Steven T. Jackson OBE, Founder of Garage.co.uk

Steven Terence Jackson OBE

Entrepreneur, Software Developer, Social Business Founder and Founder of New Reg Limited

Entrepreneur, software developer and social business founder. 47 years in the UK metals industry since 1979, 37 years in the UK automotive industry since 1989 and 31 years in the UK internet sector since 1995. Founder of New Reg Limited, Garage.co.uk and Car.co.uk. Overall United Kingdom winner of EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2019 and winner of its Societal Impact category. OBE 2013.

Credentials

  • Director, then Chief Executive Officer, Preston North End Football Club PLC; with a consortium of co-investors took controlling ownership to restructure the listed club following the collapse of Football League broadcast revenue (2002 to 2006)
  • Four Queen's Awards for Enterprise, won by Recycling Lives, the business he founded and exited in 2020 verify
  • Honorary Fellow, University of Central Lancashire (6 December 2011) verify
  • Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE), for services to employment and the community in Lancashire (2013) verify
  • EY Entrepreneur of the Year, overall United Kingdom winner and winner of its Societal Impact category (2019) verify
  • Represented the United Kingdom at the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year final (2020) verify
  • Deputy Lieutenant of Lancashire, past service: appointed 4 November 2016 and resigned on becoming resident abroad
  • Sunday Times 100, Car.co.uk ranked 74 (2025)
  • King's Award for Enterprise (Innovation category), awarded to Car.co.uk operated by New Reg Limited (2026) verify
  • Led the Recycling Lives charity rebrand to Onward Lives, on behalf of the Chairman and Board of Trustees (2026) verify

Biography

Steven Terence Jackson OBE was born in Preston, Lancashire in 1966. He began his working life in his father’s scrap yard in Preston in 1979, aged 13, the start of 47 years connected to the UK metals industry. In 1989 he began trading personalised registrations as a sole trader from home in Preston, under the name NU REG, renaming the business New Reg in 1991, the start of 37 years in the UK automotive industry.

In 1995 he founded UK Internet Provider Limited, trading as Provider.co.uk, one of the United Kingdom's early commercial internet service providers. It was a business of its era and no longer trades today. In 1996 he founded Domains.co.uk, and New Reg Limited was incorporated on 5 January 1996 (Companies House 03143909). The first New Reg website went live that year, one of the earliest in the country to sell personalised registrations online, and the site was featured on BBC Top Gear in the mid 1990s. New Reg was the only registration dealer selling online when Auto Trader first went online, and a commercial agreement made it the only registration number dealer on Auto Trader for about three years. New Reg remains the parent of today's New Reg group of motoring brands, including NewReg.co.uk, Car.co.uk, Trader.co.uk and Garage.co.uk, and Steven is its founder, majority shareholder and Person of Significant Control.

In 1999 he founded Preston Recycling Limited, the commercial business that later evolved into Recycling Lives. In 2006 he established the Recycling Lives charity, conceiving a distinctive model in which a social business, a commercial recycling operation with social impact at its heart, operates alongside an independent charity with matching aims and funds the charity's work directly. He also set up several social enterprises as wholly owned subsidiaries of the charity, trading not for profit purely to support its objectives. Over the following years Recycling Lives grew into one of the United Kingdom's most recognised social businesses, combining commercial recycling, offender rehabilitation, homelessness support, food redistribution and employment programmes. The business received four Queen's Awards for Enterprise. He exited Recycling Lives fully in 2020. It entered administration in 2024 under the management appointed after he left, and the metals business was sold to Global Ardour Recycling Limited.

Between 2002 and 2006 he served on the board of Preston North End Football Club PLC, and was its Chief Executive Officer during that period. With a consortium of co-investors he acquired controlling ownership of the listed club and helped restructure it following the collapse of Football League broadcast revenue.

He was appointed Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours, announced on 29 December 2012, for services to employment and the community in Lancashire. He was made an Honorary Fellow of the University of Central Lancashire on 6 December 2011, an honorary fellowship rather than a degree. He served as a Deputy Lieutenant of Lancashire from 4 November 2016 and resigned the appointment on becoming resident abroad, and he has been resident in Monaco since 2017. In 2019 he was the overall United Kingdom winner of EY Entrepreneur of the Year and winner of its Societal Impact category, and in 2020 he represented the United Kingdom at the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year final. In 2025 Car.co.uk was ranked 74 in the Sunday Times 100. In 2026 Car.co.uk, operated by New Reg Limited, received the King's Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category.

In 2026, following the separation of the charity from the original Recycling Lives commercial brand, the Chairman and Board of Trustees asked Steven to assist with the charity rebrand. He personally led the rebrand on behalf of the Chairman and Board, and on 5 June 2026 the Recycling Lives charity became Onward Lives. Onward Lives continues the charity's work in rehabilitation, homelessness support, employment and community programmes.

Steven is the founder of Garage.co.uk and has been the lead developer of its codebase since 2025. He works with a senior team at New Reg Limited including William Fletcher MBE (Chief Executive Officer), Anthony Sharkey (Chief Operating Officer), Tim Elleray (Strategic Advisor), Liam Derbyshire (Search Engine Optimisation, Marketing and Web Developer, Group), Jonathan Taylor (Software Engineer, NewReg.co.uk) and Rebecca Wilson (Administration Director). The achievements described on this page belong to the businesses and the many colleagues involved over the years, not to Steven alone.

Areas of expertise

  • Automotive technology
  • Personalised registration marks
  • Vehicle valuation and data
  • Digital marketplaces
  • Software development
  • Artificial intelligence applications
  • Recycling and circular economy systems
  • Social enterprise
  • Employment and rehabilitation programmes
  • Charity strategy and rebranding
  • Business restructuring

Businesses and organisations

Verified profiles and records

The senior team

Steven leads engineering on Garage.co.uk personally, and works with a senior team at New Reg Limited: William Fletcher MBE (Chief Executive Officer), Anthony Sharkey (Chief Operating Officer), Tim Elleray (Strategic Advisor), Liam Derbyshire (Search Engine Optimisation, Marketing, and Web Developer (Group)), Jonathan Taylor (Software Engineer, NewReg.co.uk), and Rebecca Wilson (Administration Director). The achievements listed on this page belong to the businesses, not to Steven alone, and reflect the work of long-standing colleagues over decades.

Meet the full leadership team

Media enquiries

Steven is available for press comment on UK automotive industry topics including MOT regulations, the cost of car maintenance, finding trustworthy garages, the UK motor trade, and the UK metals and recycling industries.

Contact the team at Garage.co.uk