Brian Souter
Encyclopedia
Sir Brian Souter is a Scottish businessman. He is the co-founder of the Stagecoach Group
, along with his sister, Ann Gloag
. He is also widely known for his controversial public statements and for his attempt to keep Section 28
(known in Scotland as Clause 2A) in law, which led to widespread accusations of homophobia. He lives in Perth with his wife and four children, and is a prominent member of Perth's Trinity Church.
before he completed training as a Chartered Accountant
with Arthur Andersen
.
and his brother-in-law Robin Gloag
, Souter established the Stagecoach Group
in 1980, running buses from Dundee
to London. Expansion continued and in the early 1990s, Stagecoach acquired National Bus Company operations in Cumberland, Hampshire, East Midlands, Ribble, Southdown and the United Counties. Stagecoach bought further bus operations in Scotland, Newcastle and London, with Manchester being added a few years later. In 1993, Stagecoach was valued at £134 million and was floated on the London Stock Exchange in order to access more capital for new opportunities for buses and trains for overseas expansion. The company went on to diversify with trains and trams and expanded overseas — especially into the United States and Canada.
In 2009, Souter received a £1.6m bonus. Stating "it was felt that in the present economic climate it would not be right for any individual to pocket a bonus package of £1.6million", he accepted the bonus, donating £900,000 to his own charity, the Souter Charitable Trust, which assists humanitarian projects in the UK and overseas that adhere to the teachings of Christianity. Most of the remainder was given to the staff pension fund.
operator Fullers Ferries
and the bus company Howick & Eastern, both operating in Auckland
, and 74% of Wellington
bus operator Mana Coach Services.
In total, Souter has more than 200 private investments which are managed by his company, Souter Investments. They include sizeable stakes in Sunseeker
, the luxury yacht company, insurance specialists eSure and Go Compare, Alexander Dennis
, Britain’s biggest bus and coach manufacturer and Argent, the world renowned producer of biodiesel
. In October 2010, Souter Investments reported that the value of its portfolio had risen by 41% over the last three years to £400 million.
, which forbade local authorities to “intentionally promote homosexuality
”. In Scotland Clause 28
was known as clause 2A and Souter sponsored the first privately-funded postal referendum
to take place across Scotland to gauge public opinion.
A total of 3,970,712 ballot papers were posted out and 31.8% valid votes were returned (a "turn out" rate lower than any national election in Scottish history). The results showed that 86.8% of returned ballots were in favour of keeping Clause 28 and only 13.2% in favour of repeal.
Souter pointed out that the number of people who voted to keep the clause exceeded the number of votes cast for any single political party in Scotland at any election over the preceding ten years, avoiding the obvious point that Scottish voters usually choose from four main parties not two options. The campaign was ultimately unsuccessful, with the poll criticised as an exercise in chequebook democracy, and ultimately not representative of public opinion.
Souter's campaign group approached the Electoral Reform Society
to organise the ballot through its ballot services subsidiary. The society refused the request as it believed the poll "would not be a legitimate democratic exercise to ask people to give an opinion on the repeal of Section 28 without knowing the detail of what would replace it". Many groups hostile to Souter's stance had called for a public boycott of the poll, and accordingly claimed that as only a minority returned ballot papers this was a defeat for Souter and his supporters. Mainstream politicians, including the Scottish National Party
(which Souter has supported) largely ignored his private poll and disputed whether the result was a true reflection of public opinion, with the Scottish Executive
stating that the public had been fed a diet of "misinformation and lies" by Souter's campaign group. The then Communities Minister, Wendy Alexander
MSP, criticised the poll stating "I think what is significant about today's ballot is that two out of three voters rejected, or binned or simply ignored this glorified opinion poll." Gay rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell
, stated that "Brian Souter’s support for Section 28 is the moral equivalent of the business-funded campaign to maintain racial segregation in the Deep South of the USA in the 1950s." Tatchell stated that Souter's campaign was "hateful" and that it is clear that Souter was using his vast fortune to try to keep a cruel and "bigoted law" intact.
