Sir Thomas Cowie (9 September 1922 – 18 January 2012) was an English businessman who was the honorary Life

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the

Arriva Arriva Ltd. is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Sunderland, England. The company was originally established on 24 October 1938 as T Cowie Ltd. Initially focused on the sale of motorcycles, it relaunched shortl ...

Group, formerly known as Cowie Group plc.

Career

Cowie Group

Cowie's father, Thomas Stephenson Knowles Cowie, headed a business, T. Cowie Ltd, which repaired and sold cycles in Matamba Terrace, Sunderland. This business ceased trading in the early years of the Second World War when T.S.K. Cowie went into the trawler business. Cowie was born on 9 September 1922 in

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...

. After serving in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

, he returned to Sunderland after the war and in 1948 T Cowie Ltd, motorcycle dealers, re-opened for business.Home
Sir Tom Cowie A string of takeovers led to the business's rapid expansion and by 1961 it had showrooms in seven cities. It became a

public limited company A public limited company (legally abbreviated to PLC or plc) is a type of public company under United Kingdom company law, some Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth jurisdictions, and Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is a limited liability co ...

in 1964 having moved into car sales following the collapse of the motorbike market. In 1972 Cowie Contract Hire was formed. By the end of the 1980s this was largest contract hire company in the United Kingdom. T. Cowie plc moved into bus operation in 1980 by taking over

Grey-Green Grey-Green was a bus and coach operator in England. It was based in Stamford Hill and operated in London and the East of England. History Grey-Green can trace its origins back over a century to the foundation of George Ewer's horse carriage b ...

. Under Cowie ownership it expanded into London Transport tendered services, and its profits increased massively as a result. Cowie acquired bus sales dealership Hughes DAF in 1988, before attempting to purchase bus manufacturer

Plaxton Plaxton is an English builder of bus and coach vehicle bodies based in Eastfield, North Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1907 by Frederick William Plaxton, it became a subsidiary of Alexander Dennis in May 2007. In 2019, the maker was acqui ...

in 1992. The bid was unsuccessful, with Cowie taking only 47% of the company's shares by the deadline. In 1993 Cowie left T. Cowie plc following differences of opinion with other board members, although he remained its life

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

and retained a 2.8% shareholding. It was renamed

in 1998.

Sunderland A.F.C.

From 1980 to 1986, Cowie was Chairman of

Sunderland A.F.C. Sunderland Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1879, the club has won si ...

, which he supported, but his tenure remains, in the eyes of most supporters, a real low in the club's history. His appointment of

Lawrie McMenemy Lawrence McMenemy MBE (born 26 July 1936) is an English retired football coach, best known for his spell as manager of Southampton. He is rated in the ''Guinness Book of Records'' as one of the twenty most successful managers in post-war English ...

as manager in 1985 culminated in their relegation to the

Football League Third Division The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 Football League, 1920–21 and again from 1958–59 Football League, 1958 until 1991–92 Football League, 1992. When the FA Premier League ...

. Bob Murray replaced Cowie as chairman in 1986.

Later activities

In September 2002, the

University of Sunderland The University of Sunderland is a public research university located in Sunderland in the North East of England. Its predecessor, Sunderland Technical College, was established as a municipal training college in 1901. It gained university status ...

renamed its St Peter's Campus the "Sir Tom Cowie Campus at St Peter's", after the local businessman who was one of its primary supporters. He also opened a computer suite in Southmoor school on 4 December 2004. In 2005 Cowie opened a business and enterprise centre in Thornhill School,

. He sponsored the renovating and fitting of the building. In 2007 Cowie helped refurbish a sixth form centre at

St. Bede's School Saint Bede's School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form in Redhill, Surrey, England. In the most recent Ofsted inspection, the school was graded as "outstanding" in all areas. It now has over 1700 male and female pupils aged 11 ...

in Lanchester. Cowie was a prominent donor to the Conservative Party. For many years, he was president of Sunderland Conservative Association. He donated £630,000 between 2001 and 2007, but vowed to cease his donations following dissatisfaction with what he referred to as

David Cameron David William Donald Cameron, Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton (born 9 October 1966) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016. Until 2015, he led the first coalition government in the UK s ...

's "arrogant, Old Etonian" style of leadership. Cowie died at the age of 89 on 18 January 2012.

Honours

Cowie was appointed an Office of the Order of the British Empire in 1982 and a

knight bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised Order of chivalry, orders of chivalry; it is a part of the Orders, decorations, and medals ...

in the

1992 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1992 were appointments by most of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other countrie ...

References

External links

Obituary in ''The Daily Telegraph''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cowie, Tom British businesspeople Businesspeople awarded knighthoods People associated with the University of Sunderland Sunderland A.F.C. directors and chairmen People in bus transport People from Sunderland Businesspeople from Tyne and Wear 1922 births 2012 deaths Knights Bachelor Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Bede Grammar School for Boys