Despite the Swire group’s diverse and international focus, it is still very much a family concern, with a number of Swire family members actively involved in the business. The group’s current Chairman, Barnaby Swire, and Deputy Chairman, Merlin Swire, are the great-great-great grandsons of John Swire of Liverpool, who founded the business 200 years ago, as is Merlin’s brother Sam, who is a Director of John Swire & Sons Limited; their father, Sir Adrian Swire, is Honorary President of the Swire group. Barnaby's father, the late Sir John Swire CBE, was former Chairman of the Swire group (1966-1987) and Life President (1997-2016).