Peter L. S. Currie is a business executive notable for being the chief financial officer for Netscape during the 1990s.^[2][3] Currie was described by Wall Street Journal reporter Jessica Vascellaro as one of the "Silicon Valley wise men".^[4] He advised Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg about business matters in 2009.^[5] He is an investor in Internet start-ups and serves on the boards of numerous firms.^[6] He is president of Currie Capital and is a charter trustee of Phillips Academy.^[1] In February 2011, he was elected to be the president of the school's board of trustees, and he will replace outgoing president Oscar Tang in July 2012.^[7]

Early years[link]

Currie graduated from Phillips Academy in Andover in 1974^[1] in the school's first co–educational class. His fellow classmates included jazz Grammy–winner Bill Cunliffe, actor Dana Delany, painter Julian Hatton, poet Karl Kirchwey, writer Nate Lee, political commentator Heather Mac Donald, restauranteur Priscilla Martel, children's TV producer Jonathan Meath, editor Sara Nelson, and sculptor Gar Waterman. Currie earned a B.A. degree from Williams College in 1978 and an M.B.A. degree from Stanford University.^[1] He worked in various capacities at Morgan Stanley including holding the title of Principal from 1982 to 1989.^[1] He held various management positions at McCaw Cellular from 1989 to 1995 before joining Netscape.^[1]

Netscape rise and fall[link]

Netscape was a key player that "fueled the Internet revolution", according to a report in The New York Times, and Currie was a key executive who worked with Netscape CEO James Barksdale and founder Marc Andreessen.^[8][9] Netscape developed the Secure Sockets Layer Protocol or SSL for securing online communication which is still widely used as well as JavaScript. Currie was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Netscape since April 1995.^[1] Currie was CFO when Netscape went public in 1995.^[10] He was Chief Administrative Officer at Netscape from July 1997 until March 1999.^[1] In addition to financial management, Currie was responsible for human resources, information technology, facilities, and operations departments.^[1]

Currie owned at least 37,500 shares of stock in Netscape which he sold in 1996, according to one report.^[11] Netscape was valued at $5 billion in November 1995.^[12] In 1999, Netscape was bought by America Online and became a holding company.^[1]

Netscape was seen as the first Internet superstar which had a meteoric rise but the firm was undone by numerous forces including well-established software firms such as Microsoft. In a conference in 2005, Currie described how "hectic and crazy things were" during the tumultous years in the mid 1990s.^[13] Currie looked back to the tumultous Netscape days and commented:

Twenty–first century[link]

In 1999, Currie and Barksdale and others formed a venture capital firm called Barksdale Group to invest in business start-ups, and raised at least $180 million according to one report.^[15] As an investor and consultant, he focused on the enterprise software sector of the business.^[1] Currie invested in an Internet start-up called Flipboard in 2010.^[6] Currie has affiliations with numerous companies including Corsair Communications, Critical Path, Inkling, Listen.com, Kodak Imaging Network, Kontiki, IPVALUE Management, Oracle America, Tellme Networks, Zantaz, InfoSpace.com, Clearwire, CNET, Safeco, and Palamon Capital Partners.^[1] He serves on the board of directors for many firms.

Currie's advice was sought by Facebook chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg in 2010.^[4]

References[link]

Coordinates: 55°53′45″N 3°18′27″W / 55.895956°N 3.307439°W / 55.895956; -3.307439

Currie
Scottish Gaelic: Currach
Currie  Currie shown within Edinburgh
Population	14,271 (2001)
OS grid reference	NT182677
Civil parish	Currie
Council area	City of Edinburgh
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	CURRIE
Postcode district	EH14
Dialling code	0131
Police	Lothian and Borders
Fire	Lothian and Borders
Ambulance	Scottish
EU Parliament	Scotland
UK Parliament	Edinburgh South West
Scottish Parliament	Edinburgh Pentlands
List of places: UK • Scotland • Edinburgh

Currie (Scottish Gaelic: Currach) is a civil parish and suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland, situated 10 kilometres south west of the city centre. A former village within the County of Midlothian, it lies to the south west of the city, between Juniper Green (NE) and Balerno (SW) on the Lanark Road. Administratively, Currie falls within the jurisdiction of the City of Edinburgh Council.

