Sir Tom Cowie
| Tom Cowie | |
|---|---|
| Born |
9 September 1922 Sunderland |
| Died | 18 January 2012 (aged 89) |
Sir Thomas "Tom" Cowie, OBE (9 September 1922 – 18 January 2012) was the honorary Life President of the Arriva Group, formerly known as Cowie Group plc.
Cowie's father, Thomas Stephenson Knowles (T.S.K.) Cowie headed a business, T. Cowie Ltd, which repaired and sold cycles in Matamba Terrace, Sunderland but this business ceased trading in the early years of the Second World War when T.S.K. Cowie went into the trawler business. Cowie was born on 9 September 1922 in Sunderland. After serving in the Royal Air Force, he returned to Sunderland after the war and in 1948 T Cowie Ltd, motorcycle dealers, re-opened for business.
A string of takeovers led to the business's rapid expansion and by 1961 it had showrooms in seven cities. It became a PLC in 1964 having moved into car sales following the collapse of the motorbike market. In 1972 Cowie Contract Hire was formed. By the end of the 1980s this was largest contract hire company in the United Kingdom.
T. Cowie PLC moved into bus operation in 1980 by taking over Grey-Green. Under Cowie ownership it expanded into London Transport tendered services, and its profits increased massively as a result. Cowie acquired bus sales dealership Hughes DAF in 1988, before attempting to purchase bus manufacturer Plaxton in 1992. This bid proved unsuccessful, with Cowie taking only 47% of the company's shares by the deadline.
In 1993 Cowie left T. Cowie plc following differences of opinion with other board members, although he remained its life president and retained a 2.8% shareholding. It was renamed Arriva in 1998.
From 1980 to 1986, Cowie was Chairman of Sunderland A.F.C., but his tenure remains, in the eyes of most supporters, a real low in the club's history. His appointment of Lawrie McMenemy as manager in 1985 culminated in their relegation to the Football League Third Division. Bob Murray replaced Cowie as chairman in 1986.
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