From a pit stop to business in the fast lane

Jonathan Wright gave up trying to be a racing driver in 1982 to work in recruitment. Now, as the head of a £28m a year recruitment firm, he has no regrets.

In his time, Jonathan Wright wasn't a bad racing driver. He won three or four races, held a couple of pole positions and even set a track record at Silverstone. "But I took the view that you either needed outstanding talent, like Ayrton Senna, or you needed good talent... but with financial support around you." With neither behind him, in 1982 he decided to leave and pursue a business career instead. A tough decision, he says, but at least it was a conscious one. "I didn't just let my life dwindle away." Twenty years later, as head of a £28m-a-year Aim-listed recruitment firm, it certainly hasn't.

Wright took to recruitment quickly. By 1993, he'd worked his way up to become managing director of Alexander Mann, an executive search company run by James Caan of Dragons' Den fame. "But after ten and a bit years, enough was enough. James had made a lot of money. When you sit there as the number two you think 'I contributed as much to his success, in fact more than I was given credit for'. Every number two thinks that. You think 'I have to stick my neck on the line, become number one and prove I'm just as capable'. And that male ego got the better of me."

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Jody Clarke

Jody studied at the University of Limerick and was a senior writer for MoneyWeek. Jody is experienced in interviewing, for example digging into the lives of an ex-M15 agent and quirky business owners who have made millions. Jody’s other areas of expertise include advice on funds, stocks and house prices.