In 1995 the population of Currie was 6,343 and it contained 2,300 houses, 850 of them less than 20 years old.

History[link]

There is no accepted derivation of the name Currie but it is possibly from the Scottish Gaelic word curagh/curragh, a wet or boggy plain, or from the Brythonic word curi, a dell or hollow. The neighbouring suburb of Balerno derives its name from Scottish Gaelic, whilst the nearby Pentland Hills derive their name from Brythonic, so either is possible.

The earliest record of a settlement in the Currie area is a Bronze Age razor (1800 BC) found at Kinleith Mill and the stone cists (500 BC) at Duncan's Belt and Blinkbonny. There are a few mentions of this area in mediaeval and early modern documents. One of the first is when Robert of Kildeleith became Chancellor of Scotland in 1249. Kildeleith means Chapel by the Leith, and survives today as Kinleith. Robert the Bruce gave Riccarton as a wedding present in 1315 and in 1392 the land passed to the family of Bishop Wardlaw. In 1612 the land went to Ludovic Craig, a Senator of the College of Justice. In 1818 it passed to the female line and became the property of the Gibson-Craigs.

There has been a Christian community in the area for more than 1,000 years. In 1018, the archdeacons of Lothian set up their headquarters in the area. John Bartholomew's Civic and Ecclesiastical maps of the 13th century do not show Currie, but the Index of Charters 1309-1413 records Currie as being 'favourite hunting grounds' for the Lords and Knights of Edinburgh Castle. A settlement began to take shape around Currie Kirk and the main Lanark Road, which was the main route south and continues to be known as 'The Lang Whang'.

The weaver poet James Thomson was brought up in the village in the late 18th century, and is commemorated by the dell of the Kinleith Burn being named the "Poet's Glen" where it runs down from beside his cottage at Mid Kinleith Farm to join the Water of Leith.

The period 1921-1951 brought great changes with the building of more council houses in Currie and private building along Lanark Road. Wider scale development began in the late 1950s and early 1960s with the construction of a private housing estate to the east of Curriehill Road. House builders began to promote Currie as a pleasant commuting suburb of Edinburgh and much house building took place to the north of Lanark Road West. Currie High School was constructed on its present site in 1966 and extensively refurbished and renewed in 1997. There was a short loop railway running over what is now the Water of Leith Walkway. The physical topography has ensured that the original historic core to the south of Lanark Road West including the Water of Leith has remained undeveloped. In March 1972 the historic centre of Currie was declared a Conservation Area.

Famous Residents[link]

• James Thomson (weaver poet)

Education[link]

The earliest record of education in the area is contained in the Minutes of Edinburgh Town Council in 1598, when Baillie Lawrence Henderson was sent to "the toun o Currie to help the gentlemen of the Parish select a Schoolmaister"; however it is not stated where the school was situated. In 1694, the heritors appointed a Mr Thomson to teach scholars in the Church until Thomas Craig of Riccarton found a place for the building of a school and house for the schoolmaster. The foundations of the school were laid in 1699. The school and school house cost 500 merks and the salary of the Schoolmaster, a Mr Thomson, was 20 pounds Scots per year.

Currie is served by Currie High School, Nether Currie Primary School and Currie Primary School, formed by an amalgamation in 2005 of Curriehill Primary School and Riccarton Primary School which shared neighbouring campuses.

From the 1970s onwards, Heriot-Watt University moved from its city centre location to occupy the lands of the former Riccarton Estate, gifted to the university by the then Midlothian District Council. The move has now been completed and the main campus of Heriot-Watt University occupies and manages a wooded area with enough space for future expansion.

