A force to be reckoned with
“Legend”, “incredible”, “wonderful”, “altruistic” and “awesome” were just some of the words used to describe Malcolm Scott after his untimely passing in September.
The outpouring of tributes in the press and across social media was testimony to the huge impact Malcolm had in the worlds of business and culture in Hull and beyond – and there could be no better winner of our search to find the Top 20 Most Inspiring Business Leaders this year.
After founding Scotts Chartered Surveyors – now Scotts Property – as a one-man-band in 1990, Malcolm soon expanded the business across the Humber, and he became an influential figure within the Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce, serving as president from 2007-08. Indeed, his passion for uniting the north and south banks of the great estuary culminated in his bold attempt to buy the Humber Bridge.
It was in 2011 that he launched his campaign to set up a social enterprise company, buy the bridge, and wipe off the unassailable debt.
Lawrence Brown, Malcolm’s business partner from 2004 to 2012, said Malcolm “100% believed” it could be done – it wasn’t just a publicity stunt.
“He didn’t like injustice, he didn’t like bureaucracy, he didn’t like things getting in the way,” says Lawrence. “He challenged people – and these were people who weren’t used to being challenged. Who had challenged the Humber Bridge Board before? Who had challenged government before? He said to them, you’ve got £400 million of debt that you’re never going to get back – not ever. He was a force to be reckoned with!”
The scheme never came off, or at least not quite – for the resulting publicity was eventually enough to prompt the Government to reduce the tolls to £1.50, and this has since delivered a huge boost to the economy on both sides of the river.
“Things got done when Mal was involved,” adds Paul Sewell, chairman of Sewell Group. “That twinkle in the eye and his sense of fun would enliven the most boring meeting. He always said what he meant – but in an emotionally attractive way. He hated talking shops – he liked action.”
Malcolm, a Hornsea lad originally, was also an early champion of the city centre economy and city living, and he was one of the first people to chair the Hull City Centre Task Force company, which led to the creation of HullBID in 2006. Ten years later, he won HullBID’s Lifetime Contribution Award.
Receiving the accolade, he said: “We can’t always celebrate success, but we can celebrate effort. The harder you work, the luckier you get and there are some tremendously hard-working people doing great things in the city centre.”
But it was perhaps his support of grassroots arts in Hull that was his greatest legacy, and there are few creatives in the city and wider region who have not been touched in some way by his philanthropy and boundless enthusiasm.
As Lawrence points out, Malcolm had “two very distinct careers” – firstly, his successful career in property, which enabled him to embark on his second career in the arts and culture sector after he retired from Scotts in 2012.
His numerous projects included the creation of Fruit Trade music recording studio in Humber Street with his son Mikey, and the development of 94 Alfred Gelder Street, at the heart of which was Kardomah94.
The nondescript concrete office block was transformed into a much-loved venue that hosted everything from art exhibitions and business gatherings to music and poetry gigs, bringing the often-unheard voices of the city’s cultural scene to the fore. The offices were also a base for community groups, including Freedom Road Creative Arts and the Butterflies Memory Loss Support Group.
People will come together early next year to remember Malcolm at Mallyfest, which will take place on February 18 at the Park Street Performing Arts Centre in Hull. Billed as the “ultimate evening of local entertainment”, it will reunite many of the singers, poets, musicians and more who brought Kardomah94 to life.
Malcolm was a lifelong sports fan – an avid cricketer and Hull City fan, and he was also part of a consortium that bought Hull KR’s stadium, later becoming a director of the club.
He was also one of the original directors of Hull Kingston Radio, now known as 107FM. Pete Mills, who runs the community station, said Mally “turned his life around” when he first met him in 2013.
He added: “The station I was on at the time thought I was insane for playing local music on a primetime show, but I got a phone call from this chap called Mally Scott, who was helping his lad, Mikey, set up a recording studio, and he wanted to bring bands in to play live.
“This went on for good eight or nine months, and was successful, with a vast array of local talent given exposure and airtime for the first time. I had no idea who Mally was in terms of the weight of influence and standing he had in the city as a key player – I just saw a dad helping his lad get on in the world and that was enough for me.”
Pete had long wanted to start a community radio station, and his wife Fiona, now a Radio Humberside presenter, told him to get in touch with Mally.
“The rest, as they say, is history,” says Pete. “Never has one single person had such a profound influence on me. I hope I’ve done him proud.”
Jan Brumby, chief executive of Hull-based For Entrepreneurs Only, said Malcolm mentored numerous entrepreneurs as a member of the group from its very beginnings.
“FEO held its Christmas party at Kardomah94, we filmed episodes of FEO Friday videos and also held some of our NxGen Masterclass events there with Hull College students,” she said. “FEO also sponsored the Kardomah Gongs – awards for those who were doing great things in culture and the arts.
“Malcolm was kind, generous and always enjoyed seeing other people reach their potential in life. He created the opportunity for many to do just that and will be sadly missed by so many.”
When Malcolm became ill in 2018, he stepped back from Kardomah94 and eventually put the building up for sale. “That was going great guns and had great potential ahead of it – who knows where it would’ve gone?” says Lawrence. “But if he did something he would commit to it and give it his full energy, and he quite rightly had to concentrate on his health.”
Just as this magazine was going to press, there was an emotional tribute to Malcolm at the culmination of the Hull Live Business Awards, when his family and former business colleagues accepted the Lifetime Contribution Award on his behalf. And, just a week before that, the newly created Malcolm Scott Award was handed out during Global Entrepreneurship Week, in tribute to his innovation and support for young people.
Paul Sewell said he was surprised that Malcolm was not given higher honours in his lifetime. “I always looked for his name in the New Year or Birthday Honours list – but it was never there,” he says. “Perhaps they were scared of irreverence at the Palace. When I fluked an OBE back in 2011, he was the first to call and congratulate me – but by reverting to Star Wars to gently take the mick. He called me ‘OBE 1 Sewell’ – which he would repeat with a bow at every subsequent meeting.
“He should have been honoured – but I think it would have had to be a Jedi honour for him. Not just a Sir – for he was unique. How about Obi One Off? The like of which we will never see again.”
