Paul Walsh (businessman) - Early Life

Early Life

Walsh was born in Middleton, and raised in the former mill town of Chadderton, Lancashire, in the North West of England. The only child of Arthur and Anne Walsh, his father was a pipe fitter who later ran a small thermal engineering company, and his mother was a housewife. Walsh claims to have inherited his work ethic from his father, his organisational skills from his mother, and his confidence from both parents, who he has described as "strict" but "loving". His great grandfather emigrated from Ireland, hence he bears the common Irish surname of Walsh.

Walsh was educated at his local comprehensive, the Royton and Crompton School, followed by Oldham College. He initially aspired to become a fighter pilot after becoming influenced by his "hero", a mathematics teacher who had been in the Royal Air Force during World War II. Walsh gained his pilot license, but failed the medical examination to fly fighter jets due to colour blindness.

Instead, Walsh took a sandwich degree in accounting and economics at Manchester Polytechnic in 1973, with a work placement at the Co-operative Group's soft drinks operation. He did not enjoy accounting, but reasoned that the skill would provide a good gateway into business. He moved to London to work for International Computers Limited, and later the American Eaton Corporation, a manufacturer of industrial equipment, which he says introduced him to the US "can do attitude".