The
Hunter
Foundation
Report
2025
Welcome to our 2025 Report. This year we've divided our report into three sections. Hope, Opportunity and Ambition.
Enjoy :)
HOPE
A WELCOME
BY SIR TOM
Let’s go back to 1984. In the Scottish mining town of New Cumnock, where I was born, the pits had just shut down – ripping the heart out of our community.
I watched as my dad – who was, and still is, my hero – closed the doors of the family grocers for the last time. That shop had served the community for three generations. He thought he was a failure, but of course he wasn’t. What happened next was a fairytale that I still can’t quite believe.
My dad picked himself up. Together with another entrepreneur, he invested a small amount of money in a business selling shoes from market stalls. This venture gave me the idea to sell trainers.
My dad loaned me £5k, I got another £5k from the bank, and the rest – as they say – is history. We went on to build Europe’s biggest independent sports retailer. In 1998, aged 37, I sold it for £296m.
Steve Jobs said you can only join the dots by looking backwards, not forwards.
How right he was.
A young swotty Tom Hunter
Marion Hunter in her best school kit
To give something back, my wife Marion and I started The Hunter Foundation. We didn’t know what we were doing, but we learned on the job and I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved since.
In these reports you will meet my heroes. These people refuse to accept the status quo. They know there is a better way. All we did was help them achieve their goals.
Heroes like Paul Cooney, and his Kiltwalk team – who help join the dots between community needs and the people who can help. They’ve helped raise £50m for those who need a wee hand up, not a handout.
Heroes like committed Changemakers Sylvia, Fiona and David – we’re so lucky to have the chance to learn from them.
And those ambitious entrepreneurs with the drive to scale their businesses, creating jobs and helping Scotland flourish in the process – with a wee hand from Ken and the team at ScaleUpScotland. They’re heroes too.
Positive change only happens when good people take action. That’s what leadership is about. It’s why we bought Blair Estate: to bring people together for mutual benefit – whether teachers, entrepreneurs or Changemakers. Peer-to-peer support is our secret sauce, so thank you to Norman Drummond for helping us make that happen.
We can only do all this with the help and guidance of others.
Thanks to Ewan, Lynn, Julie-Ann, Jacqueline and all the team at West Coast Capital for making the money for us to invest in our foundation – an incredible £150m and counting.
Last but certainly not least, thanks to my wife, who’s been at my side on this crazy journey for the last 38 years. Marion, I simply couldn’t have done it without you.
I’m excited to see what’s next. In the meantime, let’s meet my heroes.
All the best
Tom
HOW SCOTLAND
SHAPED THE WORLD
A few years back, we commissioned a young TV production house to produce a film. Their brief? Use the history and people of our amazing nation to inspire a new generation of growth agents.
As Arthur Herman noted in his book How Scots Invented the Modern World,
‘the global influence of the Scottish Enlightenment was vast.’
Arthur Herman
And when President Obama addressed our charity dinner, he acknowledged the role our great country played in
the founding of the United States of America.
President Obama
Click to watch an excerpt from Obama’s speech
What better place to ignite a New Enlightenment than Scotland?
Let’s lead the world again, and inspire much-needed hope in others.
Michelle Obama tells it as it is at our charity dinner
THOUGHTS TO GIVE US HOPE
Let’s trust our young pioneers
“We have no problem allowing a 17-year-old to take a penalty in a cup final, because they’re brilliant. But how many businesses would put a 17-year-old at the front line? The brave businesses, the businesses of the future, do.”
– David Coulthard
Click to watch Coulthard’s full analogy
Together, we can prevail
“The age of indifference is over. People around the world, in every continent, of every race, recognise that we are all in this together. And from that I take some comfort.”
– Sir David Attenborough
“We have everything, and we’ve used it in a gratuitously careless way. We have taken, taken, taken and not given. We must learn not to be so greedy, not to waste. Not to waste light, not to waste power, not to waste food, not to waste space. And not to waste time.”
