Nicholas Horsley was born on 21 April 1934 in North Ferriby, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, UK. He was married to Alwyne Law, Sabitha Sarkar and Valerie Edwards. He died on 18 January 2004 in Bridgetown, Barbados, West Indies.
Oversaw the growth of his father's firm, Northern Foods, from a small dairy company into the largest manufacturer of high-quality chilled foods in Britain.