Lady marion hunter
Mr Hunter has expressed a commitment to tackling poverty |
The son of a grocer, he began his career by selling trainers from the back of a van.
Biography of barack obama In March , Hunter was a founding partner of West Coast Capital, the private equity arm of the Hunter Family. Through this firm he has become a major shareholder in a number of retailers – including USC, Office, D2, Qube; and 8% of British Home Stores (BHS), with the bulk owned by Sir Philip Green, subsequently disposing of them all.This led him to build up a chain of sports shops which he sold to JJB Sports in , making over £m.
By , the Sunday Times Rich List ranked the Ayrshire-born tycoon as the richest man in Scotland.
He has given away millions of pounds to charities including Live 8 and the Make Poverty History campaign.
Knighthood
His promise on Tuesday, to give away £1bn to charity, is the largest single sum he has pledged and is thought to be the single most generous philanthropic commitment made by any Briton.
His pledge is only the latest in a long list of charitable donations.
Sir tom hunter biography of barack Sir Tom Hunter has risen to the top of the business tree in Scotland. He started his career working for his father in a small grocers, before he begun selling shoes from the back of a van. Read More Related Articles. Scale-up Scotland Leadership programme to help 20 exceptional entrepreneurs is officially open for applications.He and his wife Marion set up the Hunter foundation in to support educational and entrepreneurial projects.
Sir Tom plans to donate at least £m through the foundation. He gave £1m to the BBC's Children in Need appeal in and a further £1m to Comic Relief in
His largesse has also extended to Bob Geldof's Band Aid 20 single, which received £7m of his fortune.
And he pledged £1m in aid to help rebuild schools destroyed in the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster.
Six facts you may not know about philanthropist Sir Tom Hunter. He's one of Scotland's most successful and best connected businessmen who persuaded Barack Obama over to Scotland to address a charity event in Edinburgh. Here are a few things about him that you may not know about.The entrepreneur said he wanted his money to go towards the creation of an early warning system in the region.
HAVE YOUR SAY The super-rich have no duty to share, but those who do certainly earn my respect |
He was one of the prime supporters of the Make Poverty History campaign and urged world leaders at the G8 summit in Gleneagles in Scotland in to use their power and influence to eradicate poverty.
Sir Tom also joined forces with former US president Bill Clinton and pledged an initial $m (£60m) to the Clinton-Hunter Development Initiative to support developing communities.
The initiative's projects have included sending heart monitors and operating theatre kit to hospitals in Malawi.
Sir Tom Hunter rose from humble beginnings selling trainers from the back of a van to become Scotland's first billionaire. The tycoon, from New Cumnock in Ayrshire, opened his first Sports.His charity work and commitment to tackling poverty earned him a knighthood in the Queen's Birthday Honours List, for services to philanthropy and entrepreneurship.
Mining village
His immense wealth came from the Sports Division chain of sports shops, which he founded in and sold to JJB Sports in
The tycoon has continued to accumulate wealth through the West Coast Capital private equity partnership he founded in
Over the last year he has acquired Wyevale Garden Centres and Blooms of Bressingham garden centre chain.
In April this year, Sir Tom was declared to be Scotland's first home-grown billionaire.
Ranking the 60th richest person in the UK, the tycoon is thought to have amassed a fortune of about £bn.
He grew up in the mining village of New Cumnock in Ayrshire, before attending the University of Strathclyde.