Sir Tom Hunter

Sir Tom Hunter started his career helping out at his father's grocery shop. Inspired by the growing popularity of training shoes, he borrowed £5,000 from his father and £5,000 from the Royal Bank of Scotland, bought a job lot of shoes and a van, and wrote to every retailer in Britain asking for space. One replied offering him a concession, the business mushroomed and within ten years Sports Division was turning over £260 million and making a profit of £34 million. Today he is Britain's most prolific philanthropist, dividing his time between work for international charities and venture capital companies which invest in retail and property.