Sir Samuel Charles Whitbread (22 February 1937 – 17 January 2023) was a British businessman and public servant.
Born in London on 22 February 1937 to Major Simon Whitbread,[1] he joined the board of Whitbread Plc in 1972 and became its chairman in 1984.[2] He stepped down from the chair eight years later and from the board in 2001. He has been chairman of Whitbread Farms Ltd since 1985 and was also a director of Whitbread Investments and Sun Alliance.[3]
Outside of business, Whitbread became a magistrate for Bedfordshire in 1969, served as High Sheriff for the 1973–74 year, and in 1974 was appointed a deputy lieutenant and returned as a county councillor (serving on the council until 1982). He was also chairman and later president of the Mid-Bedfordshire Conservative Association. From 1991 to 2012, Whitbread was also Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, during which time he received three royal visits[4] and two honorary doctorates. He was elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society in 1994 and of the Society of Antiquaries in 2007. In the 2010 Birthday Honours, he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO).[5]
Whitbread died on 17 January 2023, at the age of 85.[6] [7]