Portrait of Sir Brian Souter.

Sir Brian Souter

Co-founder of the Stagecoach Group who built a transport empire on Thatcher-era bus deregulation — and drew censure for predatory competition and his "Keep the Clause" campaign.

Stagecoach Group · Transport (bus and rail) · est. 1980

Born in Perth, Scotland in 1954, the son of a bus driver; trained as an accountant. Co-founded Stagecoach in 1980 with his sister Ann Gloag and exploited the Thatcher government’s deregulation of the UK bus industry to build one of Britain’s largest transport groups (buses and, later, rail). A devout Christian and prominent SNP donor; knighted in 2011; net worth in the hundreds of millions of pounds. Drew formal regulatory censure for anti-competitive conduct and funded the controversial 2000 "Keep the Clause" campaign.

Notable achievements

  • Co-founded Stagecoach (1980) with his sister Ann Gloag.
  • Built one of the UK’s largest bus and rail transport groups.
  • Expanded internationally; amassed a fortune in the hundreds of millions of pounds.
  • Knighted in 2011.

Find them online

Stories about Sir Brian Souter

Sir Brian Souter, co-founder of Stagecoach, subject of a case study on bus deregulation, business and politics in Britain.
industry16 min read

Sir Brian Souter: Stagecoach and the Fortune Built on a Policy

Sir Brian Souter co-founded Stagecoach and turned the deregulation of Britain’s buses into a transport empire. A sourced, critically neutral look at genuine industrial achievement, the proven "predatory" competition findings, the controversial "Keep the Clause" campaign, and the disputed claims about his SNP donations.