Entrepreneur whose respect of history is no flight of fancy

BOWCLIFFE HALL is not your average home for a business. But then Jonathan Turner is not your average business person.

“Bugger it, I’ll keep it with me,” says the chief executive of Bayford Group, to no-one in particular about the bundle of papers in his grasp as he bounds down the stairs into the reception hallway of the 200 year-old building.

“Let me start by showing you the wing,” he says, and we’re off into the grounds of Bowcliffe Hall to see a remarkable conference centre, the result of four years’ work and 18 months’ construction.

Shaped like an aircraft wing, it was inspired by the achievements of Robert Blackburn, a Leeds aviation pioneer who lived in Bowcliffe Hall for 33 years until 1950.

Inside the Blackburn Wing and inside the main building, history surrounds you. There is the King’s Cup, a silver trophy awarded by King Geooge V in 1931 to Robert Blackburn, alongside dozens of trinkets and touches that have been specially hand-crafted – or salvaged.

Within the boyish enthusiasm for the history and detail that surrounds you is a glimpse into why Mr Turner is affectionately – although no doubt sometimes exasperatingly – described as “a hand grenade” by members of his management team.

“I walk into the office, go off, then just walk out and leave chaos,” he explains. “I just thrive on creating things and developing things.”

He happily embraces risk – driving a car with wooden wheels across Russia was one of several stories that demonstrated a passion which was sparked as a  business studies student at Newcastle Polytechnic by a 1953 Triumph (although Bentleys have since become his true love). It also demonstrated his love of a challenge.

“Some people don’t do things because of what might happen. I do things exactly because of what might happen,” he said, with a glint in his eye. “Work isn’t stressful – when you’ve been stuck in the Gobi desert and not seen another person for eight hours, that’s stressful.”

After an hour and a half of constant conversation, it’s still not clear to me what Mr Turner’s day job involves. But then Mr Turner isn’t too sure either.

“‘What does he do?'”, he paraphrases back. “I have no idea.

“I never stop working – it doesn’t matter where I am – but I don’t ‘do work’. Yesterday I was at a charity function and my brain was whirring.

“I have lots of jobs to do, but I don’t have ‘a job’ to do.

“I love mess and I love chaos. I have lots of different business interests and passions and they sometimes morph into one.”

Serial entrepreneur Mr Turner had always wanted to be a businessman and was inspired by the lives of the big names of the 1970s and 80s.

“When I was a kid at college I read books about entrepreneurs – Nigel Broackes of Trafalgar House, Jimmy Goldsmith, Lord Hanson – and now I am doing it. I am living the dream, big time.”

Although he thinks good leaders are born, not made, he puts part of his success down to “working with fantastic people who are cleverer than me”.

The central figure is long-term business partner, and Bayford Group’s managing director, Liz Slater, who he has worked with for 27 years.

“Liz is better at running businesses, she is more sensible, more organised, she puts me back in my box,” he said.

“That’s why we have been successful – we are a bloody good team. We add value to each other, and we have a lot of fun.”

His aim every day is a simple one. “Have fun and make money, in that order,” he said. “If we are not having fun, we will stop what we are doing.”

Having got a much better sense of the motives, but no more idea of the detail of what he does, I ask what he wants to “do tomorrow”.

“Another good question – I don’t know that either,” he said, before adding,
“Well, I do know, but I don’t. My desk is full of ideas, my head is full of ideas.

“I am going to do 27 different things. I just do what I think I should do in the order I think I should do it in. Touch wood, it works.

“Just have fun. That’s what I’m going to do tomorrow.”