Brian Souter
| Sir Brian Souter | |
|---|---|
| Born |
5 May 1954 Perth, Scotland |
| Residence | Perth, Scotland |
| Occupation | Chairman, Stagecoach Group |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Net worth | £1.04 billion (April 2014) |
| Spouse(s) | Betty Souter |
| Children | 4 |
| Website | www |
Sir Brian Souter (born 5 May 1954) is a Scottish businessman and philanthropist. With his sister, Ann Gloag, he founded the Stagecoach Group of bus and rail operators. He also founded the bus and coach operator Megabus, the train operating company South West Trains, his investments company Souter Holdings Ltd and the Souter Charitable Trust.
Souter has also been politically active in Scotland, and supports the Scottish National Party financially. In 2000, when the Scottish Executive proposed to repeal Section 2A of the Local Government Act, which prevented local authorities from "promoting homosexuality", Souter started the Keep the Clause campaign to oppose their plans, spending one million pounds of his own money to organise a private referendum across Scotland. This campaign and other controversial statements have led opponents to accuse him of homophobia.
In 2011 he was awarded a knighthood for services to transport and the voluntary sector. The honour was criticised by Scottish Labour Party politicians and by gay rights campaigners.
Souter was born in the Scottish town of Perth. His father was a bus driver and as a child Brian often travelled on bus routes with his father. At school he developed an interest in economics and accounts, about which he later said, "Changing my timetable from maths to include economics and accounts was one of the best things I’ve ever done."
On leaving school, he studied at the Abertay University to become a commerce teacher. On completion he studied at Strathclyde University in Glasgow, where he graduated with a CA Diploma in Accountancy and Economics. Following his graduation Souter became a Chartered Accountant at Arthur Andersen & Co.
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