Ann Gloag facts for kids

Dame Ann Heron Gloag DBE (born 10 December 1942) is a Scottish businesswoman and a dedicated charity supporter. She is best known for starting the Stagecoach Group with her brother, which became a very large transport company.

In 2024, reports showed that Dame Ann Gloag and her brother, Sir Brian Souter, had a combined wealth of £815 million. This was an increase from the year before.

Ann Gloag's Early Life and Career

Ann Gloag went to Caledonian Road Primary School and Perth High School in Scotland. After finishing school, she trained to be a nurse. She worked as a nurse for 20 years, even becoming a sister in a burn unit. She is known as one of Scotland's wealthiest women. Ann Gloag is also a trustee for the charity Mercy Ships, which helps provide hospital care on ships.

Starting the Stagecoach Group

In 1980, Ann Gloag decided to start a bus company. She used money her father, who was a bus driver, received when he retired. She worked with her brother, Brian Souter, and her first husband, Robin. They called their company the Stagecoach Group.

They began by running buses from Dundee to London. The company grew quickly. In the early 1990s, Stagecoach bought many other bus companies across the UK. They expanded into areas like Cumberland, Hampshire, and East Midlands. They also bought bus operations in Scotland, Newcastle, London, and Manchester.

The Story of Manston Airport

In November 2013, Ann Gloag bought Kent International Airport, also known as Manston Airport, for a small amount of money. Her business partner was Pauline Bradley, a lawyer.

Even though staff were told there would be long-term investment in the airport, its management announced plans to close it in April 2014. Because of this uncertainty, airlines like KLM, which flew twice daily to Amsterdam, stopped using Manston. Several offers were made to buy the airport and keep it running. However, on 15 May 2014, Manston Airport closed. This meant 144 airport jobs were lost, plus many more in the local area. Ann Gloag did not explain publicly why the airport closed or why she refused to sell it.

Some people, including the local Member of Parliament, Sir Roger Gale, were very unhappy about the closure. They called it an act of "corporate vandalism." As of 2016, Sir Roger Gale and groups like Save Manston Airport continued to campaign for the airport to reopen. They also opposed other uses for the land. In 2017, planning inspectors said the site should still be used for aviation.

Ann Gloag's Personal Life

Ann Gloag owns two historic castles in Scotland. She has owned Beaufort Castle near Inverness since 1995. She also bought Kinfauns Castle, near Perth, in 2004. She tried to stop public access to some woodland at Kinfauns. In 2007, a court decided she could legally prevent the public from entering that area.

Ann Gloag's first husband, Robin, passed away in 2007. They had a son named Jonathan, who also passed away. In 1990, Ann married David McCleary. He was a successful businessman and had been a church minister.

Ann Gloag is a member of the Church of the Nazarene. She started a charity called the Freedom From Fistula Foundation. This charity helps women in Africa who suffer from a serious medical condition called obstetric fistula. She also helped produce a documentary film called Shout Gladi Gladi to explain this issue. Ann Gloag supports many international aid charities. She has also adopted a boy from Kenya named Peter, who is now 30 years old, and a 6-year-old Kenyan grandson.

Awards and Recognitions

Ann Gloag has received important awards for her work. In 2004, she was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her charity work. In 2019, she was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE). This is a very high honor, given for her services to business and her generous charity work.