David Lloyd
Former top tennis professional - Runs several tennis centers
David Lloyd spent 17 years as one of Britains foremost professionals on the international tennis circuit. After retirement from the circuit in 1981, he founded David Lloyd Leisure, a company that owns and operates high quality sport and leisure clubs.
David Lloyd was an established member of the British Davis Cup Team and for nine years he was unbeaten in home ties, and in 1978 they reached the final of the Davis Cup - the most successful team for 50 years. In July 1995, he became Captain of the Davis Cup Team, where he has taken up responsibility for team selection and training.
Upon his retirement from the circuit in 1981, he founded David Lloyd Leisure, the holding company that owns and operates the David Lloyd Clubs, the high quality sport and leisure clubs. In the last 5 years, David Lloyd Leisure has grown rapidly and is now not only the market leader in the ownership and operation of high quality tennis and fitness based leisure clubs, but is also one of the largest sport and leisure groups in Europe.
There are currently 13 clubs, 6 in the Greater London area, with others in Eastbourne (East Sussex), Birmingham, Renfrew (Scotland), Bristol, Reading and two more in Hampshire. Other new clubs are planned throughout the country with planning applications submitted on sites in Edinburgh, Leeds and Manchester, consent already granted on a site in Sidcup and the building programme well under way at Cardiff. Bristol also heralds the companys latest venture into golf with the recent opening of an 18-hole course.
The company has also recently taken over the management and operation of the former Roger Taylor tennis centre at Vale do Lobo in Portugal. Listed on the Stock Exchange since March 1993, it was the subject of an agreed take-over by Whitbread plc valuing the company at around £200 million. David Lloyd has since left the Whitbread group and is now involved with Clubhaus, a company that manages a chain of golf clubs.
David Lloyd was named as Entrepreneur of the Year in the 1994 PLC Awards - the Citys Oscars. He took the teamwork and motivation skills he developed in the sporting arena and applied them to managing his highly successful business. Staff involvement, motivation and customer service are at the heart of his business principles, which he is keen to share with business audiences.