Roy Robert Edward Stanley is a British

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

 based entrepreneur and businessman, and chairman of two AIM listed

Alternative Investment Market

AIM is a sub-market of the London Stock Exchange, allowing smaller companies to float shares with a more flexible regulatory system than is applicable to the main market....

 companies, the Tanfield Group

Tanfield Group

The Tanfield Group, formerly Comeleon, has changed its main focus from automotive components and imaging equipment to electric vehicle manufacturing and specialist engineering. As Comeleon, the company made 3D images for mobile phones and other devices, but saw the bottom drop out of its key...

, makers of electric vehicles, and Optare

Optare

Optare plc is a bus manufacturer and importer based in Leeds and Blackburn, UK. The company operates from three main business units, Bus Manufacturing, Coach Sales and Unitec....

, a bus manufacturer.

Stanley founded Tanfield in 1996 and developed it into the world's largest manufacturer of commercial electric vehicles The Stanley, County Durham

Stanley, County Durham

Stanley is a former colliery town and civil parish in County Durham, England. Centred on a hilltop between Chester-le-Street and Consett, the town lies south west of Gateshead....

 based Tanfield Group is one of the leading employers in the North East of England

In 2006 Stanley moved from Chief Executive to Chairman of Tanfield to concentrate on other ventures. In 2007 Stanley subsequently became founder and chairman of the Darwen Group

Darwen Group

The Darwen Group was a bus manufacturer located in Blackburn, Lancashire, England. The company originated from the purchase of East Lancashire Coachbuilders who went into administration in August 2007...

, buying the former bus manufacturer East Lancashire Coachbuilders

East Lancashire Coachbuilders

East Lancashire Coachbuilders Limited was a manufacturer of bus bodies and carriages founded in 1934 in Blackburn, Lancashire, England.In 1994 the company expanded in to new premises and commenced a programme of development that resulted in a range of single and double deck buses which was the...

. With acquisitions and restructuring, by June 2008 Darwen had become the enlarged company Optare plc, employing 830 people and with a £90million turnover, with the goal of developing hybrid

Hybrid vehicle

A hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that uses two or more distinct power sources to move the vehicle. The term most commonly refers to hybrid electric vehicles , which combine an internal combustion engine and one or more electric motors.-Power:...

 buses.

In April 2008 it was announced that Roy Stanley was to be the new Chairman of Business Link

Business Link

Business Link is a government-funded business advice and guidance service in England. It consists of an online portal managed by HMRC, local/regional advisors and a national helpline.-History:...

 North East..

In July 2008 while still chairman, Stanley returned to the Tanfield Group in an executive role after a dramatic slump in the share price of Tanfield

Married with three children, Stanley holds an MBA

Master of Business Administration

The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...

 from Newcastle University.