Sir John Patrick Griffin (born 1 August 1942) is a British businessman. He is the founder of the cab and courier company Addison Lee.
Early life
Career
Griffin eventually decided to move on from driving minicabs, deciding he could do a better job of running a minicab business. Together with another driver, he set about starting a company which today is known as West One Cars. However, Griffin was convinced to stay on with his original employer after his salary was quadrupled and only later decided to form his own company.
Griffin was convinced that his new company needed a name which started with an "A" for it to appear early in telephone directory listings. A colleague who lived in a squat in Addison Gardens said people seemed to think this was a very posh address, which Griffin supplemented with Lee. Addison Lee was founded in 1975, with half the company owned by investor Lenny Foster.
In 1976, Griffin founded the Private Hire Car Association in response to the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976. As chairman of the association, Griffin was vocal in the debate that led to the licensing of private hire operators in the UK.
He appeared on the television programme, The Secret Millionaire in December 2009.
He stepped down as chairman of Addison Lee in 2014, shortly after private equity firm Carlyle Group purchased a majority stake in the company in a deal worth £300 million.Scott Campbell, Addison Lee chairman John Griffin steps down, The Daily Telegraph, 19 May 2014
In the 2024 New Year Honours Griffin was appointed Knight Bachelor for services to business and to charity.
Political affiliations
Philanthropy
Personal life
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