Tributes have been paid after Sir Adrian Cadbury, a former chairman of the chocolate giant, passed away.
Sir Adrian, the grandson of legendary industrialist George Cadbury, has died aged 86.
A recipient of the Lunar Society Medal, he was well known for continuing his family’s proud Quaker traditions, promoting local charities and aiding Aston University’s expansion.
In a statement the firm said Sir Adrian was “a legendary figure” for its employees and “was also genuinely loved”.
In a statement, said: “He was unfailingly polite to everyone he met within the business and was on first name terms with many of them, regardless of where they worked.
“Sir Adrian was a true gentleman.”
Sir Adrian retired from the family business in 1990 at the age of 60.
Earlier in his life, he attended Eton and read economics at Cambridge, where he won a rowing blue, before representing Britain with the Cambridge Eight at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki.
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He was knighted for his work, including at the CBI, where he strived to get business representation at the highest level of politics, in 1977.
He oversaw massive expansion at Cadbury before handing over the chairmanship to younger brother Dominic in 1989.
In 1992, he wrote a report on corporate governance is still recognised around the world as the starting point on how companies should operate
Sir Adrian was twice widowed. First wife Gillian, the mother to his three children, died in 1992 and second wife Susan passed away in 2010.