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Profile Programmer who made his fortune from public sector contracts
The Guardian
|March 12, 2024
Frank Hester has become rich running one of the companies most critical to Britain's health infrastructure, but most people will never have heard of him or his firm.
By Hester's own estimation, the Phoenix Partnership (TPP) - the software company he built from scratch and solely owns - is worth £1bn after winning more than £400m of NHS and prison contracts in the last eight years.
To celebrate reaching this milestone in 2019, he threw a "unicorn party" at his mansion near Leeds, complete with horses dressed up with horns, and his staff were invited to celebrate.
A computer programmer from Leeds, Hester is included in the Sunday Times rich list with an estimated wealth of £415m.
Former employees tell of big perks and a partying lifestyle for staff, driven by Hester. He would provide a free bar at the local pub on Fridays, and staff would be invited to week-long sailing trips, paid for by the company.
A larger-than-life personality, Hester would often socialise with staff and participate in company wide WhatsApp groups and meetings, on occasion casually throwing around bad language.
Former staff describe him as a formidable and blunt presence in the office, with some saying they were at pains to address him in the right way on the phone and pick up to him within two rings, as well as following the firm's "no bullshitting" ethos in their interactions with him at the time.
This story is from the March 12, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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