John Roberts (British businessman)
John Roberts | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1973 or 1974 (age 50–51)[1] |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Bolton School |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Title | CEO and founder, AO World |
| Spouse | Sally Roberts |
| Children | 5 |
John Roberts (born 1973/1974) is a British businessman. He is the founder and CEO of AO World, an online retailer specialising in electrical goods.
Early life
Roberts grew up in Bolton.[2] He went to Bolton School, and earned eight GCSEs, but failed his A levels in maths, geography and economics.[3][4]
Career
Roberts started his career as a kitchen salesman.[2]
In 1999 or 2000, he founded Appliances Online, after a friend bet him £1 to set up a business.[4][1]
In May 2019, the Sunday Times Rich List put Roberts' wealth at £210 million.[5]
In February 2017, he stood down as CEO of AO World, and was succeeded by Steve Caunce.[1] Two years later, in January 2019, AO World announced that Caunce was stepping down as CEO, and Roberts was reassuming the role.[6][7]
Personal life
He is married to Sally Roberts, they have five children, and live in Bolton..[4][2][8] He will not allow his children to work for the company, nor will they inherit, and is "considering putting his wealth into a charitable trust".[2]
References
- ^ a b c "Executive Profile: John Roberts". Bloomberg LP. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
- ^ a b c d Scheerhout, John (24 March 2014). "Millionaire tells his kids they won't be inheriting £500m fortune". manchestereveningnews.co.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
- ^ "'Results give you options' - John Roberts, AO World". managementtoday.co.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
- ^ a b c "Britain's Top 100 Entrepreneurs 2014: No. 7 - John Roberts, AO World". managementtoday.co.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
- ^ Times, The Sunday (2019-05-12). "Rich List 2019: profiles 553-599=, featuring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2019-07-04.
- ^ Editor, Deirdre Hipwell, Retail (1 February 2019). "AO World founder John Roberts spins back into top job". Retrieved 1 February 2019 – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Jahshan, Elias (31 January 2019). "AO World founder John Roberts to return as CEO as Steve Caunce steps down". retailgazette.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
- ^ "Husband and wife donate £1.5 million to charity". The Bolton News. Retrieved 3 August 2018.