Sir Tom Farmer
|
Sir Tom Farmer CVO CBE KC*SG FRSE DL |
|
|---|---|
| Born |
Thomas Farmer 10 July 1940 (age 76) Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Residence | Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
| Years active | 1964–present |
| Home town | Leith, Scotland |
| Net worth |  £130 million (2015) |
| Title | CEO of Kwik Fit (1971–present) Non-executive director of MyTravel Group PLC (1994–?) Director of Scottish Power (2009–present) |
| Spouse(s) | Anne, Lady Farmer |
| Children | 1 daughter 1 son |
Sir Thomas "Tom" Farmer, CVO, CBE, KC*SG, FRSE, DL (born 10 July 1940) is a Scottish entrepreneur.
One of seven siblings in a devoutly Catholic family, in 1964 Farmer founded his own tyre retailing business which he sold in 1969 for £450,000. Farmer retired to the United States, but became bored and decided to find a new challenge. He returned to Edinburgh to found the Kwik Fit chain of garages in 1971. The firm grew quickly, mainly through acquisition, including opening in the Netherlands in 1975. Farmer was named Scottish Businessman of the Year in 1989. After building the chain to become the world's largest independent tyre and automotive repair specialists with over 2,000 centres operating in 18 different countries, Farmer sold the firm to Ford in 1999 for more than £1 billion. He is the first Scot to be awarded the prestigious Andrew Carnegie Medal for philanthropy.
In 2006, he donated £100,000 to the Scottish National Party to help fund their campaign for the 2007 Scottish Parliament general election. Farmer commented at the time that it was not an indication of his political allegiance but that he wanted the SNP to be able to compete financially with their better-funded political opponents. Farmer repeated his endorsement for the SNP in the 2011 election.
Farmer was made a Knight Commander with Star of the Order of St. Gregory the Great, a high honour that the Catholic Church can bestow on a layman. He was also knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1997. He is a supporter of the international development charity Mary's meals.
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