Pimlico Plumbers founder Charlie Mullins talks pipes, politics and £1m election bets
I don't know much in life, but I know how to run a plumbing company,” says Charlie Mullins, founder of Pimlico Plumbers, matter-of-factly. Mullins is entitled to his own opinions (and he’s got his fair share) but he’s probably wrong on this one. The self-made multi-millionaire is unerringly humble – he’s not just any managing director. He has, over the years, become a respected business advocate and champion of state-backed apprenticeship schemes. Last year, the company took on 12 apprentices. “If they were fully-funded by the government, I’d take on 100 tomorrow. We need to do something about the skills shortage. And at the end of the day, if we don’t, there won’t be a Pimlico Plumbers to offer the jobs in the first place.”