use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , nationality = British , education =

Ampleforth College Ampleforth College is a co-educational Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging boarding and day school in the English Public school (United Kingdom), public school tradition. It opened in 1803 as a boys' school. It is near the villa ...

, alma_mater =

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

, occupation = , years_active = 2002–present , era = , employer = , organization = , known_for =

Wrightbus Wrightbus is a Northern Irish bus manufacturer and a pioneer of the low-floor bus. The company was established in 1946 by Robert Wright and was later run by his son William Wright, until it was acquired in 2019 by British businessman Jo Bamf ...

(owner) , notable_works = , title = , term = , predecessor = , successor = , boards = JCB , spouse = , partner = , children = , parents = Anthony Bamford (father)
Carole Bamford (mother) , mother = , father = , relatives = , family = , awards = , website = Joseph Cyril Edward Bamford (born December 1977) is a British businessman. He is the owner of

, a UK-based

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer than the average rail transport. It is most commonly used ...

manufacturer. He founded a

green hydrogen Green hydrogen (GH2 or GH2) is hydrogen produced by the electrolysis of water, using renewable electricity. Production of green hydrogen causes significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions than production of grey hydrogen, which is derived fr ...

investment fund in 2021 and subsequently became involved in a number of hydrogen-focused businesses. Bamford is also a board member of JCB, which was founded by his grandfather.

Early life

Bamford was born in December 1977 to Anthony Bamford and Carole Bamford. His father spent his career working for the family business JCB, the British manufacturer of construction and farming equipment that was founded by his grandfather. His mother is the founder of Daylesford Organic, a farming and lifestyle business. He was educated at

, then an all-boys

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

public school (i.e.

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

), following in the footsteps of his father who also attended it. Bamford worked at his parents' businesses when he was home from Ampleforth. In an interview, Bamford stated he would often be "bolting together engines on the 6am shift for one and birthing lambs on the farm for the other." After Ampleforth College, he attended the

, from which he graduated with an undergraduate Master of Arts (MA Hons) degree.

Career

Fund manager and JCB (2002–2016)

After graduating from college, Bamford chose to pursue a career in finance in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

instead of opting to join JCB. He secured his first financial role in the

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

at New Star Asset Management. New Star was still in its infancy having only been founded a year earlier and was the brainchild of John Duffield who had previously founded Jupiter Fund Management, later one of London's largest financial institutions. The Bamford family backed Jo's decision to join New Star by becoming early investors in the asset management firm. It was leaked to the press that Bamford had failed his first IMC exam. Bamford finished the year deciding to temporarily leave the UK to work abroad in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

. It was stated that Bamford had become "tired" of the media attention he was receiving in the UK at the time and that played a major part in his decision.Adams, Guy. “Features - Peterborough - Bamford shoots the messenger on the way out.” ''The Daily Telegraph''. Dec. 9, 2002. Following his time as a fund manager and spending time in China, Bamford returned to JCB. It was the first time he had worked at the company after spending short periods there as a teenager while studying. His first role was as a product specialist for the

skid-steer loader A skid loader, skid-steer loader (SSL), or skidsteer is any of a class of compact heavy equipment with lift arms that can attach to a wide variety of buckets and other labor-saving tools or attachments. The wheels typically have no separate ste ...

at JCB’s North American headquarters in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

. Beginning in 2004, Bamford was managing director of the subsidiary, JCB Utility Products. According to ''

Construction News ''Construction News'' is a monthly publication, plus digital and events services, primarily targeting the United Kingdom construction industry. History Early history The magazine was first published as ''Labour News'' on 30 August 1871, having b ...

'', Bamford "broadened the appeal of the company’s utility product range to new industry sectors" while in the position. This included the launch of the JCB Workmax. In October 2011, Bamford was given an additional role as managing director of JCB Compact Products. The combined turnover of both businesses at the time was in excess of £150 million. In 2011, Bamford partly funded the purchase of a 500 acre former

BAE Systems BAE Systems plc is a British Multinational corporation, multinational Aerospace industry, aerospace, military technology, military and information security company, based in London. It is the largest manufacturer in Britain as of 2017. It is ...

-owned

Woodford Aerodrome Woodford Aerodrome is a former airfield and aircraft factory at Woodford, Greater Manchester, England, north of Macclesfield. It was opened by the Avro company after the First World War and became an important production centre for military ...

. Many different plans were touted for the site, a large section of the site was earmarked for housing, with developer Redrow plc. One former aerodrome building was converted to an aviation museum, Avro Heritage Museum. He and ex-business partner Harry Harvey parted ways after the deal, with Bamford believing Harvey had misrepresented parts of the deal.Bamford & Ors v Harvey & Anor

012 012 may refer to: * Tyrrell 012, a Formula One racing car * The dialing code for Pretoria Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive br ...