Sport[link]

Football[link]

Currie has two youth football teams Currie Boys Club and Currie Star FC (Currie Star play their games in the Kingsknowe area of Edinburgh)

Rugby[link]

Currie has one rugby team, Currie RFC who are based and play their home games in the neighboring village of Balerno

Culture and attractions[link]

On the first Saturday of May The Currie Riding of the Marches takes place.

Local newspaper[link]

The Currie and Balerno News^[1] is Currie's community newspaper which also includes coverage of nearby Balerno, Baberton and Juniper Green. Published monthly, the paper features local news, a monthly police neighbourhood watch update, an SSPCA appeal and coverage of local planning applications and developments.

Local History Society[link]

Currie and District Local History Society meets 12 times a year and has speakers on all aspects of the area.

The society meets every first and third Monday in the month and their year starts in October. The venue is in the Gibson Craig Hall on the Lanark Road in Currie.

Transport[link]

The A70 runs through the area and Currie is serviced by the 44 bus route, which is operated by both Lothian Buses and First Edinburgh. Currie is served by rail by Curriehill railway station on the Glasgow-Edinburgh via Shotts Line. Currie is also close to the City of Edinburgh bypass and is bordered by the Union Canal to the north and the Water of Leith to the south. Edinburgh Airport is located approximately 4 miles north of Currie and the M8 motorway to Glasgow is around 2 miles north. It also has connections to Livingston in West Lothian through Prentice Westwood's 424, between Juniper Green and Livingston.

Famous residents[link]

• Dougal Haston - pioneer of Scottish mountaineering
• Jamie Dick - Youth Olympic Gold Medalist in Curling
• Matthew Lloyd - Australian Rules footballer, Essendon

See also[link]

• Heriot-Watt University
• Currie High School

References[link]

External links[link]

• Currie Community Council
• Currie Community High School
• Currie Rugby Football Club
• Heriot-Watt University
• Currie Primary School
• Nether Currie Primary's page on Scottish Schools Online
• Currie and District Local history Society
• Nether Currie Primary School

v t e Areas of Edinburgh Abbeyhill Alnwickhill Ardmillan Baberton Balerno Balgreen Bankhead Barnton Beechmount Bingham Blackford Blackhall Bonaly Bonnington Burghmuirhead Braepark Braid Hills Broomhouse Broughton Brunstane Bruntsfield Bughtlin Burdiehouse The Calders Calton Hill Cameron Toll Cammo The Canongate Canonmills Chesser Church Hill Clermiston Clerwood Colinton Comely Bank Comiston Corstorphine Cowgate Craigcrook Craigentinny Craigleith Craiglockhart Craigmillar Cramond Crewe Toll Currie Curriehill Dalmeny Dalmahoy Dalry Davidson's Mains Dean Village Drumbrae Drylaw Duddingston Dumbiedykes East Craigs East Pilton Easter Road Eastfield Edinburgh Park Fairmilehead Ferniehill Ferry Road Firrhill Forrester Fountainbridge Gilmerton Gogar Gogarloch Goldenacre Gorgie The Grange Grassmarket Granton Greenbank Greendykes Greenhill Haymarket Hermiston Holy Corner Holyrood Holyrood Park Hunter's Tryst Ingliston Inverleith Jock's Lodge Joppa Juniper Green Kaimes Kingsknowe Kirkliston Lauriston Leith Liberton Little France Lochend Lochrin Longstone Marchmont Maybury Mayfield Meadowbank The Meadows Merchiston Moredun Morningside Mortonhall Mountcastle Muirhouse Murrayfield New Town Newbridge Newcraighall Newhaven Newington Niddrie Northfield Old Town Oxgangs Parkgrove Parkhead Piershill Pilrig Pilton Polwarth Portobello Powderhall Prestonfield Ratho Ratho Station Ravelston Redford Restalrig Riccarton Roseburn Saughton Sciennes Seafield Shandon Sighthill Silverknowes Slateford South Gyle South Queensferry Stenhouse Stockbridge Swanston Tollcross Torphin Trinity Turnhouse Tynecastle Warriston West Coates West Craigs West Pilton Wester Hailes Wester Broom Western Harbour Westfield West End

