Obituary: John Roper

Tamara Menteshvili, who came to Guernsey as deputy superintendent of investment business at the GFSC and was a good friend, assesses his contribution to the industry and the island.

'He worked tirelessly to protect the reputation of the Bailiwick and Guernsey has much to be thankful to John Roper – for its international good standing and high regard of its regulatory framework, as well as for the many initiatives which he instigated which have laid the foundation for Guernsey's success as an international finance centre.'

After retiring from the GFSC, John was elected deputy for St Peter Port, and former fellow States member John Langlois OBE, who served with him on the Advisory and Finance Committee, says of him, 'He was a very fair man, very informed.

'He was important as a regulator and then later on in the States he was able to be an informed deputy regarding the finance sector. He was one of the people who set up the foundations of the Guernsey Financial Services Commission. John was able to consolidate, to bring a voice of reason and balance to regulation.'

Francis John Roper's life started in a war zone. John – he was always known by his second Christian name – was born in 1933 in Valencia just as Spain was about to collapse into brutal civil war. His father, Victor Raphael Roper, was working at the Bank of London and South America in Valencia, where he had met and married Elisa, who was working in his father's apricot plantation.

A comfortable life in a flat overlooking Valencia's bullring ended when they had to leave the country in a hurry with only a few suitcases. Victor was a British national and the family, with three-year-old John, left Valencia and then Barcelona on board British warships. They were taken to Marseilles and made their way back to London by rail.

The keys to their flat were taken at gunpoint from Elisa's sister by General Franco's men.

The family settled into life in London, although Elisa spoke little English at first, with Victor working in the bank and John going to Finchley Catholic Grammar School from 1943.

From 1951 to 1953 John did his National Service before taking a place at Exeter College, Oxford, where he graduated with an Honours degree in PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics).

John began working for the Bank of England in 1956, for the first few years in the Statistics Office, and then, from 1963-65 in the Overseas Office (Spanish and Latin-American desk), with four months in Mexico.

He achieved his Institute of Bankers diploma in Spanish – he was always proud of his Spanish roots.

After a year in the chief cashier's office he moved to the bank's Economic Intelligence Department (EID) and was seconded to the Monopolies and Mergers Commissioners in connection with the proposed merger of Barclays, Lloyds and Martin's Banks.

In 1977 John moved into the Bank of England's banking supervision division and he stayed there until his secondment to Guernsey as commercial relations adviser with special responsibility for the supervision of the finance industry in 1986. He became the first director general of the GFSC two years later.

Although he was in his fifties, he was excited by the challenge when offered the opportunity to come to work in Guernsey.

It was a natural progression for his career and suited him perfectly. He was passionate about bank regulation and knew that he could make an important difference in the island.

John's daughter Lizzie explains: 'He also fell instantly in love with the island itself, its rich history, architecture and the people made it an offer he could not refuse. As he improved the island's financial standing he recognised the need for a specialised training for the financial sector and was instrumental in the formation of the GTA, which led to him being offered an honorary doctorate by Bournemouth University, of which he was immensely proud.'

He was due to spend only two years here initially, but after the first 12 months he was asked to stay on a permanent basis.

John's finance initiatives were extensive. He was instrumental in establishing the Channel Islands Stock exchange (CISX), following a feasibility study undertaken by Ms Menteshvili. He also initiated the establishment of PCC legislation for the insurance sector, as well as being involved in the promotion of Guernsey's financial services.

A modest man, John often worked quietly and effectively behind the scenes, for instance when he played a significant role in averting disaster in Guernsey after the sudden collapse of Barings Bank, a crisis that shook the world of finance.

He retired early from the GFSC in 1997, anxious to make a difference by pursuing a political career. Soon afterwards he was elected States deputy for St Peter Port.

His banking experience and calm intellect made him an ideal candidate for membership of the Advisory and Finance Committee, and he also served as president of the Board of Trade and member of the Arts Committee and the Education Council.

In 2000, Education was involved in a heated debate about the future of secondary education, and John was a firm believer that ending selection at 11 was an important step to improve the island's secondary education system.

For him, education was one of the keys to the island's future and his wish to ensure that local people who worked in the finance industry had the tools to compete in the complicated and ever-changing world of international finance led to his involvement with the GTA.

John served on the St Peter Port douzaine from 1992. Jenny Tasker, who was also serving the parish at the time, remembers him as 'such a sensible and supportive man. He was very supportive of the way the douzaine was operating at the time.'

Outside of finance and politics, John was interested in the arts and had a passion for history, especially of the American Civil War. He was a staunch member of the Richard III Society well before Richard's remains were found in that car park in Leicester.

A man of formidable intellect, he liked nothing more than a good debate.

'He was incredibly knowledgeable about a whole host of topics. I recall once at a quiz night, he challenged and overturned the quizmaster's incorrect answer to a history question,' says Ms Menteshvili.

'He could easily have won Mastermind, I suspect, given his in-depth knowledge of the American Civil War, for example. He could recite the constitutional position of Guernsey in all its historic context just as easily as he could his own personal history.'

He loved going to The United Club in town and had very good friends there, including former deputy Ron Marquis and journalist Bob Baker. He was a lifelong Spurs fan and his favourite charities were the Salvation Army, Water Aid and Centrepoint.

It is striking that so many of the people interviewed in the course of writing this obituary referred to John's support for them and his great friendship and understanding. He also had a keen sense of humour.

And his family were at the centre of his life. In the early years of his time at the Bank of England in London he met June, who also worked there. They were married for 58 years and have two daughters, Jane and Lizzie.

Lizzie said: 'He was a fabulous father, warm, generous, kind and loving. A man we are all so proud of and already miss dreadfully. We are devastated without him.'

He served Guernsey selflessly

SIR Geoffrey Rowland, former Bailiff of Guernsey, who worked with John Roper and knew him well, paid the following tribute:

'John, an Oxford University graduate in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, arrived in Guernsey with years of experience at the Bank of England. He possessed the necessary banking regulatory skills. As director general designate of the GFSC and with the benefit of a sharp mind and intellectual curiosity, John Roper learned quickly about the other regulated areas of financial services. He grasped new concepts with ease.

'In 1988 he was the ideal person to serve as the first director general of the commission. He worked collaboratively with the GFSC commissioners, of which I was one, and the heads of the regulatory departments. During his nine-year term of office he displayed great foresight, predicting and averting problems so that they never materialised.

'Hence it surprised none of us that, following his retirement from the commission in 1997, he entered politics in 1998. There, over two parliamentary terms, he made a significant contribution, marrying political theory learnt at Oxford with spades full of hands-on practical regulatory experience in financial services, and also an overview of Guernsey's position in the world.

More generally, he displayed reliability, passion, confidence in problem solving and political honesty. He did not believe in compromise amendments if the fudged outcome, while attractive to many fellow politicians, was not appropriate for Guernsey.