Sir Richard Harpin

Sir Richard Harpin is a British entrepreneur, investor, and business builder best known as the co-founder and former CEO of HomeServe, a company he helped grow from a £50,000 startup into a multinational FTSE-100 business serving millions of customers. In 2023, HomeServe was acquired in a deal valued at £4.1 billion.

Raised in Yorkshire, Richard began trading as a child and built and sold his first business as a teenager. His entrepreneurial journey has always been grounded in practical experience rather than theory, with a focus on disciplined execution, customer insight, and long-term leadership development.

After nearly three decades leading HomeServe, Richard stepped back from day-to-day operations and now focuses on helping founders and leadership teams scale enduring companies. He is a Sunday Times bestselling author, a regular columnist for The Sunday Times, and the host of the Business Leader podcast, where he interviews prominent entrepreneurs and business leaders.

In 2025, Richard was knighted for his contributions to business and entrepreneurship. Today, he shares insights drawn from decades of building, scaling, and leading companies through growth, setbacks, and transformation, offering practical guidance for founders navigating the complexities of scaling a business.