12 entrepreneurs


The self-confessed workaholic who aims for new heights every day


For a man who studied law at Oxford off the back of his prowess at rowing, it might seem strange that Hugh Thomas pursued a career in property development. By his own admission though, he has been obsessed with 'making things' since he was small, and even today he delights in travelling the countryside to see new buildings take shape and looking for ideas for his next project. As managing director of Thomas Homes, the company he co-founded with his older brother David, he now heads one of the largest private developers in the Thames Valley region. Alison Dewar found out what spurs him on


Born in 1943 and the second youngest of five children, Thomas was a post-war baby who grew up in the shadow of rationing and hand-me-down clothes from his older brothers. With a father who was the local GP in Pangbourne, he remembers a happy childhood and says that somehow his “very generous” parents managed to ensure all the siblings enjoyed a good education. Sporting glory obviously ran in the family as all the brothers rowed, the youngest representing Great Britain in the Olympics, and it was his own rowing success which earned Thomas a place at Oxford. Halfway through his studies he decided to become a surveyor, so after graduating he took a second degree in estate management at the University of London. His first job was with a firm of surveyors in the capital, before he moved to a property company. By now married to wife Sally, who he met whilst at university, Thomas spent any spare time teaching himself the necessary skills to buy, renovate and sell various properties. In 1974, he and David joined forces to launch Thomas Homes, designing, developing and building both commercial and residential properties in locations from Bristol to Oxford, Reading to Winchester. Based outside Newbury, Thomas still works in the office five days a week and says retiring will never be an option.


for was sold, first to a merchant bank and then to another company, I decided I no longer wanted to work there. I gave in my notice and the finance director, whose family had a major shareholding in the business, offered to provide the finance David and I needed to start Thomas Homes. He became a shareholder and it was only when he retired that we bought out his shares and expanded the business.


Tell us more about Thomas Homes


How did you end up in property development?


As a child, I was always making things – whether it was toys or toast racks. One Christmas, when I was about 10, I was given a pile of wood stacked up under the Christmas tree and I immediately thought of all the wonderful things I could make with it.


When I was still at school, I toyed with doing up a cottage and I suddenly discovered something I could apply my mind to. Later on, when I was doing my surveyor exams, there were some basics in building construction, but really I taught myself all the skills I needed to know by watching other people. I’ve always had a practical mind and even now I like to watch the way a bricklayer or a carpenter works. I also do a lot of thinking about things, wondering what I’m going to do next.


Was it a big decision to start your own business?


When the property company I was working www.businessmag.co.uk


When we started, David was responsible for acquiring the sites and selling the completed units, while I did all the drawings and organised the office. Even now, we run the business with a data-based computer programme that I designed.


At the beginning, we were converting houses to offices in Reading and also building small offices. We were very fortunate to let those to some of the best public companies that wanted to come to Reading at the time.


Gradually, we started doing more and more residential work and that’s largely what we focus on today. As a family-run business, we can decide what we want to do. We buy the land, commission the architect and gain planning permission, we have our own design department and we do our own building work and selling.


We employ about 20 people now and I always say working for us leads to an easier life compared to our competitors as we wish our employees to have a stress-free life. We could have set out to make more money, but that would have been at the expense of our leisure


THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – MARCH 2015


and family time and that’s not what we’re about.


It’s lovely to think that what we draw and design will actually be built – we’re suggesting how people live in the future.


Which developments are you most proud of?


The first would have to be Albion Terrace, in London Road, Reading. It was a lovely Regency


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