Quick Facts
Biography
Sir Garet ‘Tiger’ Orlanda Finlayson OBE (born 4 August 1937 in Long Bay Cay, Andros) is a Bahamian business magnate.
The son of a tailor, Finlayson, is the most successful black businessman in the Bahamas. Finlayson owns more than half the businesses on Bay Street, the Bahamas’ leading shopping street. Previously, Bay Street was wholly owned by white business merchants known as the Bay Street Boys.
Finlayson owns leading Bahamian businesses Solomon Mines (luxury retail goods), Burns House and Butler & Sands (liquor stores). Over the years, Finlayson’s business concerns have included car dealerships, hotels, and furniture, office products and restaurant businesses.
Finlayson’s recent acquisition of Solomon Mines, however, has been reportedly less than successful with the closing of four of 11 Bay Street shops, coinciding with a downturn in the street's fortunes.
A philanthropist, Finlayson has donated millions of dollars in scholarships, to allow young people to attend university, something Finlayson himself never did.
In 1999, Finlayson was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to the economic growth and development of the Bahamas.
Finlayson is married to wife Rowena Frances Finlayson [née Rolle], with whom he has four children: Tanya Finlayson-Tynes, Rae Finlayson, Nikki Finlayson-Boeuf, and Mark Finlayson.