Ambition's End Characters

Sir Charles Houghton - the "wicked industrialist"

A tough Northerner who inherited his father's business. He is a born bully much disliked by those who work for him and feared by his competitors. Brought into the business by his father he bombastically throws his weight around and ensures that every employee knows that he is the son of the boss.

As a child his hardnosed father made him work in the business during his holidays to learn every aspect of the business from the bottom up, but he learnt well and shows an early ability to brutally attack competitors and so callously grows DGH by undercutting and squeezing out his rivals.

One of those companies he squeezed out was the business of which Mark's father was the joint owner and the night that Mark's father comes home to tell his wife and the young Mark that his business had collapsed was the defining moment when Mark determined one day to get even with Sir Charles.

Unaware though of what he had started through that action of destroying Mark's father's company, Houghton continued to expand his business at the expense of others.

But as Mark gets into a position to exert his revenge, Sir Charles finds that his business comes under constant pressure from a competitor which for once he cannot destroy. He discovers that he is out thought, out maneuvered, out marketed by a competitor who is even more ruthless than he is - Mark. What he doesn't understand though is how Mark is so effective at steadily forcing his company into reverse, or why.

As Sir Charles's company starts to lose market share everywhere inevitably his financial results deteriorate. His products are de listed by the big supermarket chains and wholesalers in favour of products from Mark's company and DGH starts an inexorable downward slide which spirals further and faster towards total collapse.

Eventually DGH gets into real financial trouble such that the banks refuse to extend any more loans and indeed demand repayment of some of the existing debts. Sir Charles's Board of Directors and his lawyers advise that he has to sell up or go completely bankrupt.

An unpalatable dilemma for him to ponder and make a decision. Should he sell out to Mark's company or collapse? That is the stark choice he faces at the end of the book.

Ambition's End Characters: Mark Watson, Sir Charles Houghton, Abi Watson and Sam.