Product details
- ISBN 9781917458696
- Dimensions: 156 x 234mm
- Publication Date: 29 Oct 2026
- Publisher: Unicorn Publishing Group
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Hardback
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Lessons from a High Flyer is the inspiring story of Michael Bishop, the boy who loved airplanes so much he built an airline. Unhappy at public school, and passing only one exam in his life, he went on to become a major figure in global air travel, chair a national broadcaster, be honoured with a knighthood and elevated to the House of Lords. Along the way he suffered disaster - showing intuitive empathy in responding to a horrific air accident - and battled hard against the might of the establishment major airlines. He went into politics, championed human rights, donated millions to the arts and charities through the Michael Bishop Foundation, and meticulously restored two stately homes. His is a tale, told modestly with grace and humour, that truly lifts the heart and shows that there is really no such thing as impossible.
Michael David Bishop, Baron Glendonbrook is a British businessman and Conservative life peer. Best known for transforming British Midland Airways (BMI), he led a management buy-out in 1978, expanded the airline’s Heathrow presence, and sold his majority stake to Lufthansa in 2009 for around £318 million. Beyond aviation, Bishop was deputy chairman (1991–1993) and chairman (1993–1997) of Channel 4, where he championed independent production and diverse broadcasting. A committed philanthropist, he has supported the arts, education, and LGBT+ causes, notably through the Glendonbrook Foundation. He was knighted in 1991 and created Baron Glendonbrook in 2011, taking a seat in the House of Lords as a Conservative peer. One of the UK’s first openly gay senior executives, Bishop is recognised both for his business acumen and for his advocacy of inclusion, culture, and charitable giving.
