Gary Lubner
Gary Lubner | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1959 |
| Citizenship | British[1] |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, entrepreneur |
| Known for | Former CEO of Belron, Labour Party donor |
Gary Lubner (born 1959) is a South African businessman and philanthropist. He served as CEO of Belron, the parent company of Autoglass, from 2000 to 2023. He is the founder of the charitable foundation This Day and has been a major donor to the UK Labour Party.[2]
Early Life and Education
[edit]Lubner grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa, in a liberal Jewish family who fled Eastern Europe due to persecution. His grandfather initially earned a living selling glass from a wooden cart after arriving in South Africa.[3] "I grew up in a very liberal family as a result of my grandparents and what they had experienced. They were very charitable. They got very involved in different charities", Lubner has said.[3]
Anti-Apartheid Activities
[edit]Prior to studying at the University of Cape Town, Lubner was conscripted into the South African police force, an experience he later described as instrumental in shaping his opposition to apartheid.[2] He actively supported the anti-apartheid movement and defended Nelson Mandela, telling the Financial Times that "getting into many fights with business people who were saying 'he's a terrorist' and all of that. And so it was very important to me to do all I could."[2] The Financial Times has described him as a "South African businessman whose social conscience was forged during apartheid".[2]
Business Career
[edit]Lubner moved to London in the late 1980s to study for an MBA at London Business School and upon graduating began working for Belron/Autoglass. In 2000, he became CEO of Belron, where he led the company through significant international expansion. Under his leadership, the company grew substantially, operating under various brand names including Autoglass in the UK. In 2021, he implemented one of the largest employee share distributions in corporate history, allocating €300 million to 30,000 employees.[3] He stepped down as CEO in 2023.[2]
Political Involvement
[edit]Lubner became "disenchanted" with the UK's Conservative government and described Brexit as "the biggest own goal ever". In 2021, following a meeting with Labour Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves, he decided to support the Labour Party.[2]
By 2024, he had become one of Labour's largest individual donors, contributing £4.5 million to the party.[4]
Philanthropy
[edit]Through his foundation This Day, Lubner supports initiatives focused on education and equality.[3] He has expressed a desire to give away "the vast majority" of his wealth to charitable and progressive causes.[5]
Lubner has made contributions to charities working to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, as well as victims and families of the October 7 Hamas attack.[6] His philanthropic work also includes support for the United Jewish Israel Appeal, which focuses on educational and community development programs.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ "Gary LUBNER". Companies House.
Nationality British
- ^ a b c d e f Parker, George; Pickard, Jim (15 February 2024). "Keir Starmer and big business, a love story". www.ft.com. Archived from the original on 16 Feb 2024. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
- ^ a b c d UCL (2023-11-28). "Supporting an ecosystem for transformative change with Gary Lubner". UCL Policy Lab. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
- ^ a b "Glass repair chief leads Labour to record £13m private donations ahead of election". The Independent. 2024-03-07. Retrieved 2025-01-15.
- ^ Harpin, Lee (2024-03-07). "Communal businessman Gary Lubner gives £4.5m to Starmer's Labour". Jewish News. Retrieved 2025-01-15.
- ^ Pope, Felix. "Novara Media apologise for fuelling antisemitic abuse of Jewish Labour donor". www.thejc.com. Retrieved 2025-01-15.