From start-up to market leader with £200m in annual revenues, Lee Hartley built Fairstone Group into one of the UK’s most dynamic financial services businesses. After founding the company in 2008, he led it through ambitious growth, multiple investment rounds, and a unique acquisition strategy, scaling it into a national powerhouse while keeping innovation and client focus at the heart.
Before Fairstone, Lee had already established himself as a successful entrepreneur, making waves in e-commerce and software, delivering solutions for major organisations like Zurich, AXA, Abbey and London & European Insurance, as well as numerous banks and building societies. His knack for spotting opportunity, building scalable strategies, and turning vision into results laid the foundations for the success that followed.
In 2025, Lee was crowned Entrepreneur of the Year at our Entrepreneurial Awards. A well-deserved recognition of not just the scale of what he built, but his leadership, appetite for taking calculated risks, making bold decisions, and growing a business capable of thriving through all market conditions.