Latest news with #PhilWhite
CTV News
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Ottawa man who designed King Charles' throne counts down moments until he sits in it
CTV Omar Sachedina speaks with the man who designed the brand-new throne King Charles will deliver his speech from. OTTAWA — When King Charles III delivers the Throne Speech in the Senate tomorrow, he'll do it from the throne Phil White designed. 'A lot of things are going through my mind,' White said from the basement workshop of his Ottawa home. ''Will he like it?' 'Will he be comparing it to what he sits on at Buckingham Palace?' I don't know,' White said, ending the thought with a few chuckles. Until 2021, Whited retired after 15 years as Canada's Dominion Sculptor – Parliament's official carver and supervisor of new carvings, a role created in 1936. Since then, six people have had the job. When Centre Block closed for renovations, and the Senate Chamber — along with its thrones — were sent for renovations, White was asked to come up with sketches for new thrones, which will be used in the King's speech on Tuesday in the temporary new Senate Chamber in the Old Ottawa train station. White also designed the one Queen Camilla will sit on. Towards the end of 2016, he was given mere months to come up with a new design. 'They picked one, it went to the Speaker for approval, which was like a day and a half,' he said. '(It was) lightning fast.' The new thrones are made of Canadian black walnut and donated English walnut from a forest behind Windsor Castle. Although he won't get to meet the King tomorrow, he did meet Queen Elizabeth II in 2010. He still remembers feeling the nerves as their meeting got closer during the unveiling of a carving he created. 'I was sort of standing with my hand on my arm and my hand on my sleeve.' It was a pose his wife asked him about when he got home. 'She was watching the whole thing and she said, 'why are you grabbing your sleeve all the time?' I said because I was nervous and my hands were sweating … and I didn't want to shake (the Queen's hand) with a wet hand.' Fifteen years later, another monarch will experience one of his creations — a privilege, he acknowledges, to have had the chance to preserve the stories of this country as Dominion Sculptor, stories that will be preserved in and around Parliament. '(As Dominion Sculptor) you're representing Canada, to not only Canadians, but to the world,' he said. 'I mean – it's like a million people that come through that every year. And they're from everywhere ... that's your opportunity to show them what Canada's about.'
CTV News
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
‘Will he like it?': Ottawa throne designer counts down moments until King Charles sits in the chair he created
OTTAWA — When King Charles III delivers the Throne Speech in the Senate tomorrow, he'll do it from the throne Phil White designed. 'A lot of things are going through my mind,' White said from the basement workshop of his Ottawa home. ''Will he like it?' 'Will he be comparing it to what he sits on at Buckingham Palace?' I don't know,' White said, ending the thought with a few chuckles. Until 2021, Whited retired after 15 years as Canada's Dominion Sculptor – Parliament's official carver and supervisor of new carvings, a role created in 1936. Since then, six people have had the job. When Centre Block closed for renovations, and the Senate Chamber — along with its thrones — were sent for renovations, White was asked to come up with sketches for new thrones, which will be used in the King's speech on Tuesday in the temporary new Senate Chamber in the Old Ottawa train station. White also designed the one Queen Camilla will sit on. Towards the end of 2016, he was given mere months to come up with a new design. 'They picked one, it went to the Speaker for approval, which was like a day and a half,' he said. '(It was) lightning fast.' The new thrones are made of Canadian black walnut and donated English walnut from a forest behind Windsor Castle. Although he won't get to meet the King tomorrow, he did meet Queen Elizabeth II in 2010. He still remembers feeling the nerves as their meeting got closer during the unveiling of a carving he created. 'I was sort of standing with my hand on my arm and my hand on my sleeve.' It was a pose his wife asked him about when he got home. 'She was watching the whole thing and she said, 'why are you grabbing your sleeve all the time?' I said because I was nervous and my hands were sweating … and I didn't want to shake (the Queen's hand) with a wet hand.' Fifteen years later, another monarch will experience one of his creations — a privilege, he acknowledges, to have had the chance to preserve the stories of this country as Dominion Sculptor, stories that will be preserved in and around Parliament. '(As Dominion Sculptor) you're representing Canada, to not only Canadians, but to the world,' he said. 'I mean – it's like a million people that come through that every year. And they're from everywhere ... that's your opportunity to show them what Canada's about.'
Times
22-05-2025
- Business
- Times
Should you buy shares in Mobico right now?
As a means of time travel it's not quite HG Wells, Dr Who's Tardis or even Doc Brown's nuclear-fuelled DeLorean in Back to the Future. Phil White's decision to board the National Express this month is not so much a trip down Memory Lane as a search for the break in the time continuum which has seen shares in the group, now named Mobico, hit an all-time low. Mobico is an international bus and coach company. It makes fabulous profits in Spain with its Alsa business there on growing margins of more than 13 per cent. It has just sold its US school yellow bus business, which has been operating on small margins and with a growing cost base and need for investment. It
North Wales Chronicle
19-05-2025
- Business
- North Wales Chronicle
National Express owner's UK revenue falls amid turnaround effort
Mobico said turnover in its UK coach business was down 6% in the three months to March, compared with the same period last year. The company, which also runs some bus services across Britain, said bus revenues were slightly higher than last year, with passenger volumes remaining roughly the same. Mobico's previous chief executive Ignacio Garat left last month after a series of profit warnings. The company recently welcomed back chairman Phil White, who was chief executive between 1996 and 2006. The company announced a 9% bump in first quarter revenue overall after a strong performance from its Spanish business ALSA. But the group is part-way through a 'large scale, complex turnaround' of its UK business. Mr White said: 'In my first weeks in the role I have met with many of our shareholders and spent time with our many businesses. 'I can see that considerable value and momentum exists across the group, and 9% revenue growth in the first quarter is evidence of continuing growth in demand for our services, particularly in ALSA. 'Our priority remains in strengthening our balance sheet and accelerating the pace of operational and financial improvement to drive the change that is necessary to creating a business that can take advantage of the opportunities ahead.' Shares have fallen nearly two-thirds this year, amid Mr Garat's departure at the end of April.
Glasgow Times
19-05-2025
- Business
- Glasgow Times
National Express owner's UK revenue falls amid turnaround effort
Mobico said turnover in its UK coach business was down 6% in the three months to March, compared with the same period last year. The company, which also runs some bus services across Britain, said bus revenues were slightly higher than last year, with passenger volumes remaining roughly the same. Mobico's previous chief executive Ignacio Garat left last month after a series of profit warnings. The company recently welcomed back chairman Phil White, who was chief executive between 1996 and 2006. The company announced a 9% bump in first quarter revenue overall after a strong performance from its Spanish business ALSA. But the group is part-way through a 'large scale, complex turnaround' of its UK business. Mr White said: 'In my first weeks in the role I have met with many of our shareholders and spent time with our many businesses. 'I can see that considerable value and momentum exists across the group, and 9% revenue growth in the first quarter is evidence of continuing growth in demand for our services, particularly in ALSA. 'Our priority remains in strengthening our balance sheet and accelerating the pace of operational and financial improvement to drive the change that is necessary to creating a business that can take advantage of the opportunities ahead.' Shares have fallen nearly two-thirds this year, amid Mr Garat's departure at the end of April.
