder farmer in Rwanda or a science teacher in Aberdeen,” she said.

“Those people who have been the beneficiaries of his philanthropy are all better and will have more opportunities because of it.

She continued: “His legacy will live on through the Wood Foundation and Garreth’s (Garreth Wood) leadership, and I love that he knew that there was so much more to come and that could happen by what he left behind.”

The First Minister, who currently in India on a Scottish Government-led trade mission, also paid tribute to Sir Ian in a video message played during the memorial.

Mr Swinney said Sir Ian was “one of the greatest Scots of modern times” and added that it is “beyond question” that he helped craft modern Scotland.

“His achievements were extraordinary. He built a family business into a global enterprise. He helped to establish Scotland as a world leader in energy. But what distinguished Sir Ian was not simply what he built, but why he built it, and what he gave back,” Mr Swinney said.

“Sir Ian’s ambitions were never solely for himself or for the organisations he led, they were for Scotland and her people. He wanted our country to succeed. He wanted young people to thrive. He wanted communities to flourish, and he dedicated his time, his energy, and his resources to making that happen. This, as much as any venture, is his remarkable legacy.”

Former Conservative minister Lord Michael Gove, who gave a speech at the memorial, said Sir Ian was both an “example and an exemplar”.

“That was Sir Ian Wood. He was the very best of us. Aberdeen’s finest,” Mr Gove said.

“Shaped by this city’s institutions he dedicated his life to making Aberdeen more prosperous, secure and confident. And he used what he learned here, and what he built here, to make the whole north-east, Scotland, and the world, a better place.”

Paul Kagame, president of Rwanda, who has championed The Wood Foundation’s transformative initiatives in his country, also paid tribute via video.

Mr Kagame said Sir Ian left behind a legacy “that will inspire many others”, and the Rwandan president said his philanthropic work across Africa, including Rwanda, was a reflection of his selflessness and generosity”.

The service was led by broadcaster Jackie Bird and included tributes and readings from a range of other people who reflected on different aspects of Sir Ian’s life and career.

Garreth and Graham, Sir Ian’s sons, each spoke on behalf of the Wood family, while Jack Wood and Ezra Wood gave readings on behalf of all of his grandchildren.

Despite him being a titan of industry, Ms Bird said “family came first” for Sir Ian.

He was married to Lady Helen for 55 years, was father to Nic, Graham and Garreth, and a grandfather of seven.

Garreth said quality time with the people he loved was the most important thing in his father’s life.

Mr Wood’s company started as a family fishing business before Sir Ian took over in 1967.

Over the next decades, he formed a separate engineering company servicing the rapidly-growing North Sea oil business.

At its height, the Wood Group was valued at more than £5 billion, carrying out work in the energy industry around the world.

Sir Ian, who retired as chairman of the group in 2012, was knighted in 1994 for services to the oil and gas industry.

He was later made a member of the Order of the Thistle, Scotland’s highest order of chivalry.

His philanthropic work was carried out through the Wood Foundation, which he founded in 2007.

The foundation is involved in a number of investments and charitable work around agriculture and conservation in east Africa, as well as projects in Scotland.