William James Timpson OBE DL (born 17 September 1971) is a British businessman and philanthropist. He has been CEO of Timpson Group, owned by his father, John Timpson, since 2002.[1]
Timpson attended Uppingham School. He completed a degree in Geography at Durham University before joining the family business.[1]
Known for advocating the employment of former prisoners, he was the Chair of the Employers Forum for Reducing Re-offending (EFFRR) until 2016, and became Chair of the Prison Reform Trust[1] that same year. He also founded the Employment Advisory Board network across the prison estate, which links prisons with employers to improve the employment opportunities for ex-offenders upon release.[2]
In November 2018, Timpson was selected to co-chair one of five new business councils by the Prime Minister, to advise on how to create the best conditions for UK businesses after Brexit. He was the co-chair of the Small Business, Scale ups and Entrepreneurs Council, alongside Brent Hoberman and Emma Jones.[3]
In March 2021, he was reappointed by the Prime Minister as Trustee of the Tate for a four year period in March 2021.[4] He replaced Jonathon Porritt as Chancellor of Keele University in June 2022.[5]
Timpson wrote a column on business and leadership for The Sunday Times[6] throughout 2021, and this inspired his book The Happy Index: Lessons in Upside-Down Management, which was published in February 2024.[7]