John Roberts (British businessman)

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.

John Roberts
Born1973/1974 (age 45–46)[1]
NationalityBritish
EducationBolton School
OccupationBusinessman
Net worth £210 million (May 2019)
TitleCEO and founder, AO World
Spouse(s)Sally Roberts
Children5

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
  1. "Executive Profile: John Roberts". Bloomberg LP. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  2. Scheerhout, John (24 March 2014). "Millionaire tells his kids they won't be inheriting £500m fortune". manchestereveningnews.co.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  3. "'Results give you options' - John Roberts, AO World". managementtoday.co.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  4. "Britain's Top 100 Entrepreneurs 2014: No. 7 - John Roberts, AO World". managementtoday.co.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  7. 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.
  8. "Husband and wife donate £1.5 million to charity". The Bolton News. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
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