Scotsman Obituaries: Sir Jim N Walker CBE, businessman who grew family bakery into global biscuits brand

Sir Jim Walker was the son of the late James and Winnie Walker and younger brother of the late Joe and Marjorie Walker. After completing his education at Robert Gordon’s College in Aberdeen, Jim joined the family bakery alongside a workforce of 16 people and learnt every part of the work involved.

During his long career, Jim was responsible for every component from sales to marketing, where he was the company’s first salesperson. His natural ability of listening to his prospective customers and then using his personal charm and unflinching integrity made it impossible to resist the products his family produced.

For over 60 years he dedicated his life to creating and boldly expanding the iconic Walker’s brand around the world. Jim was a tireless worker who was devoted to building strong personal relationships founded on trust with those he met on his travels.

Sir Jim Walker was known as much for his personal charm as his business acumen

Many of these became enduring lifelong partnerships. In his role as Joint Managing Director alongside his brother Joe, Jim was the driving force of Walker’s sales growth, developing the business from a small family bakery in Aberlour to a globally recognised brand, achieving £184 million of sales in 2023 (from £40,000 in the year that he joined), with growth from a dozen staff in the beginning to more than 1,000 today. For unique and exemplary services to the UK food industry, his firm was awarded the Royal Warrant from Queen Elizabeth II in 2002.

He was always intensely proud of the company’s Speyside roots, and was selflessly dedicated to his colleagues and the community. Jim’s focused leadership and vision were instrumental into shaping Walker’s into the highly respected company it is today.

He had recently stepped aside from his main responsibilities to an ambassadorial and advisory role, allowing the members of the fourth generation – including three of his children – to take on the day-to-day management of the company. Jim was always a proud father and his ambition of carrying on the family business has been achieved.

As one small example of Jim’s vision and generosity, he and I recently enjoyed lunch together after many years of corresponding by email. I had originally contacted him because his company manufactured one of the few Scottish brands suitable for observant Jewish people – his famed shortbread was certified as Kosher.

Over lunch he explained that the products became kosher when he entered the American market because Jewish people so enjoyed his shortbread and he wished to accommodate their religious observance. I told Jim that many years earlier he offered to donate and send me what I thought was 30 boxes of short bread for a Jewish event in our city. Instead, due to a miscommunication, I found myself buried in more than 100 boxes of shortbread that it took me nearly one year to consume and give away.

Jim simply smiled at me and said, “I hope you enjoyed them.”

This was but one example of his generosity toward his fellow citizens, all of us, regarding of location or background.

He was also generous regarding his family as during the same meal he spoke with such pride about his children’s accomplishments and told me he had every confidence they would faithfully carry on the important work his grandfather had begun more than 125 years ago.

One of his greatest achievements and one he uncharacteristically showed great pride in was the creation of the well-known Walker’s shortbread tartan marketing image.

When he and I met up at the opening of the Victoria and Albert Tartan exhibition in Dundee he made a point of stopping by my family necktie tartan that was being exhibited as the first Jewish family tartan to ever be in this museum. We posed for a few photographs and he modestly said he supposed his tartan was in the exhibition because of its unique marketing recognition.

I reminded him that millions of people all over the world looked upon their local supermarket shelves for that iconic tartan and he modestly replied, in his soft voice and humble manner, “I suppose they do.”

Tall, handsome, slim and exceedingly humble, Jim will be remembered for his kindness and generosity to his fellow citizens as well as his expert business knowledge. He will also be long remembered for possessing one of the biggest and most sincere smiles ever to grace the face of a Scottish chief executive.

Sir Jim held the position of Deputy Lieutenant of Banffshire from 1998-2019 and was awarded the CBE for services to industry in 1999. In 2022 he was named within the prestigious Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood in Queen Elizabeth II’s last Birthday Honours list and subsequently was invested by King Charles III at the Palace of Holyrood, Edinburgh. The Honour of Knighthood was in recognition of his exceptional services to the food industry.

In November 2024 Jim was awarded the Wallace Award from the American Scottish Foundation in New York City. Previous recipients of this prestigious award include Sir Sean Connery, the Forbes publishing family and Lord Smith of Kelvin.

Jim’s precious legacy will be carried on by his beloved wife of 45 years, Jennifer, his children Jacqui, Jamie, Bryony and Alastair, and six cherished grandchildren Logan, Romy, Joshua, Torren, Joanie and Wyatt.

Scotland, and indeed, the entire world that has been reached by his shortbread, is better today because of this wise and hardworking man with the gentle voice, big heart and broad smile that touched the lives of so many, including this retired professor who was once buried alive in delicious Walker’s Shortbread.

Obituaries

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