(SNP). In March 2007, he donated £500,000 to the SNP, citing an imbalance of funding within Scottish politics. Souter stated that it was his intention to redress an imbalance in funding, saying that "as long as I can remember, the case for the union has been hugely financed by cash from London, while the case for independence has lacked resources. I hope my donation will help redress this imbalance". Following the donation, SNP leader Alex Salmond
was criticised for "pandering to homophobia" by accepting Souter's donation - particularly as the party had just opposed the right for gay couples to be given equal treatment by Catholic adoption agencies, and had also snubbed a gay rights debate in January 2007. However, Salmond merely thanked Souter for his support, calling him "one of the outstanding entrepreneurs of his generation". One month later, in April 2007, the SNP's commitment (made at the party's 2006 conference) to re-regulate the bus network was dropped from the 2007 manifesto, although the SNP denied any direct link.
In February 2011 Souter again pledged financial support for the SNP promising to match every pound they raised with a donation of up to £500,000. Announcing his support he said Alex Salmond and the SNP deserved a second term in office. The SNP won a resounding victory in the election with Alex Salmond being returned unopposed as First Minister.
Souter was knighted
in the 2011 Birthday Honours
for services to transport and the voluntary sector. This decision was criticised by Gay Rights campaigners, and sparked a petition to have Souter's knighthood withdrawn.
Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...
, along with his sister, Ann Gloag
Ann Gloag
Ann Gloag, OBE , is a Scottish business woman and charity campaigner.-Biography:Educated at Caledonian Road Primary School and Perth High School, she qualified as a nurse and during a 20 year career worked as a burns unit sister.-Stagecoach:Gloag founded bus company "Gloagtrotter" in October 1980...
. He is also widely known for his controversial public statements and for his attempt to keep Section 28
Section 28
Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 caused the controversial addition of Section 2A to the Local Government Act 1986 , enacted on 24 May 1988 and repealed on 21 June 2000 in Scotland, and on 18 November 2003 in the rest of Great Britain by section 122 of the Local Government Act 2003...
(known in Scotland as Clause 2A) in law, which led to widespread accusations of homophobia. He lives in Perth with his wife and four children, and is a prominent member of Perth's Trinity Church.
Early life and career
He was educated at Perth Academy, University of Abertay and the University of StrathclydeUniversity of Strathclyde
The University of Strathclyde , Glasgow, Scotland, is Glasgow's second university by age, founded in 1796, and receiving its Royal Charter in 1964 as the UK's first technological university...
before he completed training as a Chartered Accountant
Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland is the Scottish professional body of Chartered Accountants . It is a regulator, educator and influencer.ICAS act as a thought leader and voice of the professional business community...
with Arthur Andersen
Arthur Andersen
Arthur Andersen LLP, based in Chicago, was once one of the "Big Five" accounting firms among PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Ernst & Young and KPMG, providing auditing, tax, and consulting services to large corporations...
.
Stagecoach
Using his father's redundancy money, and working with his sister Ann GloagAnn Gloag
Ann Gloag, OBE , is a Scottish business woman and charity campaigner.-Biography:Educated at Caledonian Road Primary School and Perth High School, she qualified as a nurse and during a 20 year career worked as a burns unit sister.-Stagecoach:Gloag founded bus company "Gloagtrotter" in October 1980...
and his brother-in-law Robin Gloag
Robin Gloag
Robin Nicol Gloag was one of the founders, with Brian Souter and Ann Gloag, of Stagecoach Group, one of the United Kingdom's largest transport businesses.-Career:...
, Souter established the Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...
in 1980, running buses from Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
to London. Expansion continued and in the early 1990s, Stagecoach acquired National Bus Company operations in Cumberland, Hampshire, East Midlands, Ribble, Southdown and the United Counties. Stagecoach bought further bus operations in Scotland, Newcastle and London, with Manchester being added a few years later. In 1993, Stagecoach was valued at £134 million and was floated on the London Stock Exchange in order to access more capital for new opportunities for buses and trains for overseas expansion. The company went on to diversify with trains and trams and expanded overseas — especially into the United States and Canada.
In 2009, Souter received a £1.6m bonus. Stating "it was felt that in the present economic climate it would not be right for any individual to pocket a bonus package of £1.6million", he accepted the bonus, donating £900,000 to his own charity, the Souter Charitable Trust, which assists humanitarian projects in the UK and overseas that adhere to the teachings of Christianity. Most of the remainder was given to the staff pension fund.
