13) Steve Parkin
Title: Chairman, Clipper Logistics
Steve Parkin is one of those larger than life characters that still enliven the logistics industry. Having left school with no qualifications and after spending 18 months working as a coal miner, he built Clipper Logistics from a one man and a van operation to a £235m a year logistics empire in 30 years.
He made his – and several other Clipper directors’ - personal fortune by floating the business in 2014 but that dilution of ownership has not diminished his burning drive to make Clipper a successful, growing business at the forefront of the fast-growing online efulfilment and returns business.
This year’s winner of the CILT’s special award for outstanding achievement, the Sir Robert Lawrence Award, Parkin is making a bid to buy his favourite football club, Leeds United, with a view of returning it to the Premier League. This would be fitting for a man who has taken Clipper into the MT Top 100’s 2015 premier league of top 20 operators.
- Every day over Christmas and the New Year we will be counting down the Motor Transport Power Players from 20 to one, so come back tomorrow at 9am to see who is next in our countdown. As ever, we'd welcome your feedback and input into the debate. Send us your thoughts on Twitter @Motor_Transport using #MTPowerPlayers
