Lyndon Lea

Lyndon Lea (born 13 January 1969) is an English financier and investor,^[2] known for co-founding Lion Capital which specializes in making investments in the consumer sector.

Early life

Lea was born in Morecambe, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom.^[3] His mother was a hairdresser and his father was an engineer who loved travel .^[3] Lea spent his childhood growing up in South Africa, Botswana and Canada, where he became a citizen. In 1990, after graduating in business administration from the University of Western Ontario, his career started in the mergers and acquisitions department of Goldman Sachs in New York. He returned to London in 1992 and, after a brief spell in the investment-banking division of Schroders, he was recruited with current Lion partner, Neil Richardson, to start the European affiliate (Glenisla) of industry giant Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co. In 1998 he was spotted by Hicks Muse and brought in to launch their new European business. In 2004, gained prominence by separating the business he ran from its ailing American parent, Hicks Muse, into one of the best-known firms in the investment business.^[4]

Company Holdings

Lea's career has been marked by many successful and diverse company holdings including:

• Acquired a majority stake in John Varvatos Enterprises, Inc.;^[5]
• Acquired 76% of AllSaints Spitalfields in 2011 for £105 million;^[6]
• Sold Jimmy Choo in 2007 for £185 million;^[7]
• Invested $80 million in American Apparel in 2009^[8]
• Purchased Bumble Bee Foods for $980 million in 2011^[9]
• Purchased Picard in 2010 for €1.5 billion^[10]
• Sold Kettle Chips in 2010 for $615 million^[11]
• Sold Orangina Schweppes for €2.6 billion in 2009^[12]
• Acquired Findus and Young’s in 2008 for £1.1 billion
• Sold Wagamama in 2011 for £215 million^[13]
• Bought Weetabix in 2004 for £640 million
• Sold Champagne Mumm & Perrier-Jouet in 2001 to Allied Domecq^[14]
• ghd (good hair day) in 2013 for £300 million^[15]

Lea has also served on the board of several public companies including Harry Winston, American Apparel, Yell Group and Premier Foods.

Personal life

Lea owns a polo ranch in Santa Barbara, California where he has reportedly hosted several lavish summer parties at his Californian beach house which have included entertainment from acts such as Cirque du Soleil and beautiful women.^[16] Lea's company, Lion Capital, has raised approximately €4 billion of investor capital since inception in 2004. In addition to his glamourous personal life, he is known for his hands-on investing style and .^[17] His leveraged buy outs and high profile rescues of fashion companies have made him a staple of the UK and New York press.^[16]

In July 2011 Lea's team Zacara won the Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup for the British Open Polo Championship, at Cowdray Park, West Sussex. In April 2012, Lea's team also won the U.S. Open Polo Championship.^[18] In 2013, Lea's team again won the U.S. Open Championships, making it back-to-back victories.^[19] This was followed later in 2013 by an undefeated sweep of the UK season in which Lea's team won the Queen's Cup and again won the Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup for the British Open Championship.^[20]

He is also a supporter and advocate for Not For Sale, a charity that raises awareness of modern day slavery.^[21]

References