– Sir David Attenborough
Click to watch Sir David Attenborough’s full rallying call for change
“There’s not a challenge on the planet that young people aren’t ready to tackle if we just give them the room to do it.
I have great faith that if we encourage those young people to take up the baton they will provide the kind of change that we can believe in.”
– Barack Obama
Click to watch Obama’s optimistic view of the future
PUTTING
THE FUN IN
FUNDRAISING
Having raised a staggering £50m for 3,700 different charity organisations since 2016, Kiltwalk is an incredibly powerful and effective fundraising platform.
Philanthropists are swamped by worthy causes to support, and often struggle to meet demand. Kiltwalk bridges the gap seamlessly.
But back in 2015, the organisation was struggling. Through the hard work of ourteam, led by the inimitable Paul Cooney, we have created the lowest-cost platform for any and every Scottish Charity to raise funds for what they care about – and have fun in the process.
In the words of one charity Kiltwalk supporter:
“From the charity perspective, Kiltwalk provides an unrivalled opportunity for people to come together to support so many incredible and worthwhile causes. There is simply no other platform that offers the same return.
The real thank you comes from the people that you will never have the opportunity to meet, the people who sit at the very heart of our organisations, the people who will benefit from every penny, every pound raised. Whether it helps to buy a winter coat for a child visiting the Emergency Department, or new medical equipment that will ultimately help to save a life, the Kiltwalk shares the vision of the charity sector in Scotland, and for that, we are truly thankful!"
- Kirsten Watson
Chief Executive, Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity
Click for a taste of how much fun a Kiltwalk can be
BLAIR CASTLE AND ESTATE
In 2022, we had the privilege of acquiring and becoming custodians of Scotland’s longest continually inhabited castle. The Blair Estate now serves as our headquarters, and hosts all of our leadership programmes.
Built over 900 years ago, Blair Castle predates St. Andrew’s University. Founded in 1105, the 220-acre estate has hosted some 26 Lairds.
Why a castle?
Columba 1400 founder Norman Drummond taught us that place is a fundamental factor when developing great leaders. A humdrum conference centre just wouldn’t cut it: we needed a world-class venue to support Scotland’s growth.
The Hunter Foundation welcomes our various cohorts to Blair Castle to stay and soak up their inspiring surroundings.
What’s the impact?
Since acquiring Blair Castle and Estate, in a typical year we:
Deliver
transformational leadership training to over 100 Head and Deputy Head teachers.
Develop
20 pre-scaler businesses and help them scale – securing, on average, 75 new jobs and a £10m increase in turnover.
Accelerate
the growth of 14 ScaleUp businesses through ScaleUpScotland – delivering upwards of 200 new jobs and a £31m increase in turnover.
Empower
12 Changemakers to drive social change through their charities and social enterprises.
Unlock
the growth ambitions of up to 14 advanced scaling businesses through ScaleUpScotland2.0 – delivering upwards of 350 new jobs and a £65m increase in turnover.
Convene
multiple cohorts of public sector leaders to help drive reform across Scotland.
OPPORTUNITY
A HAND UP - NOT A HAND OUT
At The Hunter Foundation (THF) we believe in giving a hand up – not a handout. Our incredible Changemakers do exactly that, on an industrial scale.
Which begs the question: why, when their methods are proven to work, are they not embedded in all our public services?
Let’s discover the secrets of their success.
DRIVE REAL CHANGE
with our Changemakers programme
Launched in 2024, Changemakers is tailored to charities and social enterprises, whose needs slightly diverge from traditional for-profit businesses.
Concept by Aime Hunter & illustration by Sophia Watts, thank you.
Changemakers complements the ScaleUp Core programme, and we often bring cohorts together to support cross-pollination of ideas and potential partnerships.
