EDITOR INTERVIEW
Peter Vickers, Chairman of Vickers Oils
Interviewed by Tina Reading, Editor, Lube Magazine
With a career spanning over 40 years in the family’s business, Vickers Oils, as well as an active, committed and passionate member of both the UKLA Board and the UEIL Sustainability Committee, Peter Vickers is now stepping away from the company into a much-deserved retirement.
Tina Reading takes this opportunity to speak to Peter about his life in the lubricants industry, his thoughts on being the custodian of a family legacy, and his hopes for future generations in both the industry and for the world as a whole.
Peter, thank you for joining us today and giving us an opportunity to talk to you before you ‘retire’ from the industry. Whenever I have heard you speak, the wisdom you impart feels like a legacy. I say this all the time—it’s a loss for the industry, you hold so much knowledge. We thought if we could sit down with you, it would make for a fabulous article for our readers—a ‘legacy’ piece for future generations.
What influenced your decision to join the family business, Peter?
I believe it was a combination of duty and desire. I became a shareholder at the age of 14—Dad gave me some shares at that time. This spring will mark the 50th AGM I’ve attended, which feels slightly preposterous. I may have missed a few, but not many. I’ve been present at most over those fifty years.
I grew up with the business. In a way, I’ve been part of it since Dad took over when I was one year old. That’s just how it is with a long-established family business. Quite often, the dining table becomes an extension of the boardroom table. The business is always in the atmosphere, and I think you either choose to accept it or run from it. I accepted it.
Did you ever consider doing anything else? My childhood dream was to be a pilot, but I quickly realised my eyesight wasn’t good enough. Then,
I thought about becoming an air traffic controller. Planes and space fascinated me when I was around seven years old.
By the time I was a teenager, I had decided I wanted to work in the business. I considered joining a major company first to gain external experience before joining Vickers. However, Dad was turning 68 the year I graduated from Oxford, and I realised that if I wanted to work with him and see how he applied the values he’d spoken about all my life, I needed to go straight in. So, I joined the company directly from Oxford at 22. I don’t regret that decision, though it meant I had to learn from observing others rather than experiencing different corporate cultures first-hand.
What are your earliest memories in the lubricants industry?
My father took me to my first BLF dinner in November 1982. I had started working in the company that October, and he was keen to introduce me around.
I remember walking into The Grosvenor House with him, where about 500–600 people were gathered.
Dad had been President five or six years prior, so everyone knew who he was. They saw me beside him and quickly worked out who I was. I had no idea who anybody was, but many kindly introduced themselves. Continued on page 42
LUBE MAGAZINE NO.186 APRIL 2025 41
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