BLOG

Lord Alan Sugar

Born March 1947

Estimated Wealth: £770m*

Source: Electronics & Property

Overview

Sir Alan grew up in a council flat in Hackney as the youngest of 4 siblings. His entrepreneurial tendencies first became apparent at the age of 12 where to earn some pocket money he sold beetroots from a stall, made ginger beer and sold photographic films. On leaving school, after a short experience with the Civil Service, he was selling cigarette lighters and car aerials before, at the age of 21, starting the company for which perhaps he is most well-known, Amstrad.

After initial success with HiFi equipment, Amstrad (named from Alan Michael Sugar Trading) went public and was floated on the London Stock Market. The company experienced substantial growth through its personal computers and at its peak had a market valuation exceeding £1billion.

In 2007 BskyB took over Amstrad, with Sir Alan leaving the company a year later to focus on his other business interests including his property investment business Amsprop.

Amsprop owns a wealth of real estate across London with its portfolio including a range of iconic London buildings, specifically the IBM building which is regarded as one of Central London’s prime development opportunities.

Business Location

Interestingly, Sir Alan has chosen to base Amsprop outside of Central London in Loughton, Essex. This location may come as a surprise, with Sir Alan often being associated with the stylish office buildings featured in the television series The Apprentice. Forty years of commercial experience has perhaps led to Sir Alan making a more practical choice where the conveniences of London’s transport links can still be utilised without the associated costs of residing in Central London.

Something you perhaps didn’t know…

Sir Alan is a qualified Pilot of 30 years, pretty handy when you own a business that charters a fleet of luxurious private jets.

Next week

US Apprentice figurehead, Donald Trump.

---

To set a reminder for the next edition please email news@officebroker.com and we’ll add you to the weekly distribution list.

*Estimated Wealth: Sunday Times Rich List 2011

Image attributed to KingOfTheMedia

Published by AlecR on Monday, 24 October 2011 at 12:03 PM