Business leader Thomas Gatcliffe, who died at his home on Tuesday, has been hailed as a pioneer who played a key role in elevating the Angostura brand to international status. Tributes began pouring in yesterday from business groups following news of his passing.
Gatcliffe, who served as managing director and then chairman of Angostura, was an industrial chemist by profession and was reputed to be one of six persons to know the secret formula of the world-famous Angostura Aromatic Bitters.
Born in 1927 in then British Guyana, Gatcliffe moved to Trinidad to study at QRC. He joined Angostura in 1949 and rose through the ranks of the company. It was during his tenure that the company developed its reputation as a leader in the manufacture in fine rum.
Gatcliffe served as chairman of the Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce and was an Independent Senator from 1971 to 1976. He was a proponent on free trade even when protectionism was seen as an essential feature of developing economies and once famously stated that “rum is to the Caribbean as whisky is to Scotland, and wine is to France.”
Gatcliffe was awarded the Chaconia Gold Medal for business enterprise in 1979.
In 2009 he was inducted in the T&T Business Hall of Fame and he was conferred an Honourary Doctorate by the University of the West Indies in 2010.
Among those paying tribute to him yesterday was Daphne Bartlett, president of the San Fernando Business Association, who said the former Angostura chairman helped create a product and expand a company that reached all corners of the globe.
“There are a lot of young people who want to be entrepreneurs and want to be self-employed in this country. They should be motivated by what he has done. It is wonderful to know how he has contributed to the world,” she said.
The T&T Chamber of Industry and Commerce said Gatcliffe was an honorary member of the business organisation and had served as its president in 1964.
“His leadership was much sought after and he served on several boards and advisory bodies in both the public and private sectors, as well as being a member of many professional organisations,” the chamber said in a statement.
“Throughout it all, Tommy as he was familiarly called, remained a humble man with a commitment to family. The T&T Chamber of Industry and Commerce recognises the sterling contribution of Thomas “Tommy” Gatcliffe, and mourns the loss of a great business icon and a man of the highest integrity.”
The T&T Manufacturers’ Association (TTMA) described Gatcliffe as a captain of industry whose passing left a void in the country’s business landscape.
The group said: “An astute mind for business, combined with a love for his job, loyalty and dedication to Angostura—a company which he served for 60 years—helped to make it a household name in Trinidad and Tobago as well as internationally. On a national level, he was instrumental in the development of the manufacturing sector in Trinidad and Tobago through his work in Angostura. “
Gatcliffe, who is survived by his wife Rhona, was the father of David (deceased), Patty de la Rosa and Maggie Lloyd. He was a grandfather of six and great grandfather of six.
His funeral service, which took place yesterday at the Church of the Assumption, Long Circular Road, was followed by private interment.