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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
James Tapper and Matthew Pearce

Prison reform experts hail role for shoe repair CEO James Timpson

James Timpson, in a suit jacket, shirt and tie, grins broadly as he stands in front of a Union Jack flag in an official photo
James Timpson OBE, CEO of the Timpsons group – which has an ‘upside-down’ management style – was appointed minister for prisons, parole and probation on 5 July. Photograph: Lauren Hurley/No 10 Downing Street

Making a shoe repair businessman the minister for prisons is an unusual governmental appointment, but James Timpson is an unusual type of businessman.

The 52-year-old chief executive of the Timpson group has given the family business a reputation for radical approaches to the way it treats employees and customers that goes beyond offering key cutting, phone repairs and dry cleaning.

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