Sebastian James | |
|---|---|
 James in 2018 | |
| Born | Sebastian Richard Edward Cuthbert James 11 March 1966 Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, England |
| Other names | Seb James |
| Education | Eton College |
| Alma mater | Magdalen College, Oxford INSEAD |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Title | CEO, Boots UK |
| Spouse | Anna Gregory |
| Children | 4 |
| Parent | Lord Northbourne |
Sebastian Richard Edward Cuthbert James (born 11 March 1966) is a British businessman, who was formerly CEO of Dixons Carphone, [1] and is the current CEO of Boots UK.
The son of Christopher James, 5th Baron Northbourne, he was educated at Eton College and Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was a member of the Bullingdon Club with former Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron, and Boris Johnson. [2] He is a family friend of David Cameron and Helena Bonham-Carter. [3] The two were on holiday together in Italy in August 2011 when Cameron had to return to deal with the London riots. James was given a job in government on 5 July 2010, by Education Secretary Michael Gove, reviewing state school spending. [4] [5] He earned an MBA from INSEAD in 1991. [6]
James started his career at Bain & Co, including being project leader with focus on retail and investment banking systems and transaction management. He was the chief executive of Synergy Insurance Services Limited, and strategy director responsible for developing and implementing the turnaround strategy at Mothercare.
He joined Dixons Retail in 2008 as development director managing its Currys transformation programme, becoming group CEO in 2012. [7]
James was appointed CEO of Dixons Carphone in August 2014 following the merger of Dixons Retail with Carphone Warehouse. [8] He was recognised as the mobile industry person of the year for his achievements with the merger. [9]
In January 2018, James resigned as CEO of Dixons Carphone, to run Boots UK, "in a surprise move days before it updates the City on its Christmas trading performance", and was succeeded by Alex Baldock, who had been CEO of the online retailer Shop Direct since 2012. [10] [11] [ dead link ]
James is a non-executive director of Direct Line Insurance Group plc, [12] and a trustee of English Heritage. [13] He was previously Chair of the Remuneration Committee and a trustee for Save the Children. He has also served as a trustee for Modern Art Oxford and Techknowledge for Schools. [14]
Since September 2018, James has been a senior vice president of Walgreens Boots Alliance, and president and managing director of Boots. [11]
James married Anna Gregory in August 1998, and they have four children.[ citation needed ]
Luxottica Group S.p.A. is an Italian eyewear conglomerate based in Milan. As a vertically integrated company, Luxottica designs, manufactures, distributes, and retails its eyewear brands all through its own subsidiaries. The company, presently organized as a subsidiary of EssilorLuxottica which formed when the Italian conglomerate merged with the French optical firm Essilor, is the world's largest company in its industry, both prior to and after its merger with Essilor.
Dixons Retail plc was one of the largest consumer electronics retailers in Europe, which merged with Carphone Warehouse in 2014 to create Dixons Carphone. In the United Kingdom, the company operated Currys, Currys Digital, PC World, Dixons Travel and its service brand Knowhow.
Carphone Warehouse is a mobile phone retailer based in London, United Kingdom. In August 2014 the company became a subsidiary of Currys plc, which was formed by the merger of its former parent Carphone Warehouse Group with Dixons Retail. Prior to this merger, Carphone Warehouse Group was listed on the London Stock Exchange, and was a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. Following the closure of all stand-alone UK stores in April 2020, all remaining Carphone Warehouse UK outlets were within branches of Currys PC World. In April 2021, the Carphone Warehouse business in Ireland was closed with immediate effect. Currys continued to use the Carphone Warehouse brand in the United Kingdom, online and, until 2021, inside Currys stores.
PC World was a British retail chain of mass market computer megastores. Established in November 1991, it became part of Dixons Retail in February 1993, and then part of Dixons Carphone, after the merger of Dixons Retail and Carphone Warehouse in August 2014.
Currys is a British electrical retailer and aftercare service provider operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland, specialising in white goods, consumer electronics, computers and mobile phones.
The Bullingdon Club is a private all-male dining club for Oxford University students. It is known for its wealthy members, grand banquets, and bad behaviour, including vandalism of restaurants and students' rooms. The club selects its members not only on the grounds of wealth and willingness to participate but also by reference to their education.
Peter Amory Weinberg is an American businessman. He spent almost twenty years of his career at Goldman Sachs before co-founding Perella Weinberg Partners with merger specialist, Joseph Perella in 2006. The firm provides M&A advisory and alternative asset management services. Weinberg is its chief executive officer and founding partner.
Sir Charles William Dunstone is the British co-founder and former chairman of mobile phone retailer Carphone Warehouse, former chairman of multinational electrical and telecommunications retailer and services company Dixons Carphone, and executive chairman of the TalkTalk Group.
Andy Hornby is an English businessman, currently chief executive of The Restaurant Group, a British chain of restaurants and public houses.
David Peter John Ross is an English millionaire businessman, and one of the co-founders of Carphone Warehouse. At the peak of his business interests in 2008, Ross was one of the 100 richest people in the United Kingdom. In 2008, Forbes ranked him #843 in the world's richest billionaires; his net worth was estimated at US$1.4 billion. In April 2015, The Sunday Times estimated his net worth at £1.0 billion. In the 2020 edition of the Sunday Times Rich List, his net worth was estimated at £642 million, a £26 million decrease from the previous year.
Gregory David Wasson is an American businessman. He is the co-founder and president of Wasson Enterprise, a family-based investment office, the executive chairman of Innventure, co-founder of CoolerScreens, and the former president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA).
Ornella Barra is an Italian-born Monegasque businesswoman. A qualified pharmacist, she is chief operating officer, international of Walgreens Boots Alliance. She is married to the Italian billionaire Stefano Pessina.
National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) was a bank operating in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) until it merged with the First Gulf Bank in December 2016 to form First Abu Dhabi Bank. NBAD was the largest lender bank in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and in the United Arab Emirates. NBAD had the largest market capitalization among UAE banks.
De Nunzio has extensive experience in the European retail and consumer goods sectors as a finance professional, CEO and chairman.
James Joseph Schiro was an American businessman who became CEO of PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Zurich Financial Services and was a director of number of multinational companies including of PepsiCo, Philips and Goldman Sachs.
Currys plc is a British multinational electrical and telecommunications retailer and services company headquartered in London, which was formed in 2014 by the merger of Dixons Retail and Carphone Warehouse Group. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
Alan D. Schnitzer is an American executive who is the chairman and chief executive officer at The Travelers Companies, Inc., a provider of property casualty insurance for auto, home and business.
John Murray Allan is a British businessman. He previously served as president and vice president of the Confederation of British Industry, and is a former chair of the supermarket chain Tesco and current chair of the housebuilder Barratt Developments.
Alexander David Baldock is a British businessman, former banker, and the chief executive (CEO) of Currys plc.
Andrew Harrison is a British businessman, and former chairman of Carphone Warehouse.
