Michael Bishop born 10 February 1942Sir Michael Bishop, CBE is a British businessman who spent his working life in civil aviation.
He was born in Bowdon, Cheshire, and educated at Mill Hill School in north London. In 1963 he joined Mercury Airlines, which was taken over by British Midland Airways in 1964. He rose to become General Manager in 1969 and Managing Director in 1972, and in 1978 was appointed Chairman after leading a management buy-out. Bishop was the key driving force behind the steady growth of the airline, BMI, which now holds a significant share of the landing and take-off slots at London Heathrow airport with a route network spanning three continents.
Sir Michael, who had a 45-year career in aviation, was one of the country's first openly gay senior executives. He said in an interview with the BBC in 2009 that he had faced prejudice during his career but running British Midland and its successor BMI had allowed him to be openly gay as he had not been beholden to anyone. Sir Michael ran BMI from 1972 until it was taken over by German carrier Lufthansa earlier this year, turning a minor regional player based in the East Midlands into the UK's second-biggest airline.
In 1986 he was awarded the CBE, and in 1991 he was knighted.
Between 1993 and 1997 Sir Michael was the chairman of Channel 4 Television Corporation.
He is also chairman of the Board of Trustees of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, which presents the operas of Gilbert and Sullivan.
In an annual survey by The Independent of the UK's most influential homosexuals, Sir Michael was ranked as number 5 in 2005 and number 6 in 2006.
On 19 November 2010, it was announced that Bishop will be created a life peer and sit as a Conservative in the House of Lords. He will sit as Baron Glendonbrook, of Bowdon in the County of Cheshire.