Click to see a brief preview
Click to meet some of our incredible Changemakers
STREETSOCCER - Changing lives through sport
Changemaker: David Duke
Since 2009, David Duke has been using the power of football to transform the fortunes of homeless and socially disadvantaged people. Having spent three years homeless himself, David has walked the talk and then some: he played in the Homeless World Cup.
Every year, Streetsoccer improves the lives of 3,500 individuals of all ages. In partnership with many other charities, the organisation engages vulnerable people to help address homelessness, mental health, jobs, education, wellbeing, and more.
And as if this incredible social impact isn’t enough, it contributes immeasurable savings to the public purse.
25,000
SUPPORTED SO FAR
3,500
SUPPORTED ANNUALLY
22
LOCATIONS
60
SESSIONS
PER WEEK
80%
OF STAFF WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE
Click to hear from David and his amazing squad of players
Watch the short film It’s My Oxygen to find out how
COLUMBA 1400
Invigorating Scotland’s schools
Changemakers: Marie-Claire Tully and Norman Drummond
Several years ago, THF teamed up with the Scottish Government and Columba 1400 to embed values-based leadership in schools as part of an ambitious Scotland-wide initiative: the Head Teacher Leadership Programme (HTLA).
In 2023, the Government pulled out of the partnership due to lack of funds – but we proudly continued our support alongside Columba 1400.
Our ambition is to put every Head Teacher in Scotland through this amazing experience.
1,500 school leaders have benefitted to date, and the experience has been overwhelmingly positive for all involved: in fact, 95% of pupils and 92% of teachers gave the experience a five-star rating.
According to one head teacher:
“This experience has been career changing. I was losing my way, but Columba 1400 re-inspired me to love my job again.”
A residential programme that we believe is unique to Scotland, the HTLA:
>
Develops leadership skills for transformational change
>
Unlocks values and builds momentum to create real action
>
Nurtures a self-sustaining community with powerful bonds
Columba 1400 achieves this through the following six principles…
AWARENESS
Knowing and understanding yourself, others, and your environment.
FOCUS
Recognising and concentrating on critical and essential information.
CREATIVITY
Seeing and implementing solutions, ideas and initiatives.
INTEGRITY
Being reliable and trustworthy, remaining whole and true to your potential.
PERSEVERANCE
Enduring and remaining strong in the face of complication, tragedy, and resistance.
SERVICE
Sharing resources selflessly and effectively, using your strengths and experience to take meaningful action for the greater good.
Click to hear from Columba 1400 founder Norman Drummond and CEO Marie Claire Tully about why the programme is so special
MSMISSMRS
Empowering vulnerable women,
Changemaker: Sylvia Douglas
‘Be Your Own Brand of Superhero’
neatly sums up Sylvia Douglas’ mentality: her charity MSMISSMRS empowers women in challenging circumstances.
Sylvia developed a simple rule for her business, based on her lived experience of overcoming such challenges. Ask what the customer needs – and deliver it.
Accordingly, MSMISSMRS provides a raft of support: from food to emotional, physical, mental, and social wellbeing. The charity also employs women to ‘womanufacture’ a distinctive range of empowerment pants, providing dignified support to those in need while generating vital revenue to sustain its work.
CENTRESTAGE
Bridging generations with the arts,
Changemaker: Fiona Mackenzie
Since 2006, CentreStage Village has been uniting people of all ages and backgrounds with a passion for the arts.
The Kilmarnock-based centre hosts immersive experiences and performances, while partners provide vital support on everything from employment to mental health: a one-stop shop of opportunity.
Founder Fiona Mackenzie has shown unshakable commitment, having remortgaged her house not once but twice to deliver her vision. Thousands of lives have been touched so far – from newborn babies to the young-at-heart at 101 years old.
In CentreStage’s own words:
“Hope, joy, inclusion and aspiration, underpin all that we do.”
Clackmannanshire COUNCIL
Sharing power to transform public service
In the face of systemic failure amongst Scottish Councils, Clackmannanshire Council has risen to the challenge with a new approach that puts those with direct experience of the system at the heart of the process.
