Career
He joined Vitol in 1985 after holding various positions in shipping, operations, and trading at Shell. In a 2012 controversy, he was named as one of the private guests of the United Kingdom"s Prime Minister, David Cameron, at a dinner in November 2011. In 2015, he spoke at Dance United Kingdom’s conference The Future: New Ideas, New Inspirations discussing the importance of supporting dance education to ensure the sector’s future talent.
Ian Taylor is the majority shareholder in Harris Tweed Hebrides, an award winning company and the primary producer of the historic Harris Tweed cloth.
In 2005, when the industry was in a critical condition, he was asked by the former Labour Minister Brian Wilson to step in. He provided the investment and support required, enabling the historic tradition of weaving on the Isles of Harris and Lewis to continue.
Today, the company has a staff of 90, as well as providing employment for 130 self-employed weavers who carry on the tradition of working from home. The company, Harris Tweed Hebrides, was named UKFT Textile Company of the Year in 2013 and Scottish Exporter of the Year for 2015 as well as numerous awards for outstanding contribution to style and fashion.
He was again the focus of media attention in 2013 after donating over half a million pounds to Better Together, the campaign for a Number vote in the Scottish independence referendum.
As a result of this media attention, he threatened legal action for libel against The Herald, and two pro-independence websites: National Collective, and Wings Over Scotland. According to the "Sunday Times Rich List 2015," Ian Taylor is worth £175 million.
