William Wellesley

Biographical Information
"William Wellesley is the Group Chief Operating Officer for GEMS Education. With 23 years of financial experience, he is an established businessman with strong strategic, operational and financial management skills. He has particular experience in managing businesses though periods of substantial growth across a range of different sectors.

"He was educated at Oxford University and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Touche Ross & co. After a period in investment banking, he joined St. James's Place Capital PLC, the financial services company, in 1994 and at the beginning of 1996 became a director and COO until a reconstruction process was completed at the end of 1997. In 1998, he became Deputy CEO of Barbican Healthcare until its sale to BUPA.

"During this period he also served as a Director of Teddies Nurseries Ltd, an education business he grew from 2 to 20 nurseries before the business was sold in 2000. In 2001 he became COO and then Joint Managing Director of Molton Brown Cosmetics until 2006, with the sale of the company to Kao Corporation in 2005. During this period profitability of the business tripled. Since 2006 he has carried out consultancy work with a range of companies in the financial services, healthcare, leisure and distribution sectors."