John Laing (businessman)

Sir John William Laing CBE (24 September 1879 – 11 January 1978) was a British entrepreneur in the construction industry.

[2] David Laing developed a family building business which prospered due to the boom in the country caused by the Franco-Prussian War of 1870.

[4] Laing followed his father, John, into the construction business, expanding it from a local building firm to open a London office in 1926.

Under his leadership, the firm became a national enterprise that culminated in the rebuilding of Coventry Cathedral, whose consecration Laing attended in May 1962.

[5] Laing gave the company its evangelical direction, which included pioneering ideas that nurtured staff, such as paid holidays, in the early part of the 20th century.