James Palumbo
James Palumbo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | June 6, 1963 |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | 1969 – 1976 Scaitcliffe School, Surrey
1976 – 1980 Eton College 1981 – 1984 Worcester College, Oxford |
| Occupation(s) | Founded Ministry of Sound in 1991
1984 – 1986 Merrill Lynch, London 1986 – 1990 Morgan Grenfell, London 1990 – 1991 Hambro Magan, London |
James 'Jamie' Palumbo, born in 1963, is a British businessman. He is best known as being the founder of the nightclub and brand, Ministry of Sound. Since its conception in 1991, the company has grown from a nightclub in London’s Elephant and Castle to a global multi-media business. Ministry of Sound is also the largest independent record company in the world.
Early life
Palumbo is the eldest son of Lord Palumbo, a British entrepreneur and arts expert, and first wife Denia Maud Elizabeth Palumbo (née Wigram). Between the age of six and twelve, Palumbo attended Scaitcliffe School in Surrey and entered Eton College in 1976.
Professional career
After leaving Eton in 1980, Palumbo spent a gap year in California where he established his first business with a school friend - The Etonian Butler Service - providing domestic services to Hollywood celebrities. The business expanded and they were joined throughout the year by a group of school friends.
Between 1981 and 1984 Palumbo studied History at Worcester College, Oxford, whilst working on a number of business interests. After graduating he spent two years at Merrill Lynch and four years at Morgan Grenfell. His principal client at the time was Kwek Leng Beng, Chairman of the Singapore based Hong Leong Group. Palumbo subsequently became director of Kwek’s European hotels business. In 1990 Palumbo was invited to become Managing Director of Morgan Grenfell Laurie; he chose instead to follow his mentor, George Magan, to work at Hambro Magan.
Just over a year later Palumbo went on to found Ministry of Sound with his school friend Humphrey Waterhouse and DJ Justin Berkmann. Ministry of Sound was modelled on the New York City club Paradise Garage. In 2001 Palumbo sold 16% of the business to 3i for £24million. He remains the majority shareholder.
In addition to its portfolio of clubs, Ministry of Sound is the largest independent record company in the world, has a radio station, IPTV, hosts live events and produces a range of clothing and merchandise. In more recent years, Ministry of Sound has expanded and diversified its business by purchasing other music brands including Hed Kandi, Global Underground and Euphoria and moving into audio/visual equipment production and beauty products.
Writing
Palumbo's first novel, a satire about greed and corruption in the modern world, was published in the summer of 2009.
Personal life
Palumbo has never married; he has one son, Alessandro, who was born in 1991 to Atoosa Hariri. He lives in London with his best friend Miss Rawipim Paijit, from Thailand. He also has a passion for classical music.