Sir Tom Hunter, Hunter Foundation
Sir Tom Hunter is perhaps one of the most recognised business leaders in Scotland and the UK.
He is famed as ‘Scotland’s first home-grown billionaire’, but would much rather be known for his ‘venture philanthropy’ where he has pledged to donate £1billion to good causes in his life time. He has an impressive network, which includes former US Presidents, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, as well as keeping good company as a member of the The Giving Pledge alongside Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and Warren Buffett.
I caught up with Sir Tom and asked him some questions about his journey:
1. What is your purpose?
To make as much money as possible in a fair and equitable manner and then reinvest all of those funds effectively for the common good.
2. What is unusual about your business?
We make money to give it away – fairly unusual I guess!
3. Who is the unsung hero of your business?
My dad – he gave me all the inspiration and counsel I ever needed to succeed.
4. What was your business’ original mission? How has that mission evolved over time?
The mission has never altered, the markets have and we’ve moved from predominantly bricks and mortar businesses to clicks and data analytics, with a bit of mortar thrown in (property investment).
5. Why did you succeed, while so many others haven't?
Cliched I know – luck, hard work and building a team around me who make up for my weaknesses…
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This interview is part of the ‘I had a chat with...’ series.
Sir Tom is speaking at www.startup-summit.com on 1st November, where he will interview Brewdog cofounder James Watt on the main stage.