John Timpson

Sir William John Anthony Timpson CBE (born 24 March 1943) is a British businessman, the chairman and owner of Timpson, a UK shoe repair chain with over 2000 shops. Early life and career Timpson was born in 1943, and educated at Oundle School and the University of Nottingham. He began his professional career as a management trainee at Clarks, before moving on to become a shoe buyer for his family's business, William Timpson Ltd., in 1965. He was appointed a director of Timpson in 1968, and remained with the company after his father Anthony was ousted as chairman five years later, at which point it was acquired for £28,600,000 by United Drapery Stores. After leading a management buyout, Timpson was himself installed as the firm's chairman in 1985. Timpson now has a weekly management column in The Daily Telegraph and has written several books about his management style. According to The Sunday Times Rich List in 2019, he is worth £210 million. Politics During the EU referendum in 2016, Timpson gave his public support for leaving the EU and stated that it is "a risk worth taking".