The child engineering genius who grew up - and cleaned up: Meet the brilliant inventor behind Gtech

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From dusty English garage to hi-tech hub, inventor and CEO of Gtech, Nick Grey, 57, has created innovative domestic products with a global fanbase. 

Raised in a small British city Grey has chosen to stay true to his roots, basing his now-international company in his home town of Worcester and working to ensure his brilliant and unique ideas are produced by a band of local, and happy, employees.

He is a quintessential self-made success story.

Lean and athletic, with bright blue eyes and bouncy, Tigger-like energy, Grey is a man constantly in motion. This is highly appropriate given that his genius mind has designed precision-engineered products that work around the house and garden; efficient, precise and quietly brilliant.

As a small boy, Grey was constantly fixing and improving, taking on more complex jobs than a child would usually.

'We had a lawnmower that had been in the shed for as long as I can remember. It had never run,' he says. 

'And, aged nine, I announced that I was determined to get it working. Once it did, I didn't let anyone mow the lawn after that.'

That childhood curiosity evolved into a career of endless innovation that has won him international acclaim.

Grey has been hands-on ever since, always testing out his designs around his own home and garden and even buying a bigger property to have more space to work in.

In 2002, he famously created the first ever cordless sweeper, the SW01, in his garage, when Gtech was just a (firm) twinkle in his eye.

'I had it in my mind that I was going to make floor care cordless,' he says. 

The industry loved it, buyers clamored for it, and that vacuum has now sold more than 20 million globally.

This set the blueprint for further designs. Grey worked on stripping away the fuss and the cables from not just vacuum cleaners, but lawnmowers, strimmers and power tools as well, creating an entire range of cordless products as well as e-bikes. This year came a new development: the cutting-edge DryOnic hairdryer.

At Gtech HQ, a bright and airy hub, it is obvious that product development is happening all around us. Rooms are devoted to making and testing, filled with bits of electronics, humming 3D printing machines and a team of clever product creators.

These days, Grey and his Gtech product creators come up with a concept and describe it, and his team make their ideas a reality. 

'Andy, who first joined me during the garage years, has worked with me for nearly 40 years, and he heads up that team. He'll build me anything,' says Grey. 'We just build things and enjoy it,' he adds.

His ideas come from a desire to make life better. In 2010, Grey noticed that his mother was struggling to carry a heavy vacuum cleaner up the stairs, and wondered how he could help.

The answer, Grey realized, was a super-light cordless alternative. Lo and behold, the AirRam, one of Gtech's greatest hits, launched in 2012. It represented a floor cleaning revolution.

Alongside the gadgets, there's genuine warmth. Employees describe Gtech as a community as well as a company, and loyal customers will testify that even a missing screw will get the boss's attention. Gtech provides replacement parts and boasts an excellent customer service team.

'Even one unhappy customer upsets me,' says Grey. 'Sometimes I get emails from customers who say they've had a product for 10 or 20 years and a screw has come off, so I'll go down to the workshop and rummage for one.' 

He talks at length about the importance of his team, and, unusually for a CEO, he is concerned that they enjoy work. 'I am very proud of what the company has achieved and I appreciate everyone's efforts,' he says generously.

And as Grey potters around his office making coffee for everyone, he says that he has always liked mixing. 'I'm as happy chatting to the guy unloading the parts on a pallet truck as I am to a CFO.'

In 2015, Gtech was awarded a Queen's Award for Enterprise, one of the highest accolades for business achievement. 'We were very honored,' says Grey. 'The team's dedication in designing high-performance, cordless vacuums and providing outstanding customer service made me very proud.' 

Despite offers to sell, Grey has kept Gtech entirely self-funded — a testament to his independence and belief in doing things differently.

His love of teamwork and data-driven innovation led to him sponsoring English soccer team Brentwood FC in 2022, and the premier league team is now based at the Gtech Community Stadium. 'The man who owns the club is a bit of a genius with data, and the Brentford machine is a force to be reckoned with. They change the approach to football,' explains Grey.

Nick Grey may have started by fixing forgotten gadgets and putting together prototypes in his garage, but today, he's built something quite extraordinary; a lasting legacy of ingenuity, teamwork, and British creativity at its best.

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