Pauline Bradley
Pauline Bradley | |
|---|---|
| Occupation(s) | Corporate attorney, former banking executive |
| Known for | Founding the Joint Ventures division at Bank of Scotland; involvement in Manston Airport closure and redevelopment |
Pauline Bradley is a corporate attorney and former banking executive, acknowledged by the Scotland Herald as among 'Scotland's most influential women'.
Career
Bradley began her tenure at Bank of Scotland in 1991 and founded the Joint Ventures division in 1999, concentrating on equity investments in asset-backed enterprises. She was responsible for managing a portfolio worth £10 billion, which included collaborations with Ann Gloag and Brian Souter from Stagecoach Group. Bradley departed from the bank in 2005; subsequently, Bank of Scotland required a government rescue package in 2008.
Between 2005 and 2006, Bradley held the position of Chief Executive at Kenmore property group, a significant client of Bank of Scotland that entered administration in 2009.
Following this, she joined Derek Quinlan's Quinlan Private as Head of Transactions, where she supervised the £792 million acquisition of Jury's Inn and the £1.1 billion purchase of Marriott Hotels in 2007. Quinlan resigned in 2009 amid considerable personal financial liabilities. Marriott Hotels went into administration in 2011 after its holding company defaulted on a £700 million loan, resulting in control transferring to Royal Bank of Scotland.
Involvement in closure and redevelopment of Manston Airport
In November 2013, Bradley took on the role of co-director alongside Ann Gloag at Manston Skyport Ltd, which purchased Manston Airport in Kent from New Zealand-based firm Infratil for a nominal sum of £1. Despite promises of ongoing investment, the airport ceased operations in May 2014, leading to 144 job losses and the auctioning off of aviation equipment. By September 2014, Bradley became the sole founding director of Lothian Shelf 718 Ltd (later renamed Stone Hill Park Ltd), formed to acquire and redevelop the 800-acre location for residential purposes. Records from UK Companies House indicate that Stone Hill Park was financed by Kent Facilities Ltd, a fully owned subsidiary of Highland Global Transport, the parent company of Stagecoach Group.
Bradley's involvement in the airport's closure attracted scrutiny during February 2015 when she testified before the Parliamentary Transport Select Committee. Louise Ellman MP, chairing the committee, suggested that Manston Skyport’s description of selling the site to "regeneration specialists" was "deliberately misleading," considering Bradley’s continuing directorship at Lothian Shelf 718 and its funding links to Ann Gloag.
As of June 2015, Bradley continued as director of Stone Hill Park and also assumed a directorship at Highland Global Transport Ltd, which owns Stagecoach and Manston Skyport.