Clackmannanshire overcomes many of the restrictions that other Councils struggle with by raising funds and distributing government and local authority resources in a way that prioritises individuals, families and communities.
Bridging current silos, this whole-person response helps unlock much-needed resources that are currently trapped by administrative red tape.
WHAT MATTERS TO YOU
Harnessing the power of community
Since 2019, What Matters to You (WM2U) has been challenging and reshaping frontline support for children and families. Funded by The Hunter Foundation and BBC Children in Need, WM2U places local people at the heart of the transformation.
In partnership with colleagues across the public sector, the scheme offers flexible support that responds to the real, lived experience of children and families, taking assets that already exist within the local community into account.
WM2U is changing how vital services are delivered, and is on track to demonstrate significant multi-year savings to the public purse in the process.
CHILDREN IN NEED UK Galvanising youth action
Together with our partners at Children in Need, we are investing over:
£3M
in youth action programmes
These include:
SHARING POWER – YOUTH SOCIAL ACTION
Disadvantaged children and young people in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales develop scalable and sustainable social action projects, responding to the needs of their own communities.
YOUTH ENDOWMENT FUND – AGENCY COLLABORATION FUND
In this trial model for multi-agency support, early help is available for young people and their families deemed at risk from violence or criminal exploitation. The programme draws on principles set out in the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care for England and by the Tackling Child Exploitation programme.
SHELTER
Shelter’s Family Services supports children subject to homelessness or poor accommodation in both Sheffield and Bristol. Families receive advice on a range of housing-related issues, while partner organisations deliver specialist support for more complex needs.
THE LISTENING FUND
So far, this £1.25m pooled fund has provided 10 three-year grants to children’s organisations to develop their listening practice, supporting these partners in turn to collaborate and share their learnings. Administered by The Blagrave Trust in partnership with NLCF, Esme Fairbairn and The Tudor Trust, the Listening Fund has established a youth advisory board to steer key grant-making decisions.
Our investments are strategic and deliver leverage; our partnership with Paddy enabled our £3m to leverage a further £10m+ for Children in Need.
Paddy McGuinness on the road for Children in Need
£1.25M
pooled fund
AMBITION
OVERVIEW FROM SIR TOM
“Scotland’s entrepreneurs have boundless ambition. All they need is a little more support to realise that ambition.”
Sir Tom Hunter
At the heart of The Hunter Foundation (THF) is the belief that to support those most in need, we must start with our nation’s economic growth.
Governments don’t make money: we do. And they spend it. Health, social care, justice, education, policing – all share one thing in common. They depend on your tax revenue.
We believe a decent, well-paid job is the best social policy out there. And to create those jobs, we must invest in growing businesses.
THF supports and inspires entrepreneurial businesses as they scale. We bolster that crucial economic growth, investing in programmes for both for and not-for-profit ventures to provide a pathway to scaling:
ACCELERATE GROWTH with Scottish EDGE
£28m
INVESTED IN,
£427m
INVESTMENT ATTRACTED
660
BUSINESSES SO FAR
£706m
TURNOVER GENERATED
Scottish EDGE is co-funded by The Hunter Foundation, Royal Bank of Scotland and the Scottish Government.
£8.50 ROI
for every £1 invested back To the public sector
Scottish EDGE supports early-stage, high-growth companies. Entrepreneurs have the chance to win up to £100K (30% grant, 70% loan) to accelerate their growth.
Funding is just the beginning. Scottish EDGE provides a raft of support that goes far beyond financial, from peer-to-peer networks to assistance with legal matters and other key components of business growth – delivered in partnership with our various sponsors.
Scottish EDGE proudly encourages its community to give back and support future business leaders. Our winners take the EDGE Pledge: to give 1% of their exit funds back to Scotish EDGE to nurture the next generation. And our 150+ judges freely give their time to the hundreds of entrepreneurial applicants.
