A key member of the Organisational Studies Group, Phil was known to many to offer wonderful support and guidance, both in a personal and professional capacity. Many describe Phil as being filled with care and compassion and as someone who offered unwavering support to colleagues, offering mentorship to many throughout their careers.
Phil cared passionately about his teaching and students, and was a remarkable teacher. We were lucky to have him teach successive generations of business students, enthusing them about industrial relations.
Many recall Phil’s wonderful sense of humour, and that he was someone who always showed great fairness and gave his time without hesitation. Those of us who knew him in the 1980s and early 1990s will even recall his constant companion in lectures – his trusty pipe.
Phil’s emerging area of research, age discrimination, was in many ways ahead of its time – his work contributed to the UK Government’s Age Positive campaign, which ultimately saw age included as a protected characteristic in the Equality Act. As mused by a colleague, Phil will most certainly leave a great gap in many people’s lives.