Oxford Inspires

What does it take to be a successful entrepreneur?

Creativity, drive, organisation, confidence, being attracted by challenges and living in the future - the list goes on.

You will find all of these characteristics in the six Oxfordshire entrepreneurs that have been short-listed by The Oxford Trust to win the title of the county's greatest entrepreneur.

On first look you may not recognise all of the nominees but all six of these enterprising individuals built up their own very successful businesses, all of which still have a legacy today.

You decide...

It's now over to you to decide which one of these entrepreneurs is the greatest!

To help you make up your mind, you can discover more about the lives of these entrepreneurs by visiting the special exhibition at Science Oxford - Oxfordshire’s unique cultural science centre. The exhibition is open from 8 May until 22 June.

You can have a sneaky look at some of the exhibits on show at Science Oxford by clicking on the link below. Have a go at trying to work out what the items are and which entrepreneur they are linked with...

The contenders...

Portrait from Oxfordshire County Council

Lord Nuffield 1877 - 1963

Lord Nuffield championed by Hugo Brunner, Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire.

‘He had an uncanny sense of what is possible to achieve.’

Lord Nuffield (William Morris) invented the Morris Minor and founded a car factory in Cowley, now the BMW Plant. Introduced mass production techniques, producing 56,000 cars in 1925. At one stage every other household owned a Morris car. Lord Nuffield also donated vast amounts of money to Oxford University for medical research and set up The Nuffield Foundation.

Martin & Audrey Wood

Sir Martin and Lady Audrey Wood

Martin and Audrey Wood championed by Tim Cook, ex Managing Director of Isis Innovation.

‘The founding and growth of Oxford Instruments, The Oxford Trust and Oxford Innovation changed the landscape of high tech business in Oxfordshire.’

Sir Martin and Lady Audrey Wood are founders of Oxford Instruments, the first spin out from Oxford University, The Oxford Trust, Oxford Innovation and The Northmoor Trust. They also support and invest in many high tech companies in the county.

Picture courtesy of Rita Ricketts.

Sir Basil Blackwell 1889 – 1984

Basil Blackwell championed by Prof Andrew Goudie, University of Oxford

‘Basil had the foresight to see knowledge is the greatest industry of the modern era.’

He expanded Blackwell’s bookshop throughout the 1900s, including pioneering the production of classical books at affordable prices and launching Blackwell Scientific Publications. In 1956 Basil Blackwell was knighted for his work in publishing.

Picturecourtesy of Oxfordshire Museums

Charles Early 1824 – 1912

Charles Early championed by Sir Martin Wood, founder of Oxford Instruments.

‘He was a very moderate man who treated his workers well, unlike other factory owners of the time.’

He modernised the blanket making process in Witney through the introduction of power driven machinery and bringing together many of the blanket making processes onto one site. He held substantial shares in the Witney Railway. He was a respected member of the community and served as a Justice of the Peace for sixty years.

Martha Lane Fox

Martha Lane Fox

Martha Lane Fox championed by Felicity Lusk, headmistress of Oxford High School.

‘Her impact on the next generation will help create future entrepreneurs.’

Martha Lane Fox is the co-founder of lastminute.com, a ground breaking website selling bargain short breaks and experiences that survived the dot.com crash. She is involved with the Government's Enterprise Initiative, talking to schools about entrepreneurship.

Picture courtesy of Knowles and Sons

Thomas Knowles

Thomas Knowles championed by Alan Berman, architect from Berman, Guedes, Stretton.

‘He delivered quality buildings still with us today making the world a special place.’

He restored the fortunes of Knowles and Son, a building company that still exists today, through his enterprising nature, regaining contracts with most of Oxford Colleges. Thomas' first year in charge was spectacularly successful with total sales reaching £9,480, ten times that of 1868. These sales came not only from the University but semi-public institutions and business and domestic clients.

Get involved...

For those who wish to get involved in the debate of who should be named as the Greatest Entrepreneur in Oxfordshire, there are also talks and discussion events being held every Tuesday evening during the exhibition at Science Oxford. You can find out more on The Oxford Trust's Website (link on the top right).