Justin Currie
Justin Currie on stage with Del Amitri at the Guildhall in Southampton, 16 May 2002
Background information
Birth name	Justin Robert Currie
Born	(1964-12-11) 11 December 1964 (age 47)
Origin	Glasgow, Scotland
Genres	Pop rock, powerpop, adult contemporary, folk rock
Occupations	Singer, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, Guitar, Bass
Years active	1983–present
Associated acts	Del Amitri, The Uncle Devil Show, Blazin' Fiddles
Website	JustinCurrie.co.uk

Justin Robert Currie (born 11 December 1964 in Glasgow, Scotland) is a Scottish singer and songwriter, best known as the founding member of the band Del Amitri and, along with Iain Harvie, is one of only two members of the group to be present throughout its entire existence.

Professional career[link]

Del Amitri[link]

Justin Currie established the band Del Amitri while still at school in the early 1980s, after putting up a sign in a music shop asking for other people who could play instruments to get in contact with him. As well as being the lead singer and chief songwriter of the band, Currie also plays bass with them.

As a songwriter, he co-wrote many of the Del Amitri tracks with Harvie, but some of their most successful songs have been tracks penned solely by Currie. These include "Nothing Ever Happens", "Always the Last to Know" and "Roll to Me".

Although there have been no official reports of Del Amitri splitting up, the band were dropped by record company Mercury in 2002 after a perceived lack of success for their album of that year, Can You Do Me Good?. Since then Currie has been working on several other critically acclaimed^{[citation needed]} projects.

Currie has stated on his own website during 2012 that he is still a member of Del Amitri.

Other projects[link]

In 2003 he fronted the soul and jazz covers band Button Up for a short tour of Scotland together with The Proclaimers guitarist Stuart Nisbet and drummer Ross McFarlane - who also played with chart-toppers Stiltskin - bassist Gary John Kane and keyboard player Andy May.

From 2004 - 2006 Currie has regularly joined singer songwriters Eddi Reader and Colin McIntyre (aka Mull Historical Society) and Scottish folk band Blazin' Fiddles to perform in Scotland as part of the project "With Strings Attached".

In 2004 Currie also teamed up with Kevin and Jim McDermott (of Kevin McDermott Orchestra) to record A Terrible Beauty, a semi-comedy 60's pastiche rock album which they released anonymously under the name The Uncle Devil Show.

Solo career[link]

Currie also continues to perform live as a solo artist in the UK. In 2006 he was a special guest on Tom McRae's Hotel Cafe Tour. In 2005 he wrote and recorded an album with the working title Rebound. It was subsequently re-titled What Is Love For and released on Rykodisc on 8 October 2007. A single/EP from the album, "No, Surrender", was released on 24 March 2008.

Currie's second album The Great War was released on 3 May 2010, a single titled "A Man with Nothing to Do" was released 26 April 2010.^[1]

Family[link]

Currie is the son of John Currie, who was chorusmaster for the Scottish National Orchestra Chorus from 1965 to 1984 and music director of the Los Angeles Master Chorale from 1986 to 1991. His cousin is Nick Currie, also known as "Momus".

Personal life[link]

He is currently^[when?] engaged to his longtime girlfriend Emma. The couple have not yet set a date for the wedding.^[2] He is nicknamed 'Ruby', after 'Ruby Murray', the cockney rhyming slang for 'a curry'.^{[citation needed]}

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Website
• Album Review of A Terrible Beauty^{[dead link]}
• BUTTON UP featuring Justin Currie (East Grange Loft, Forres, 21 August 2003) HI-Arts, 22 August 2003 - Review of first Button Up concert, 2003
• With Strings Attached Official Site