Jonathan Bloomer, Morgan Stanley International Chair, Dies

Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley International and onetime chief executive of Prudential Plc, was confirmed as among the fatalities in the Aug. 19 sinking of a luxury yacht off Italy. He was 70.

His wife, Judy, was also among those killed. They had been guests on the superyacht Bayesian to mark the acquittal of British tech tycoon Mike Lynch at a trial in which Bloomer had been a defense witness.

Lynch also died in the sinking, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified.

“Our parents were incredible people and an inspiration to many, but first and foremost they were focused on and loved their family and spending time with their new grandchildren,” the Bloomers’ children said in a statement.

“Together for five decades, our only comfort is that they are still together now. This is an unimaginable grief to shoulder. Our only ask is that our family’s privacy is respected at this time,” they added.

A total of six people likely were trapped and died inside the Bayesian when it was hit by a tornado near Porticello, Sicily, according to authorities.

In June, a jury in San Francisco acquitted Lynch of criminal charges of having duped Hewlett Packard Co. into overpaying for his software firm, Autonomy Corp., in 2011.

Audit Committee

Bloomer, who had led Autonomy’s audit committee, testified as a witness for Lynch. On the stand, according to the UK’s Telegraph newspaper, Bloomer testified that Lynch hadn’t paid close attention to Autonomy’s accounting, focusing instead on “strategy, new products, new areas to look at, potential acquisitions.”

Though Lynch prevailed in the criminal trial, an earlier civil case in the UK resulted, in 2022, with a judge ruling that Lynch had fraudulently boosted the value of the company. What damages Lynch would have had to pay in that matter was still under consideration.