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James Timpson OBE, CEO of the Timpson shoe repair chain, has been appointed as the new Minister for Prisons, Parole and Probation following Labour’s landslide victory in last Thursday’s general election.
The current Timpson chief executive James began his journey in retail spending each holiday working in the family business while finishing school and going to Durham University where he got his degree in Geography.
He worked for Apparalmaster, part of Johnsons the Cleaners, before taking up a marketing role at Timpson in 1995.
He became managing director in 2002 and is now the company’s chief executive.
During his 15 years in charge of the day-to-day running of the business, the company has grown from 320 shops to over 2,000 and profits have risen from £3m to over £20m.
Timpson’s appointment comes following his commitment to rehabilitate ex-offenders by providing them jobs after their release, for which he was awarded an OBE for his actions in 2011.
He is currently chair of the Prison Reform Trust and sits on the board at the Tate. He also served as chair of the Employers Forum for Reducing Re-offending (EFFRR) until 2016.
Additionally, he employed nearly 600 former convicts in Timpson branches throughout the UK.
