James Timpson OBE

Timpson has been a thriving family business ever since it was first established in Manchester in 1865. It is now Britain's largest shoe repairer, key cutter, engraver and watch repairer - with James and his father at the helm and 3000 'colleagues' operating over 900 shops. They are also the largest recruiter of ex-offenders in the country.

The management culture is designed to ensure that those serving customers are treated as the most important people in the business; everyone else is there to help. With a policy of recruiting personalities and giving them authority to run their shops, James claims to have created a culture that allows them to lead the business "standing on our heads."

Timpson has won several awards for customer service and employee satisfaction. As he shows in presentations, James believes in 'upside down' management with a clear focus on delivering customer service. And after starting as a branch manager, he understands exactly what motivates the front line team.