William Stern

William George Stern (born Vilmos György Stern, 2 July 1935 – 21 March 2020) was a British businessman most notable as the owner of the Stern Group of companies. When the Stern Group collapsed in 1973, he became Britain's biggest bankrupt with debts of £118 million. The uninsured losses sustained by thousands of investors led directly to the creation of Britain's first Policyholders' Protection Act. He died during the COVID-19 pandemic due to complications brought on by COVID-19.

Early life William George Stern was born Vilmos György Stern or Ze’ev HaKohen Stern on 2 July 1935 in Budapest, the youngest of three children of Chaim Stern, who owned a textile factory supplying goods to the Hungarian government. and a BBC documentary on the subject aired in 1974. Thousands of private investors lost their life savings, since at the time there was no compensation scheme in place to protect them.

In 2000, Stern was living in a "£4m six-bedroom mansion" in Hampstead, London, owned another home in Jerusalem, and a villa in the south of France.

Death Stern died on 21 March 2020 from COVID-19. He was eulogised as a "titan" by relative-in-law Rabbi Pini Dunner.