Many of Scotland’s top entrepreneurs also support Scottish EDGE, providing additional loans through our Entrepreneurs Fund. These include Sir Brian Souter, James Watt, Lord and Lady Haughey, Kevin Dorren, Chris van der Kuyl, Paddy Burns, and corporate leader Charles Plowden.
With our partners we have created the UK’s biggest early-stage funding competition.
“Even just going through the application process was great for meeting people and learning what’s required in that type of business setting. The funding has been fantastic, but I think the larger benefit is everything else that encompasses Scottish EDGE – the community, the support and the connections.”
Kirsty Lunn, Molke
“Since winning Scottish EDGE, we’ve really been able to transform our progress. It allowed us to work with contractors to help us build our software and instruments, before which we were using commercially available components, so the funding enabled us to develop our design and offering considerably.”
Tiffany Wood, Dyneval:
CREATE REAL IMPACT with our Scaling programmes
Our scaling and Scottish EDGE businesses have generated a staggering £1.7 billion of turnover and created over 7000 new jobs.
All our programmes are run by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs. That means learning from seasoned peers who have walked the talk.
What’s more, we choose each cohort based on their willingness to learn from each other. Typically comprising 12 ambitious, motivated entrepreneurs, these groups benefit hugely from peer-to-peer learning – as valuable, if not more so, as the programme itself.
The numbers speak for themselves. Companies involved in our Scaling programmes have since delivered over £1bn turnover, and created over 5,000 new jobs. That’s what impact looks like.
INVEST IN POTENTIAL
with the Pre-Scaler programme
Our ambition is to support fellow entrepreneurs to build world-class, scalable businesses. By sharing experience, access, and networks, we drive dynamic growth.
Our ScaleUp series provides an exciting pipeline of support for highly motivated businesses at all stages of their development. Businesses with a turnover of £100k or more with huge growth ambitions can apply for our Pre-Scaler programme, run in partnership with Scottish EDGE. Online and in-person development events give entrepreneurs the tools to accelerate their growth before scaling up.
Pre-Scaler participants benefit from five one-day development events, spread over a five month period. Delivered by our established ScaleUp programme partners – such as David Sole’s School for CEOs – these sessions sharpen skills in fundraising, people planning, leadership, sales and marketing, and effective communication.
“I absolutely loved my time at the Hunter Foundation. It was brilliant to meet so many inspiring entrepreneurs and learn from Ken and all the amazing speakers. The setting and the house is incredible as are the lunches. It is well worth taking the time out of the day to day to do some deep learning and visioning for the future growth of your business.”
Jill Henry Co-founder
Meander Apparel
“The Pre-Scaler has been a fantastic opportunity to meet others who are at the same stage as me. So often you find yourself in groups with those who just are way ahead or behind you. I have enjoyed this program because many of us are suffering the exact same levels of struggles that you hit at our size points. The content has also been fantastic - great sessions, open conversations and true honest business insight.”
David Ferguson CEO + Founder
Ferguson Whisky
SCALE TO SUCCEED
with ScaleUpScotland
Enterprising entrepreneurs with the drive and potential to achieve sales exceeding £20m can join the ScaleUpScotland Core programme.
Over an 18-month period, each cohort benefits from a blend of experiential, business and peer-to-peer learning, delivered through a series of short residential events at our Blair Estate HQ.
By honing their leadership skills and deep-diving into what it takes to scale their businesses, we help them accelerate growth in an effective, sustainable way – with a sharp focus on results.
Fully endorsed by the ScaleUp Institute in 2022, ScaleUpScotland is delivered and supported by leading entrepreneurs, expert business practitioners and facilitators. Peer-to-peer learning is also vitally important for each cohort.