Souter Holdings and other investments
Souter Holdings Ltd is Souter's New Zealand investment company, owning commuter ferryFerry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
operator Fullers Ferries
Fullers Ferries
Fullers Group is a ferry and tourism company in Auckland, New Zealand. It operates in the Hauraki Gulf and in 2007, transported 4.2 million passengers.- Services :Fullers run ferries from the Auckland Ferry Terminal in Quay Street, Downtown Auckland...
and the bus company Howick & Eastern, both operating in Auckland
Public transport in Auckland
Public transport in Auckland, the largest metropolitan area of New Zealand, consists of three modes – bus, train and ferry. Services are provided under the "MAXX" brand by private transport providers, coordinated by Auckland Transport, the council controlled organisation that replaced the Auckland...
, and 74% of Wellington
Public transport in Wellington
Public transport in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, is well developed compared to other parts of the country. The system covers the Greater Wellington region, including Wellington city, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt, Porirua, the Kapiti Coast and the Wairarapa.-Administration:Public transport in...
bus operator Mana Coach Services.
In total, Souter has more than 200 private investments which are managed by his company, Souter Investments. They include sizeable stakes in Sunseeker
Sunseeker
Sunseeker International, is a UK luxury motor yacht manufacturer. Their headquarters and assembly factory is in Poole Harbour, at Poole in Dorset, England. The company has been making motor boats since 1979.-Profile:...
, the luxury yacht company, insurance specialists eSure and Go Compare, Alexander Dennis
Alexander Dennis
Alexander Dennis Limited is the largest bus builder in the United Kingdom. It incorporated the three last surviving bus manufacturers which started bus production before World War II: Dennis, Alexander and Plaxton.- History :Alexander Dennis was formed as TransBus on 1 January 2001, after the...
, Britain’s biggest bus and coach manufacturer and Argent, the world renowned producer of biodiesel
Biodiesel
Biodiesel refers to a vegetable oil- or animal fat-based diesel fuel consisting of long-chain alkyl esters. Biodiesel is typically made by chemically reacting lipids with an alcohol....
. In October 2010, Souter Investments reported that the value of its portfolio had risen by 41% over the last three years to £400 million.
Souter Charitable Trust
In 1992, Souter and his wife set up the Souter Charitable Trust which assists humanitarian projects in the UK and overseas that adhere to the teachings of Christianity. According to its official website, the Trust has awarded over 2,700 grants worth more than £20 million.Business Practices
Following the de-regulation of bus services in the United Kingdom, Stagecoach bought a number of the newly emerged small bus companies and ran free or low fare buses to put local rivals out of business . One of the most controversial examples was in Darlington where Stagecoach subsidiary Busways offered bounties to recruit drivers away from the existing bus service and offered free buses to deter the rival preferred bidder from taking over the existing bus service. This was "predatory, deplorable and against the public interest" according to findings from The Monopolies and Mergers Commission. .Controversial comment
In 1998, Souter described British northerners (who make up a considerable proportion of his customers) as "the beer-drinking, chip-eating, council house-dwelling, old Labour-voting masses."Section 28
In 2000 Souter was the prominent leader of the Keep the Clause campaignKeep the Clause campaign
The Keep the Clause campaign was a privately funded political campaign organised in 2000 with the aim of resisting the repeal of legislation known as Clause 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 in Scotland and the United Kingdom, which forbade local authorities to "intentionally promote...
, which forbade local authorities to “intentionally promote homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
”. In Scotland Clause 28
Section 28
Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 caused the controversial addition of Section 2A to the Local Government Act 1986 , enacted on 24 May 1988 and repealed on 21 June 2000 in Scotland, and on 18 November 2003 in the rest of Great Britain by section 122 of the Local Government Act 2003...
was known as clause 2A and Souter sponsored the first privately-funded postal referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
to take place across Scotland to gauge public opinion.
A total of 3,970,712 ballot papers were posted out and 31.8% valid votes were returned (a "turn out" rate lower than any national election in Scottish history). The results showed that 86.8% of returned ballots were in favour of keeping Clause 28 and only 13.2% in favour of repeal.
