august-2010

BUSINESS LAWRENCE TOMLINSON
“I’m a Yorkshire businessman through and
through,” says Lawrence Tomlinson, chairman and
founder of LNT Group, and one of the richest men
in the UK with an estimated wealth of £400m. “It’s
about that gritty determination and work ethic.”
The LNT Group includes Ginetta, which has been
building race cars in Yorkshire since 1958. A motor
sports obsessive, Tomlinson has just returned from
Le Mans, where the new Ginetta F400 Supercar was
showcased. The Le Mans track holds good memories
for Tomlinson. A talented driver in his own right, he
won the G2 trophy there in 2006.
Tomlinson gave his career a turbo-charged start
with a degree in mechanical engineering from
Bradford University. By the age of 23 he had accrued
an impressive £526,000 of debts importing cars and
boats from the United States and developing his
family’s care home business. “I realised I’d better
make some money to pay it off,” he says.
He’s done just that, in the process adding IT,
engineering, mechanical and aviation companies
to LNT’s ever-growing portfolio. The £175m sale
of the original Orchard Care Home operation two
years ago means Tomlinson will enjoy old age with
diamonds in his dentures, and since purchasing
Ginetta, Tomlinson has made the company a major
international player. He even persuaded former
F1 champion Nigel Mansell to drive a Ginetta
at Le Mans, although the race ended in a crash.
80JetAway
High Flyers
Racing driver, entrepreneur, multimillionaire, Yorkshireman –
Lawrence Tomlinson explains his success to Lucille Howe
Despite this jet-setting lifestyle, Tomlinson
believes in keeping his empire rooted firmly in
Yorkshire. “Around the Leeds area we have a lot of
skilled labour from previous heavy industries such
as the textile trade and the production of tanks,” he
says. “There’s an ageing skill base, but those skills
are still there and I have apprentices who are glad to
learn and pass them on.” East Leeds also has great
motorway links, he says. “And if that don’t work,
we always have pigeons!”
With a new car launched every 18 months,
Tomlinson has no time to count those pigeons,
with a typical day starting at 3.30am. “First, I’ll
send out some emails to get ahead of the day. Am
I annoyed when I have them returned, meaning
there’s someone working as hard as me? No – I’m
delighted!” He then goes back to bed for an hour
between 5-6am, before working out on the moors
with his personal trainer for an hour, then heading
to work in his trusty F400.
Tomlinson’s day is spent liaising with his 700 staff
at the nine companies on site, or on location at the
care homes still in his portfolio. After a long day
he’ll return home to see the kids and watch a bit of
Corrie. “Shane Lynch has a Ginetta. That’s got to be
worth a pint in the Rovers.”
Besides Corrie, Tomlinson’s big ambition is to
launch an electric car, his legacy for a greener future.
George Osborne has verbally endorsed the project,
but the LNT Group is still waiting for a government
grant to aid development. The car is charged by
wind turbines, travels up to 110mph and handles like
a racing vehicle, so what’s not to love? They’re even
working on an environmentally friendly de-icer
for runways. As Tomlinson cheekily puts it, “We’re
looking after your undercarriage.”
Name: Lawrence
Tomlinson
Age: 45
Worth: £400m
Business interests:
Healthcare, IT,
construction,
engineering, property,
chemicals, automotive
and aviation
How much? Ginetta
race cars range in
price from £14,950
to £1m, averaging
around £45,000
Forever friends:
Tomlinson credits pal
Richard Branson for
his decision to go green
Do say: “I can see you!”
Tomlinson’s Gordon
Gekko-style office
overlooks the car
production floor
Don’t say: “What
investments do
you have?” All of
Tomlinson’s concerns
are what you call
working businesses
so, “There are no
investments as such.”