John Burns (businessman)

John David Burns (born May 1944) is a British chartered surveyor and property developer, founder and CEO of the FTSE 250-listed Derwent London.

John Burns
Born
John David Burns

May 1944 (age 76)
UK
NationalityBritish
OccupationCEO of Derwent London, property developer, surveyor
Spouse(s)Married
Children2
RelativesRichard Livingstone (former son-in-law)

Early life

John David Burns was born in May 1944.[1] According to Burns, he entered estate agency on the advice of his mother, "My mother said it was a very gentlemanly business, which it was at the time and still is today, to a degree."[2] He trained as a chartered surveyor.[3]

Career

In 1961, Burns joined Hillier Parker as a property negotiator. In 1965, he became a partner in the estate agency Barnet Baker. In 1974, he became a senior partner in the estate agency Pilcher Hershman.[2] [4]

In 1984, Burns was looking for a shell company to manage his property interests and chose the Derwent Valley Light Railway Company, which was then the owner of a few disused railway stations and valued at £1.5m. This became Derwent London, with Burns as its CEO.[2]

Personal life

Burns is married with two grown-up children. [2] In 1997, his daughter Claire married the billionaire property developer Richard Livingstone. They later divorced.[5]

References
  1. "Derwent London plc". Companies House. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  2. Ashton, James (2 November 2012). "Old school charmer Derwent's John Burns has plans for a new-wave building boom". Evening Standard. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  3. "John Burns". Derwent London. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  5. Prynn and Bar-Hillel, Jonathan and Mira (29 March 2012). "London brothers behind a £4 billion secret empire". Evening Standard. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
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