Chairman of 3M gives inaugural talk at new lecture theatre in Huddersfield University

May 27 2009 By Barry Gibson

HE earns millions a year and heads a company with 75,000 staff.

And George Buckley’s road to success started at Huddersfield.

The chairman of global giant 3M – which makes everything from post-it notes to passports – gave the first talk at a new lecture theatre at Huddersfield University yesterday.

The Sheffield man – who studied at the old Huddersfield Polytechnic in the 1970s – paid tribute to the place where he started on the road to success.

Mr Buckley, 62, said: “I had many great teachers here – like Mike Lewis, Keith Pratt and Jack Priestley – and I will be eternally grateful for the way they helped me. There’s no question that Huddersfield set me up for my career.”

Mr Buckley left school at 15 with no qualifications. However he won a place at Huddersfield Polytechnic in 1969, going on to get a degree and a PhD in engineering.

He was nearly 22 when he started studying. Mr Buckley was not a typical student. He said: “I was determined to get a good education. I didn’t come here to chase women or drink. My classmates may have thought I was a nerd.”

Mr Buckley added: “I lived in little bedsits on Wakefield Road and Halifax Road which had mice – the kind of places you stay when you’re a student. I also remember the terrible meals at the Students’ Union.”