Sir Thomas Edwin Clark Jnr
Tom Clark was 14 when he was thrust into the Depression-hit family ceramics business in West Auckland. But the experience at Amalgamated Brick & Pipe was not wasted on him.
He used his impromptu start in the New Lynn pottery to experiment with new products, preparing the company for the opportunity provided by World War II to branch into crockery manufacturing. By war's end a new name, Crown Lynn, was becoming known throughout the country.
Clark and brother Malcolm became joint managing directors in 1964 and the company embarked on a bold set of acquisitions. Clark became sole managing director in 1973 and the following year, Consolidated Brick & Pipe Investments, the parent company, was renamed Ceramco.