EWHC 2858 (Ch) (18 October 2012)“Derivative claim inappropriate; Law Report.” The Times. 7 December 2012. Via Factiva. In 2012, Bamford took Harvey to court in a dispute about a personal loan when the two purchased property from aerospace company

. The two went into business together in 2011. They paired up to purchase the former military airfield 500-acre Woodford BAE Systems property. Harvey and Bamford formed a company together, called Avro Heritage. In 2012, Bamford filed a lawsuit against Harvey and Avro Heritage. The lawsuit was over a dispute about Harvey allegedly misrepresenting parts of the deal to Bamford when Bamford became a personal guarantor to the loan payments. The judge said that he felt both parties had been “driven by tactical maneuvering seeking to impose a cost burden by one upon the other.” The ''

Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

'' in December 2012 reported that the judge called Bamford’s claim “inappropriate.” Bamford was promoted in 2014 to head of major contracts at JCB. He remained part of the senior management team at JCB until 2016, a year in which the company celebrated Joseph Bamford's centenary year with a bronze bust at the JCB headquarters.

Hydrogen businesses and Wrightbus acquisition (2017–present)

After working at JCB for over a decade, Bamford moved his focus to

green energy Energy is sustainable if it "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Definitions of sustainable energy usually look at its effects on the environment, the economy, and so ...

. He formed Ryze in 2017, which aimed to create the UK's first network of

hydrogen production Hydrogen gas is produced by several industrial methods. Nearly all of the world's current supply of hydrogen is created from fossil fuels. Article in press. Most hydrogen is ''gray hydrogen'' made through steam methane reforming. In this process, ...

plants. To advance hydrogen projects, Bamford started HYCAP, a hydrogen investment fund. He raised more than £200m in its first investment round. He is also the owner of Oxford-based Ryze Hydrogen Ltd, which produces hydrogen to fuel up his hydrogen-powered buses. Bamford said that his family provided half of the initial round of investment into HYCAP. The ''

Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...

'' has called him a "hydrogen evangelist"; he is an advocate for the adoption of hydrogen energy in transportation. Since starting Ryze Hydrogen in 2019, Bamford has lobbied the UK government in favour of hydrogen-technology adoption. After “sustained lobbying” from Bamford, the

Secretary of State for Transport The secretary of state for transport, also referred to as the transport secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the policies of the Departm ...

announced a programme to convert public transportation in towns into all-electric hydrogen buses. According to ''Passenger Transport'',

Grant Shapps Sir Grant Shapps (born 14 September 1968) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Defence from August 2023 to July 2024. Shapps previously served in various Cabinet of the United Kingdom, cabinet posts, including Chairman of ...

was “very, very keen that we push hydrogen” after meeting with Bamford about it. The

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

-based bus manufacturer

entered administration in September 2019. Directors at Wrightbus blamed low registrations of new buses as the cause, but the

Department for the Economy The Department for the Economy (DfE, ) is a devolved Northern Ireland government department in the Northern Ireland Executive. The minister with overall responsibility for the department is the Minister for the Economy. DfE was renamed in 2 ...

later announced it was opening proceedings to disqualify 14 directors of Wrightbus, due to alleged unfit conduct. Bamford emerged as the preferred bidder for

in early October, as he was already familiar with the company. Bamford's hydrogen company Ryze had signed a

joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acce ...

the year prior with Wrightbus, after winning a ten-year contract to convert

buses to run on

hydrogen Hydrogen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol H and atomic number 1. It is the lightest and abundance of the chemical elements, most abundant chemical element in the universe, constituting about 75% of all baryon, normal matter ...

. Despite Bamford emerging as an ideal owner for Wrightbus, negotiations between Bamford and the previous owners saw much public wrangling in the press. Most of the disagreement was around the purchase price of the Wright family-owned

factory and nearby land. On 22 October 2019, Bamford announced the purchase of

had been completed. Local MPs were both praised and criticised for their involvement in the process. Bamford and the local media suggested MP

Ian Paisley Ian Richard Kyle Paisley, Baron Bannside, (6 April 1926 – 12 September 2014) was a loyalist politician and Protestant religious leader from Northern Ireland who served as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) from 1971 to 2008 and ...

played a key part in securing the future of Wrightbus in

. Jeff Wright, the previous owner of Wrightbus, called Paisley's involvement a “vote campaigning exercise.” Paisley wrote an

Op-ed An op-ed, short for "opposite the editorial page," is a type of written prose commonly found in newspapers, magazines, and online publications. They usually represent a writer's strong and focused opinion on an issue of relevance to a targeted a ...

in the ''

Belfast Telegraph The ''Belfast Telegraph'' is a daily newspaper published in Belfast, Northern Ireland, by Independent News & Media, which also publishes the Irish Independent, the Sunday Independent and various other newspapers and magazines in Ireland. Its e ...

