North judging panel

Jonathan Turner

Chief Executive, Bayford Group

Jonathan Turner

A self-confessed ‘calculated risk taker’, Jonathan graduated from Newcastle Business School and after a brief career working elsewhere, joined the Bayford family business in 1988. 

After taking over as Managing Director in 2000, Jonathan led a family buyout in 2004, becoming the sole shareholder of Bayford Group. He then led the organisation through a series of acquisitions, including seven deals during 2003 and 2004 alone. Jonathan then built the company up to a turnover of almost £1bn, before selling off various parts of the business over the years and starting numerous companies within the group in the years since.

The diverse companies within the Bayford Group as it is today span various industries including energy, multi-utility infrastructure, fuel cards, commercial and residential property, electric vehicle charging points, hospitality and leisure, forestry, and a gas and power business in Holland.

Whilst continuing to drive the Bayford business forward, Jonathan is also a Deputy Lieutenant representing the Queen in West Yorkshire. He is also a Trustee of The Jaytee Foundation, which he set up to help disadvantaged children in Yorkshire, and an Ambassador for The Archbishop of York’s Youth Trust.