Souter pointed out that the number of people who voted to keep the clause exceeded the number of votes cast for any single political party in Scotland at any election over the preceding ten years, avoiding the obvious point that Scottish voters usually choose from four main parties not two options. The campaign was ultimately unsuccessful, with the poll criticised as an exercise in chequebook democracy, and ultimately not representative of public opinion.
Souter's campaign group approached the Electoral Reform Society
Electoral Reform Society
The Electoral Reform Society is a political pressure group based in the United Kingdom which promotes electoral reform. It is believed to be the oldest organisation concerned with electoral systems in the world.-Aims:...
to organise the ballot through its ballot services subsidiary. The society refused the request as it believed the poll "would not be a legitimate democratic exercise to ask people to give an opinion on the repeal of Section 28 without knowing the detail of what would replace it". Many groups hostile to Souter's stance had called for a public boycott of the poll, and accordingly claimed that as only a minority returned ballot papers this was a defeat for Souter and his supporters. Mainstream politicians, including the Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
(which Souter has supported) largely ignored his private poll and disputed whether the result was a true reflection of public opinion, with the Scottish Executive
Scottish Executive
The Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...
stating that the public had been fed a diet of "misinformation and lies" by Souter's campaign group. The then Communities Minister, Wendy Alexander
Wendy Alexander
Wendy Alexander is a Scottish politician and the former Member of the Scottish Parliament for Paisley North. She held various Scottish Government cabinet posts and was the leader of the Labour Party group in the Scottish Parliament from 2007-2008...
MSP, criticised the poll stating "I think what is significant about today's ballot is that two out of three voters rejected, or binned or simply ignored this glorified opinion poll." Gay rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell
Peter Tatchell
Peter Gary Tatchell is an Australian-born British political campaigner best known for his work with LGBT social movements...
, stated that "Brian Souter’s support for Section 28 is the moral equivalent of the business-funded campaign to maintain racial segregation in the Deep South of the USA in the 1950s." Tatchell stated that Souter's campaign was "hateful" and that it is clear that Souter was using his vast fortune to try to keep a cruel and "bigoted law" intact.
Donations to the SNP
Souter is a major financial supporter of the Scottish National PartyScottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
(SNP). In March 2007, he donated £500,000 to the SNP, citing an imbalance of funding within Scottish politics. Souter stated that it was his intention to redress an imbalance in funding, saying that "as long as I can remember, the case for the union has been hugely financed by cash from London, while the case for independence has lacked resources. I hope my donation will help redress this imbalance". Following the donation, SNP leader Alex Salmond
Alex Salmond
Alexander Elliot Anderson "Alex" Salmond MSP is a Scottish politician and current First Minister of Scotland. He became Scotland's fourth First Minister in May 2007. He is the Leader of the Scottish National Party , having served as Member of the Scottish Parliament for Gordon...
was criticised for "pandering to homophobia" by accepting Souter's donation - particularly as the party had just opposed the right for gay couples to be given equal treatment by Catholic adoption agencies, and had also snubbed a gay rights debate in January 2007. However, Salmond merely thanked Souter for his support, calling him "one of the outstanding entrepreneurs of his generation". One month later, in April 2007, the SNP's commitment (made at the party's 2006 conference) to re-regulate the bus network was dropped from the 2007 manifesto, although the SNP denied any direct link.
In February 2011 Souter again pledged financial support for the SNP promising to match every pound they raised with a donation of up to £500,000. Announcing his support he said Alex Salmond and the SNP deserved a second term in office. The SNP won a resounding victory in the election with Alex Salmond being returned unopposed as First Minister.
Honours and awards
In June 2010, Souter was given a Special Career Service Award at the "Talent In Mobility" Awards, part of the European Mobility Exhibition held in Paris for the public transport industry. In October 2010 he was awarded the Ernst & Young UK Master Entrepreneur of the Year.Souter was knighted
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
in the 2011 Birthday Honours
2011 Birthday Honours
The Birthday Honours 2011 for the Commonwealth Realms were announced on 7 June 2011 in New Zealand and 11 June 2011 in United Kingdom to celebrate the Queen's Birthday of 2011.-Privy Councillors:...
for services to transport and the voluntary sector. This decision was criticised by Gay Rights campaigners, and sparked a petition to have Souter's knighthood withdrawn.