Guy Hands facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Guy Hands
Hands in 2019
Born	(1959-08-27) 27 August 1959 (age 65) London, UK
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 on August 27, 1959, is a well-known English financier and investor. He is famous for starting and leading Terra Firma Capital Partners, which is one of Europe's biggest private equity companies. He also used to be the chairman of the British music company EMI.

Hands is known for speaking his mind about the private equity world. In 2009, he moved from the UK to Guernsey, where his company, Terra Firma, is based.

Guy Hands: Early Life and Career

Growing Up and School

Guy Hands was born in London. His parents were from South Africa. When he was a young boy, he went to Holy Trinity School in Cookham. There, he found out he had severe dyslexia, which means he had trouble reading and writing.

At age nine, he moved to Ravenscroft, a special prep school with a class for dyslexic students. He even played Lady Macbeth in a school play! Later, he attended The Judd School in Tonbridge, where a library is now named after him.

University Life

Hands went on to study Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Mansfield College, Oxford. While at Oxford, he was a leader in student groups. He was the Bursar of the Oxford Union and also President of the Oxford University Conservative Association in 1980. Later, he helped fund the building of the Hands Building at Mansfield College.

Starting His Career

Before university, Guy Hands began a small business selling pictures. At Oxford, this business was called 'Artsake' and even hired some of his fellow students.

In 1982, Hands started his professional career in the City of London. He worked at Goldman Sachs as a trader of eurobonds, which are special international bonds. By 1986, he was in charge of eurobond trading. He later became a global head for Goldman's European division in 1990.

In 1994, Hands left Goldman Sachs to create Nomura's Principal Finance Group. This group focused on private equity investments in Europe. Hands joined Nomura after other banks, including Goldman, didn't approve his investment ideas. At Nomura, Hands and his team completed many large deals, worth over $20 billion. By 2000, he had made over $1.9 billion in profits for the bank.

Key Investments at Nomura

Hands made some very important purchases while at Nomura. These included:

• Annington Homes: This company became the largest owner of homes in England and Wales. It bought 57,400 homes from the UK Ministry of Defence for military families.
• William Hill: A well-known bookmaker.
• Angel Trains: A company that owns trains in the UK.
• He also bought many pubs, becoming one of the UK's biggest pub landlords.

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. It started with a large fund of €2 billion.

Terra Firma invests in many different types of businesses. Some of their early investments were in housing, leasing companies, and pubs.

Major Investments by Terra Firma

Since 2002, Terra Firma has made big investments in several areas:

• Waste Management: Companies like Waste Recycling Group.
• Energy: Businesses such as BGCL, East Surrey Holdings, and Phoenix Natural Gas.
• Aircraft Leasing: Companies like AWAS.
• Cinema: Chains like Odeon Cinemas and UCI.
• Music: The famous British music company EMI.
• German Housing: Companies like Deutsche Annington.
• Motorway Services: Businesses like Tank & Rast in Germany.

Terra Firma is also a leading investor in renewable energy. This includes green energy businesses in the UK, wind energy in the US, and solar energy in Italy.

The EMI Investment Challenge

Hands and Terra Firma are also known for their investment in the British music company EMI. This investment faced difficulties. In 2011, Citigroup, the main bank that lent money for the deal, took ownership of EMI. This meant Terra Firma lost its investment.

Terra Firma had tried to improve EMI's operations. However, the company reportedly lost $2.5 billion on the EMI deal. This was a significant loss for Terra Firma's investors and for Guy Hands personally.

Hands later sued Citigroup, claiming the bank had acted unfairly during the sale of EMI in 2007. The case went to trial in New York. While an initial jury decision favored Citigroup, a US court later said the jury instructions were incorrect. A new trial was held in London in 2016. After two days, Terra Firma decided to withdraw the case. Guy Hands stated that after nine years, the documents and memories were not strong enough to meet the high proof needed in court.

Retirement from Terra Firma

In August 2023, Guy Hands announced he was retiring from his main roles at Terra Firma. He stepped down as Chairman and Chief Investment Officer. This was part of his 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 Business Ventures

Guy Hands and his wife, Julia Hands, own Hand Picked Hotels. This is a chain of 21 beautiful English country house properties. Julia Hands manages this hotel business.

In 2017, Guy and Julia Hands bought the McDonald's operations in the Nordic countries. This deal made Hands the main person in charge of McDonald's in that region. It included about 435 restaurants, most of which are run by franchisees.

In 2020, Hands also invested in ROXi. This is a music entertainment company that was founded in 2014.

Personal Life

While at Oxford, Guy Hands became good friends with William Hague, who later became his best man at his wedding. In 1984, Guy married Julia Caroline Ablethorpe. They have two sons and two daughters.

His wife's house in Kent, England, was once given to Winston Churchill. The family also owns 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 did this because he felt taxes in Britain were too high. It was reported that he did not visit the UK for some time after moving, and his family traveled to Guernsey to see him.

In May 2019, Hands shared with The Sunday Times that he had a food addiction to roast potatoes and gravy. He sought treatment for this using hypnosis.

In 2021, Guy Hands wrote a book called ‘The Dealmaker: Lessons from a Life in Private Equity’. This book shares his personal story from childhood to his career in finance. The Times newspaper described it as a thrilling read.

Hands has also spoken more and more about the dangers of climate change. He talks about the big challenges and costs involved in trying to stop it.

Giving Back: Philanthropy

Guy Hands and his wife have given millions of pounds to Mansfield College, Oxford since 1995. Mansfield College even hosts an annual lecture series named after the Hands family. Since 2014, the Hands family has donated £2.2 million towards 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 award recognized his generous contributions to many charities.

Awards and Positions

• 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.