Introduction
Kiran Fothergill is an industry leader and a proud advocate for business and community interests in Yorkshire and the North East of England.
He leads a group of companies across the engineering, cybersecurity, and hospitality sectors that collectively employ over 700 people across the UK. The group includes: Pickerings Lifts, based in Stockton-on-Tees but operating nationwide; Sapphire Cybersecurity, with its two offices in Glasgow and Newcastle respectively; Shorts Industries, based in Bradford; as well as First Sight Estates that operates Kinross House in Scotland.
Kiran believes in responsible leadership, sustainable growth, and investing in people. He also firmly believes that business is a force for good; he serves as the Chair of the Jobs Foundation’s North East Business Council, established by the Jobs Foundation, to help promote the role of enterprise in building opportunity, social mobility, and community cohesion.
Kiran is also a regular media commentator on business, policy, and regional development. His contributions have appeared on national television, radio, and in print.
In 2024, he stood as a Parliamentary Candidate in his hometown of Middlesbrough, marking the beginning of a long-term commitment to public service built on the foundation of private sector success.
Kiran holds an MBA from the University of Oxford, where he had previously completed his undergraduate studies in Modern Languages (German and Spanish), and a Master's degree from the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna. Kiran resides in Great Ayton, North Yorkshire.