Click to hear from Lord
Willie Haughey
Total ScaleUps being supported in 2024
38
Total ScaleUp alumni
113
Total 2023 revenue in programme
£96.3m
Total 2023 revenue alumni
£866m
Total 2023 jobs supported in programme
990
Total 2023 jobs supported alumni
4,288
Male female split - founders
74% Male
26% Female
Male female split - all supported roles
67% Male
33% Female
Representation from ethnic backgrounds
6%
Click to hear from Chris van der Kuyl
Click to hear from Mark Beaumont
SCALE TO SUCCEED
with ScaleUpScotland
“ScaleUpScotland events constitute a trusting and respectful space… with no egos! The cohort is made up of focused and driven individuals, working hard to scale their own business, but everyone makes time to both listen and offer council to each other. It is a privilege to be able to share thoughts with such a talented group, all of whom have grown in capability and stature and have totally inspired me over the past year.”
– Ross Tuffee - Founder Dogfish Mobile (cohort 1)
“We can wholeheartedly recommend the ScaleUpScotland programme as the best business growth programme we have ever participated in across 15 years in business. The growth lessons learned, for example, how to create a strong people culture, strategic 3-5 year planning and export strategy, are all now cornerstones of Safehinge Primera’s growth. In addition to this, the network of cohort members and professional advisors is second to none and we regularly benefit from this network in a fundamentally important way. Superb programme!”
– Philip Ross & Martin Izod – Co-founders Safehinge Primera (cohort 2) House Group (cohort 3)
“I wanted to extend my heartfelt thanks for the invaluable guidance and support you have provided over the past 18 months. The transformation INDY has undergone since our first discussion is remarkable, and I am deeply grateful for your role in this journey.”
– Ian Brown - Founder and Group CEO
Indy Cinema Group (cohort 4)
PUSH THE LIMITS
with ScaleUpScotland 2.0
A springboard to help launch the next wave of high-flying, potentially billion-pound enterprises, ScaleUpScotland 2.0 takes things to the next level with support from the Scottish National Investment Bank.
“The success of high-growth business is critical to boost Scotland’s productivity. This programme addresses critical gaps in support for scale-up businesses, and provides future business leaders with mentoring and advice to support their growth ambitions.”
Willie Watt, chair of the Scottish National Investment Bank
Based on extensive research and analysis into the challenges that face businesses as they scale, ScaleUpScotland 2.0 takes a high-level strategic approach to growth – with a view to boosting participants’ turnover to £30-100m and beyond.
Participants must demonstrate revenues of £10m or more, and exceptional levels of ambition and growth potential. Unlike the Core programme, the CEO and Executive Leadership are all involved.
Led by our founder Sir Tom Hunter, and leading entrepreneurs from the global stage, CEOs participate in quarterly residential retreats at Blair Estate over a 12-month period – a blend of masterclasses, focused dinners, and peer-to-peer collaboration. In turn, we work with senior leadership teams from each business to support them on their growth journey and help meet their goals.
Click to hear from Laura Davidson
Click to hear from Kenny Blair
THE
FOUNDERS
CONFERENCE
Each November, our annual Founders Conference sees leading UK entrepreneurs share insights and inspiration, discuss challenges and opportunities in the spectacular setting of Gleneagles.
Our conference aims to educate, inspire and celebrate success with amazing speakers including Sir Brian Souter, Rishi Khosla (OBE), James Watt, Evelyn McDonald, Ian McKenzie, Laura Davidson, Fiona McKenzie (OBE), Theo Paphitis, Deborah Meaden (FRSA), Prof Sir Christopher Evans (One Arcs, FMedSci, FREng, FRSC, FRSA, FIBiol, CCMI, CChem), Judy Murray (OBE) and Nicola Benedetti (CBE) from last year and build peer-to-peer networks.
Last year, an eclectic mix of speakers shared their wisdom – and a few laughs – with an engaged audience of their peers.
A huge thanks to all our partners, our trustees and those we serve…
Special thanks to our key partners:
And of course thanks to all those charities and disrupters we invest in too many to mention here!
Special thanks to our team at West Coast Capital who make the money we invest… and of course to Jacqueline and Julie-Ann – we couldn’t do it without you!
REPORT
2025
