Sir Terry Leahy is the former chief executive of Tesco and one of the leading businessmen of his generation.

• Outperforming the market
• Execution and business ethics
• Being an architect of business transformation
• International expansion
• Constant focus of the customer

Background

Sir Terry Leahy was born in 1956 and grew up in modest circumstances in Liverpool. He was educated at St Edward’s College, Liverpool and then went on to the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) where he gained his BSc (Hons) in Management Sciences. Sir Terry was the third of four brothers, and the only one to get any higher education.

Career

Sir Terry Leahy joined Tesco as a Marketing Trainee after graduating in 1979 and worked his way up to board level. He became Deputy Managing Director in 1995 and Chief Executive in 1997 when he was only 40.  During his shining career Tesco enjoyed impressive growth and became the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits, with stores in 14 countries – it is currently the UK market leader.                                  

Sir Terry Leahy is the man behind the Clubcard loyalty scheme which gave supermarkets access to vital customer behavior information for the first time and led to innovations in both products and services based on data analysis. As a result Tesco now offers a wide range of services, including insurance, broadband internet, credit cards and Child Trust Funds. He also introduced the local, Tesco Metro concept.

In 2002 he received a knighthood along with many other accolades including the Freedom of the City of Liverpool and Britain’s business leader of the year.

In 2011 Sir Terry Leahy announced his retirement in order to concentrate on ‘private investment’ and published his first book, Management in 10 Words. The book draws on his own experience as a business leader and innovator, offering advice on how to motivate people and create customer loyalty as well as setting ambitious targets and the practical tools needed to make it all happen. He is now a regular speaker at business events.

In Dec 2012 he made his first significant return to retail when he became chairman of the Liverpool based discount retailer B & M bargains.

He is a keen football fan and is a special advisor to Everton football club. He is also a Director on the Liverpool Vision Regeneration Board, and Co-Chancellor of Manchester University.

Sir Terry enjoys sport, reading, theatre and architecture and lives in Hertfordshire with his wife and three children.

Sir Terry Leahy on……

Leadership

“The best leaders tend to have come up through the ranks, working their way to the top and acquiring extensive knowledge of the industry and the company at the same time.”

Customers

"A relationship with customers has to be from the foundation up; customers are the start, not the end of the business."

Employees

"The workers have to believe in the business for reasons other than remuneration."

Accolades

• 2002 Sir Terry was knighted and in the same year honoured with the Freedom of the City of Liverpool.
• 2003 He was chosen as Britain’s Business Leader of the Year and the Fortune European Businessman of the Year.
• 2005 Management Today selected him as Britain’s most admired business leader.
• 2007 Hit the top spot on a definitive list by the Guardian Unlimited, of Britain's top 50 most influential unelected people.
• 2007 Received honorary science doctorate DSc from Cranfield University - the UK’s premier postgraduate research University
• 2010 Included in a list of the 100 most influential Catholics by The Tablet

Praise for Management in 10 Words,

"The most inspiring autobiography you will read this year"
Daily Mail

"Should be required reading for anyone running a business, or indeed any organisation"
Chris Blackhurst Evening Standard

"An insight into Sir Terry's influences, his management style, the techniques he used to deliver results and his recollections on the genesis of some of his numerous achievements" - Management in 10 Words is a revelation
The Grocer

"This is the authentic voice of the man - the nearest any outsider is likely to get to understanding what motivated one of Britain's most successful businesspeople"
Financial Times

• Management in Ten Words (2012)

• English