'' thanking Bamford for investing in the company and ensuring the bus manufacturer would remain in

Ballymena Ballymena ( ; from , meaning 'the middle townland') is a town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 31,205 people at the 2021 United Kingdom census, making it the List of localities in Northern Ireland by population, seven ...

. In 2021, Bamford sued an ex-business partner Joseph Manheim in the U.S. in a dispute over control of a company that the two started together. The business was designed help wealthy, foreign investors get residence in the U.S. in 2017 when Bamford “was strapped for cash following disagreements with his father” in 2017. During the case numerous accusations were exchanged by both sides, with claims Manheim misused company funds and counterclaims that Bamford misused his email addresses for illegitimate personal reasons. It ended with the court denying Bamford’s request to take control of the company. The court also noted that Bamford tried to structure the company to minimise his UK tax bill, saying, “Bamford was interested in holding his interest through an entity rather than personally, which he believed would help minimise his taxes in the United Kingdom.” The court case, according to ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', provided the public "an extraordinary insight into a world of extreme wealth and privilege within one of Britain’s most prominent industrial families." Following Bamford's takeover, journalists began to speculate how many jobs could be saved in

. The administrator had reduced Wrightbus' employee count in 2019 from 1,200 down to just 56. ''

The Irish News ''The Irish News'' is a Compact (newspaper), compact daily newspaper based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland's largest-selling morning newspaper and is available throughout Ireland. It is broadly Irish nationalist in its viewp ...

'' suggested that Wrightbus was already ''"''personnel heavy''"'' so the dramatic cut in employees was required. By the start of 2020, Wrightbus had regrown its employee base back to 400, and by August 2021 up to 900. Wrightbus continued to focus on hydrogen and battery solutions under Bamford's guidance, securing hydrogen bus contracts in

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

and

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

in 2020. Bamford's HydraB and Armstrong Capital Management entered into a

in September 2022 and formed Hygen Energy. The joint venture aim is to build, fund and management hydrogen production facilities in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and Ireland. The parent company of

British Gas British Gas (trading as Scottish Gas in Scotland) is an energy and home services provider in the United Kingdom. It is the trading name of British Gas Services Limited and British Gas New Heating Limited, both subsidiaries of Centrica. Serving ...

Centrica Centrica plc is a British  multinational energy and services company with its headquarters in Windsor, Berkshire, England. It is the largest supplier of gas to domestic customers in the United Kingdom, and one of the largest suppliers ...

, announced in late 2022 that it would be entering into a joint venture with Ryze Hydrogen. The two companies would together develop a hydrogen pathway with the aim of "kickstarting the UK hydrogen economy." Ryze Hydrogen, Hygen Energy and Northern Gas Networks then announced the development of a hydrogen production facility in

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...

. The facility will use renewable energy to power an electrolyser which will produce clean

. In February 2024, Bamford's investment arm Hycap opened offices in

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

, UAE, where it would also setup a

-focus complex in the region. In June 2025, Bamford was awarded a CBE in the

2025 Birthday Honours The 2025 King's Birthday and Operational Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms of Charles III, King Charles III to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good ...

Boards of directors

Bamford has served on the board of directors of dozens of companies. Currently, he is on the board of directors for Bamelectrics Ltd., Nelelectrics Ltd., JCB Consumer Products Ltd., JCB Ltd., and J.C.B. Service.Companies House Direct database search He also served as a director at the following firms, but resigned: BHoldings Ltd., J.C. Bamford Excavators Ltd., J.C.B. Earthmovers Ltd., J.C.B. Sales Ltd., JCB Cab Systems Ltd., JCB Compact Products Ltd., JCB Heavy Products Ltd., JCB Landpower Ltd., JCB Materials Handling Ltd., JCB Power Systems Ltd., JCB Transmissions, JCB Power Products Ltd., JCB Finance (Leasing) Ltd., JCB Finance Ltd., Landpower Leasing Ltd., Lucas Love Ltd., RAJ Capital Ltd., Panholdco Ltd., and Panholdco 2 Ltd.

Personal life

Bamford is said to be a fan of

motor sport Motorsport or motor sport are sporting events, competitions and related activities that primarily involve the use of automobiles, motorcycles, motorboats and powered aircraft. For each of these vehicle types, the more specific terms ''automobile ...

. Jo Bamford is heir to a multi-billion pound family fortune. His father, Lord Bamford, "is one of the U.K.'s most successful industrialists", chairman of the UK's JCB Company, a manufacturer of excavators, earthmovers and farming equipment, with over 10,000 employees, founded by Joseph Cyril Bamford in 1945. The Bamford family is one of the biggest political financial backers behind former UK Prime Minister

Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964) is a British politician and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He wa ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bamford, Jo 1977 births Living people 21st-century British businesspeople JCB (company) Wrightbus Alumni of the University of Edinburgh British billionaires Sons of life peers People educated at Ampleforth College Bamford family Commanders of the Order of the British Empire