Guy Hands facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Guy Hands
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Hands in 2019
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| Born | 27 August 1959 London, UK
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| Education | The Judd School |
| Alma mater | Mansfield College, Oxford |
| Occupation | Private equity investor |
| Employer | Terra Firma (2002-2023) Nomura Securities (1994-2002) Goldman Sachs (1982-1994) |
| Known for | Founder of Terra Firma Capital Partners, Founder of Nomura Principal Finance Group |
Guy Hands (born 27 August 1959) is a well-known English investor. He is famous for starting and leading Terra Firma Capital Partners. This company is one of the biggest private equity firms in Europe. Guy Hands also used to be the chairman of the British music company EMI.
He is known for sharing his strong opinions about the investment industry. In April 2009, he moved from the UK to Guernsey, where his company, Terra Firma, is based.
Contents
About Guy Hands
Early Life and Education
Guy Hands was born in London. His parents were from South Africa. When he was a young boy, he went to Holy Trinity School. There, he found out he had dyslexia, which means he had trouble with reading and writing.
At age nine, he went to Ravenscroft, a special school that helped students with dyslexia. He even acted in a play there! Later, he attended The Judd School in Tonbridge. Today, there's a library named after him at that school.
Hands then studied at Mansfield College, Oxford. He focused on Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. While at Oxford, he was in charge of money for the Oxford Union. He also led the Oxford University Conservative Association. Later, he helped fund the building of the Hands Building at Mansfield College.
Starting His Career
Before going to Oxford, Guy Hands began a small business selling pictures. When he got to Oxford, this business became known as 'Artsake'. He even hired some of his fellow students to help him.
In 1982, Hands started his professional career at Goldman Sachs. He traded special international bonds called eurobonds. By 1986, he was leading the eurobond trading team. He later became a global head for Goldman's European division in 1990.
In 1994, Hands left Goldman Sachs. He then started Nomura's Principal Finance Group. This group focused on investing in European companies. Hands joined Nomura after other banks, including Goldman, didn't want his investment idea.
At Nomura, Guy Hands and his team made many large investments. By 2000, he had made over $1.9 billion in profits for the bank. This made him a very successful financier in London. Some of his notable investments at Nomura included Annington Homes, the bookmaker William Hill, and Angel Trains, a company that leases trains in the UK. He also became a major owner of pubs across the UK. In 1996, he played a key role in selling 57,400 homes for military families to Annington Homes. This made Annington the largest owner of homes in England and Wales.
Terra Firma Capital Partners
In 2002, Guy Hands started his own company, Terra Firma Capital Partners. This company grew out of his work at Nomura. Terra Firma quickly became one of the biggest private equity investors in Europe.
Early on, the company invested in housing (Annington Homes), leasing businesses, and pubs. Since 2002, Terra Firma has made big investments in many different areas. These include waste management (Waste Recycling Group), energy (like BGCL and Phoenix Natural Gas), aircraft leasing (AWAS), and cinemas (Odeon Cinemas/UCI). They also invested in German housing (Deutsche Annington) and motorway services (Tank & Rast).
Terra Firma is also a leader in investing in renewable energy. They have invested in green energy businesses in the UK (Infinis), wind energy in the US (EverPower), and solar energy in Italy (RTR).
Guy Hands and Terra Firma are also known for their investment in the British music company EMI. This investment faced challenges, and Citigroup, the main lender, eventually took over EMI Group in February 2011. This meant Terra Firma lost its investment.
In August 2023, it was announced that Guy Hands was stepping down from his roles as Chairman and Chief Investment Officer at Terra Firma. He had a long-term goal to retire by his 64th birthday. He still remains involved in some of the Terra Firma businesses that are family investments.
Other Businesses
Guy Hands and his wife, Julia Hands, own Hand Picked Hotels. This is a group of 21 English country house hotels, which Julia runs.
In 2017, Guy and Julia Hands bought the McDonald's operations in the Nordic countries. This deal meant Hands became the main partner for McDonald's in that region, overseeing about 435 restaurants.
In December 2020, Hands invested in ROXi, a music entertainment company. This was part of a £13 million fundraising effort.
Personal Life
While at Oxford, Guy Hands became good friends with William Hague. In 1984, William Hague was the best man at Guy's wedding to Julia Caroline Ablethorpe. Guy and Julia have two sons and two daughters.
Their home in Kent, England, was once given to Winston Churchill. They also own an estate in Tuscany, Italy, called Villa Saletta. This estate produces award-winning wine and olive oil.
In April 2009, Guy Hands moved to Guernsey in the Channel Islands. He made this move partly because of high taxes in Britain.
In May 2019, Hands shared that he had a food addiction to roast potatoes and gravy. He sought treatment for it, including hypnosis.
In 2021, Guy Hands published a book called ‘The Dealmaker: Lessons from a Life in Private Equity’. It shares his experiences from childhood to his career in finance.
Hands has also spoken more about the risks of climate change and the big challenges of stopping it.
Philanthropy
Guy Hands and his wife have given millions of pounds to Mansfield College, Oxford since 1995. Mansfield College hosts a yearly lecture series named after the Hands family. Since 2014, the Hands family has donated £2.2 million to a new building at Mansfield. This building will house the University's new Institute of Human Rights.
In 2018, Hands was named the Philanthropist of The Year at the Spear's Wealth Management Awards. This was for his contributions to various charities.
Honours and Appointments
- 2000 - Chosen as a Global Leader of Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum
- President of Access for Excellence
- Bancroft Fellow of Mansfield College, Oxford
- Member of the University of Oxford Chancellor's Court of Benefactors
- Fellow of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme
