Sir Charles Hayward was born in 1893 in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire. In 1911 he started his own business making wooden patterns for the developing engineering trade. His early involvement in the motor industry proved to be a springboard for his later success culminating in the formation of Firth Cleveland Ltd. He was Chairman from its inception in 1953 until 1973 when he retired.
Sir Charles used his personal fortune to establish and endow two charitable trusts, the Hayward Foundation and the Charles Hayward Trust. The two charities were combined on 1st January 2000, to become the Charles Hayward Foundation.