David Gilmour was a serial entrepreneur who started or was involved in a series of business ventures, most notably the Fiji water brand, which for a time was the number one brand of imported water.
- Died: June 11, 2023 (Who else died on June 11?)
- Details of death: Died in New York City of cardiac arrest at the age of 91.
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David Gilmour’s legacy
Canadian-born Gilmour was gifted with the resources to start businesses at an early age: at 16, his father offered him enough money to start a company, or a daily stipend to travel Europe. Gilmour chose the latter. He would continue to travel, but quickly put his focus on business ventures. They included furniture importer Dansk Design, the real estate firm TrizecHahn, and stereo manufacturer Clairtone.
In 1969, he founded a hotel chain in Fiji, the first step towards his most notable legacy. He also purchased a gold mine in Ontario, Canada, among other ventures. He sold his hotel chain in the 1970s, but in 1973 purchased Wakaya Island, a private island in Fiji. There, he developed a sprawling private resort that included a small airport, marina, village, and more. After seeing how people there drank imported bottled water, he became aware of an aquifer on Viti Levu, the largest island in Fiji, and decided to create Fiji Water by pumping its water supply and selling it.
Fiji would for a time become the largest brand of imported water, and it is still one of the biggest in the world. He sold the company in 2004 and later sold Wakaya Island in 2016, but he continued to found businesses into the 2010s. These included Wakaya Perfection, a multi-level marketing nutrition company that still operates today.
Notable quote
“Many people who have started up haven’t prepared themselves with an absolutely airtight plan. Leave nothing to chance.”—from a 2013 interview in Forbes Magazine
Tributes to David Gilmour
Full obituary: The New York Times
