Alastair Eric Hotson Salvesen was born in 1941, the son of Iver Ronald Stuart Salvesen (1901-1957) and Marion Hamilton Salvesen (née McClure) (d 1997). Iver Salvesen was the son of Johan Thomas Salvesen (1854-1926), who was the son of Christian Fredrik Salvesen (1827-1911), who was Norwegian, and founded Christian Salvesen in the United Kingdom in 1846.
They owned Bonnington House from 1944-1978. He was educated at Fettes College, and Cranfield University where he obtained an Master of Business Administration. He is a chartered accountants In April 2015, the Sunday Times estimated his Netto worth at £1.0 billion He donated £5 million to found The Salvesen Mindroom Centre to Understand and Resolve Learning Difficulties at Edinburgh University.
