Guy Hands

Guy Hands (born 1959) is a British financier and investor. He is the founder and CEO of the private equity firm Terra Firma Capital Partners, which he founded in 2002. Hands is also the chairman of record label EMI, which Terra Firma acquired in 2007. [Arango, Tim. " [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/16/business/media/16emi.html EMI’s New Boss Sees Cracks in Music World] ." New York Times, June 16, 2008.] Kennedy, Siobhan, " [http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/banking_and_finance/article2163544.ece Business big shot: Guy Hands] " dated July 30, 2007, online at timesonline.co.uk]

Career summary

Hands started his career as a bond trader at Goldman Sachs in the early 1980s. He left for Nomura in 1994 and made a fortune as Managing Director of its Principal Finance Group, with the purchase of a chain of UK pubs.

In 2002, Hands founded Terra Firma Capital Partners, as a spinout from Nomura, which he had built into one of the largest private equity investors in Europe. Terra Firma debuted with a $2.7 billion private equity fund immediately making it one of the larger private equity firms in Europe. [COWELL, ALAN. " [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B05E3DE1538F933A25752C1A9679C8B63 World Business Briefing | Europe: Britain: Nomura Investor To Open Fund] ." New York Times, November 10, 2001]

Terra Firma has bought a acquired a property portfolio in the UK and Germany (where they are the country's biggest landlord), ex UK Ministry of Defence residential housing and motorway service stations. It is also the largest owner of cinemas in Europe, having taken control of the United Cinemas International and Odeon Cinemas chains. Other acquisitions include the waste water company Waste Recycling Group.

He has faced controversy over his management of EMI, where he suggested that there should be fewer A&R men, and planned to cut thousands of jobs to improve efficiency. [ [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1575973/Guy-Hands-EMI-must-dump-artists-to-survive.html EMI Must Dump Artists to Survive] ] Robbie Williams refused to release his new album on the label in protest. Other artists voiced similar concerns.

Hands was educated at Ravenscroft School, Beckington, The Judd School, Tonbridge, and Mansfield College, Oxford.

Personal

Hands and his wife Julia also own the Hand Picked Hotels chain of 14 country-house properties, which is run by Julia Hands.

Guy and Julia Hands were estimated to be worth £250 million in the Sunday Times Rich List of 2008. Previously in the Sunday Times Rich List 2005 they had been estimated to be worth £175 million, placing them at position 281 in the list of the richest people in the United Kingdom.

Hands' friends include William Hague, who was best man at his wedding, while his house in Kent, England was once presented to Winston Churchill.

Honours and appointments

* 2000 - elected a "Global Leader of Tomorrow" of 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

Trivia

* As an undergraduate in the early 1980s, he held the office of Bursar of the Oxford Union Society.
* In a Ravenscroft production of Macbeth in 1970, he played the part of Lady Macbeth opposite Christopher Newbury as Macbeth.
* He contributed towards the funding of the Guy Hands library, a Judd School facility, and the Hands Building at Mansfield College Oxford.

ee also

*Terra Firma Capital Partners
*Waste Recycling Group

External links

* [http://www.terrafirma.com/ Terra Firma Capital Partners] (company website)
* [http://www.terrafirma.com/guy-hands.html Terra Firma Capital Partners] (Guy Hands Profile)
* [http://www.handpicked.co.uk/ Hand Picked Hotels] (company website)

References