LDC Top 50 2026
Andrew Jeffrey
CEO
Scorpion Automotive Group
At 13, Andrew Jeffrey bought a Visual Basic programming book at a car boot sale and taught himself to code “I quickly realised I could use it to cheat at video games!” After a career in software engineering and DevOps, he joined Lancashire-based Scorpion Automotive Group as CTO in 2019, before becoming COO and taking over the business in 2024.
In that time, he’s grown revenue from £5.5 million to £43 million and completed three acquisitions. “We design, manufacture, install and monitor anti-theft vehicle tracking systems, all under one roof. We’ve already become the market leader in the UK. Now we want to do it in Europe and the US.”
We’ve already become the market leader in the UK. Now we want to do it in Europe and the US.”
Q&A
How have you grown the business?
People think growing a business is about cutting costs. It isn’t. It’s about building the right team. We invested heavily in engineers because that’s how you build better products. We worked like hell. There are no shortcuts. Today, we protect more than half a million customers.
What are you most proud of?
Watching people grow. When I joined there were about 70 of us. Now there are more than 220. Some joined in their twenties and are now raising families. Every now and again I walk through the building and think, “None of this was here nine years ago.” I trust people, give them responsibility and try to make this the best place to work. I always say the grass is greener where you water it.
What keeps you motivated?
Love is a great motivator. Hate is an even bigger one sometimes. I’ve worked for some real cowboys and seen products that were ticking time bombs. I wanted to prove I could do it differently, build something better. I’ve had two cars stolen myself. I couldn’t sleep at night if I’d sold someone rubbish and then watched their car disappear.
