DARREN EDWARDS

The man at the Sytner Group helm credits the automotive industry's ethos with his success. Mark Tisshaw meets him equal-opportunity

-  Mark Tisshaw

"AG-reg Ford Orion in white," recalls Sytner Group boss Darren Edwards, without hesitation, when asked to recall the first car he ever sold. "I can remember the lovely couple I sold it to, and I can remember the deal. My manager wouldn't give any money off, but we threw in a two-year warranty." So began a career in car retail that has seen Edwards rise to the very top of Britain's largest and premier car dealer group. He is an Outstanding UK Leader for 2023, recognition not only for a stellar career to date that includes a nine-year stint as Sytner Group MD but also a performance last year that saw Sytner return a whopping $8.4 billion (£6.8bn) in revenue from its 150 or so franchises, including Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Jaguar Land Rover.

Edwards started his career as an apprentice paint sprayer after leaving school at 16 in 1984. He noticed the salespeople "looked cleaner" so decided to become a sales trainee five years later. In 1996 he moved to BMW and to Sytner in 2004, where he was put in charge of BMW's London dealerships, including Canary Wharf. Just 10 years later he was in charge of the Sytner Group in the UK.