Tom Hunter

Sir Tom Hunter "founded West Coast Capital (West Coast), the private equity partnership, in March 2001 and subsequently has concluded in excess of £ 4 billion of West Coast led deals.

"Principally investing in retail, property and leisure the private equity firm takes a proactive role in the identification, investment and management of its target deals, classically known as adventure capitalism. As a guiding principal West Coast seeks to target investment in businesses with strong management teams capable of major and sustainable growth.

"Within the West Coast investment portfolio, Tom oversees a number of retail and property boards providing strategic and corporate direction to the management teams.

"Prior to establishing West Coast, Tom built Sports Division from nothing into one of the UK s premier sports retailers over an eighteen-year period employing 7500 people across over 250 stores. He sold the business in 1998 for £290 million; his stake in the business was valued at £260 million.

"Tom is an ardent supporter of fellow entrepreneurs and passionate about making Scotland a more enterprising nation. He continues to devote considerable time, money and energy in his efforts to work with educational establishments and fellow entrepreneurs to further this cause. He is past Chairman of the Entrepreneurial Exchange and personally bequested £5m to support the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship at Strathclyde University.

"Tom and his wife Marion established The Hunter Foundation (THF) in 1998, a venture philanthropy targeting investment in education and enterprise across Scotland. Since inception it has invested, or committed to invest in excess of £ 35m in national programmes aimed at engendering a more enterprising spirit within Scotland, particularly within its young people. In turn THF is investing in Africa to support the development of self-sustaining communities with education a key pillar of these investments.

"He is a director of the Princes Scottish Business Youth Trust (PSYBT), Schools Enterprise Scotland – where he led the £ 5m fundraising campaign to deliver enterprise education for all of Scotland’s primary school children. He is also a Trustee of the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland and Chairman of the Make a Wish Foundation in Scotland. Tom was awarded a doctorate by Strathclyde University in late 2001 where he is a visiting alumni."

Criticism

 * David Miller, "How Scotland's rich stay rich", Spin Watch, 16 December 2006. Dinner dates

Related Sourcewatch

 * Marion Hunter
 * Richard Curtis
 * Jack McConnell - friend
 * Britain's Leading Philanthropists