Meet Tom

Renthal is a global leader in the manufacturing, design and sales of parts and accessories for motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles and cycles. Trusted by industry-leading motorcycle brands, loved by countless enthusiasts, and an irreplaceable part of 232 world championship successes, Renthal has been making market-leading products for more than 50 years.

We chatted to Managing Director Tom Wade about his passion for motorcycling, his journey from the world of Corporate Finance to the world of racing, and the trust he places in HURST as a respected and forward-thinking sounding board.

My career journey to date has been slightly unconventional. I actually come from a similar world to many people at HURST, having owned a small Corporate Finance boutique in the early 2000s. As a racing enthusiast, I already knew and admired Renthal, so it was probably inevitable that I became emotionally involved when my Corporate Finance boutique supported its sale to a large US organisation.

Motorcycles have been part of my life since the age of six. So after that sale, when the new parent company asked me to remain involved as Finance Director, it just felt like a natural decision to join. Less than two years’ later I was Managing Director, and suddenly 15 years have flown by.

The partnership with HURST began in 2018. I’d known and respected Nigel Barratt from my corporate finance days, so when the opportunity to acquire Renthal from the US owners arose, I knew he’d be a good person to help guide us through a fairly complex management buy-out.

That initial corporate finance support quickly expanded into a broader partnership, and the team at HURST continue to guide us through audit, tax, R&D claims, and we’re embarking on an analytics and data-driven project with their digital team too.

The data project in particular is especially exciting. It’s quite a unique, forward-thinking discipline for an accountancy firm to provide, but it makes total sense. And ultimately I believe they’ll be able to help us to gain a better grip of our own data, and understand our business more deeply, getting our hands on quality information more quickly.

One of the things that always strikes me about HURST is the people. I speak to both Nigel and Mike regularly, and whenever I pick up the phone, I know that I’m reaching out to people I can trust.

Above all - I know I’m dealing with fellow business owners that are extremely passionate about other entrepreneurial businesses. You can sometimes feel quite isolated at the top of a business. But when I chat to Mike or Nigel, I know I’m not just talking to finance experts, I’m getting the advice of fellow business owners and entrepreneurs too. That’s invaluable - to both me and Renthal.

HURST in three words: Passionate. Engaged. Responsive.

To find out more about Renthal's range of industry-leading parts and accessories for motorcycles, and their role in countless World Championship wins, just visit www.renthal.com