Alastair David Lyons

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(born 18 October 1953) is a British businessman. He served as the chairman of the

Admiral Group Admiral Group plc is a British financial services company headquartered in Cardiff, Wales. Listed on the London Stock Exchange, it is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index, and markets the ''Admiral'', ''Bell'', ''Elephant'', ''Diamond'' and ''Vey ...

from 2000 to 2017, and

Serco Serco Group plc is a British multinational corporation, multinational military, defence, Healthcare, health, Space industry, space, private prison, justice, Human migration, migration, customer service, customer services, and transport company ...

from 2010 to 2015. He has served as the chairman of

Welsh Water Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

since July 2016. He became Chairman of

Harworth Group Harworth Group plc ("Harworth") is a property developer that specialises in regenerating brownfield sites in Yorkshire, the Midlands, and North West England. The company is headquartered in Rotherham in South Yorkshire. It is listed on the Londo ...

on 7 March 2018.

Early life

Alastair Lyons was born on 18 October 1953. He was educated at the

Whitgift School Whitgift School is an independent day school with limited boarding in South Croydon, London. Along with Trinity School of John Whitgift and Old Palace School it is owned by the Whitgift Foundation, a charitable trust. The school was prev ...

, and he graduated from

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

, where he earned an MA in Economics.

Career

Lyons began his career at

PricewaterhouseCoopers PricewaterhouseCoopers, also known as PwC, is a multinational professional services network based in London, United Kingdom. It is the second-largest professional services network in the world and is one of the Big Four accounting firms, alon ...

in 1974. He worked briefly at

N M Rothschild & Sons Rothschild & Co SCA is a multinational private and alternative assets investor, headquartered in Paris, France and London, United Kingdom. It is the flagship of the Rothschild banking group controlled by the British and French branches of the Rot ...

in 1979, followed by

H. P. Bulmer H P Bulmer Limited, trading as Bulmers, is a cider-making company founded in 1887 in Hereford, England. The company's two principal brands are its own Bulmers cider, which is sold worldwide, and Strongbow, which is sold across Europe, the ...

until 1989, and

Asda Asda Stores Limited (), trading as Asda and often styled as ASDA, is a British supermarket and petrol station chain. Its headquarters is in Leeds, England. The company was incorporated as Associated Dairies and Farm Stores in 1949. It expanded ...

until 1991. Lyons served as the chairman of the Admiral Group from 2000 to April 2017. He was also the chairman of

from 2010 to 2015. He has been the deputy chairman of

Bovis Homes Vistry Group, formerly Bovis Homes Group, is a British home construction company based in Kings Hill, England. Bovis Homes completed a deal to acquire Galliford Try's housing arm in January 2020, renaming the combined business Vistry. It is lis ...

since 2008. In July 2016, he succeeded

Robert Ayling Robert John Ayling (born 3 August 1946), also known as Bob Ayling, is a British retired lawyer and businessman who has worked with a variety of high-profile companies and organisations. From 1996 to 2000, he was the CEO of British Airways. He a ...

as the chairman of

. He commenced his role as the new chairman of Harworth Group on 7 March 2018.

Personal life

Lyons married Judith Shauneen Rhodes in 1980. They have a son and two daughters.

References

1953 births Living people People educated at Whitgift School Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge British chairpersons of corporations Commanders of the Order of the British Empire {{UK-business-bio-1950s-stub