Tony Ratcliffe, Adam Stroud, and Sholto Ratcliffe
38 years after founding Paxton, Tony Ratcliffe, Group Chairman of the technology manufacturer, is stepping down. His son Sholto Ratcliffe will take on the role, continuing Paxton’s journey and his father’s legacy.
Tony is retiring from his role after nearly four decades overseeing the company’s growth from a small enterprise launching the Touchlock keypad in 1985, to a multi-million-pound international business that now exports to over 60 countries worldwide and secures over 30,000 buildings annually.
“With Paxton, I have achieved more than I ever thought I could,” said Tony. “This is simply because of the challenges and the learning I have gone through. I hope that every employee can do what I have done and follow that path, which is to be challenged, to learn, and to get there in the end. The future for Paxton is so exciting, and with the new generation of people coming through, I think there are no limits for the company.”
Tony’s eldest son Sholto Ratcliffe is taking over his father’s long-standing role and the company will continue to be led by Paxton CEO Adam Stroud who has been with the manufacturer for over 25 years. Sholto has been working alongside Tony and Adam for the past nine years in preparation for this transition. In addition to his role as non-executive Group Chairman of Paxton, Sholto runs his own recording studio in London, where he balances both the technical and business aspect of the studio.
“Sometimes when the founder of a successful company retires, its future becomes uncertain,” comments Sholto. “It may be sold, restructured, or passed to multiple factions of shareholders. My job is to remove that uncertainty in the transition between generations and beyond, allowing the Paxton team to work safely in the knowledge that the company is not going to disappear.”
Adam says: “One of the major benefits of having secure, uncomplicated company ownership, is that we are always able to focus on making decisions for the best long-term outcome.”
Tony plans to use his retirement wisely, continuing to create useful and innovative inventions.
