Peter Jones (entrepreneur)
Peter Jones | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 18, 1966 Langley, Buckinghamshire, England |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, investor, entrepreneur, television personality |
| Known for | Dragons' Den, Shark Tank |
Peter David Jones (born 18 March 1966) is a prominent English businessman, investor, entrepreneur, and television personality whose ventures cover sectors such as mobile telecommunications, media, leisure, retail, publishing, and real estate. He remains the sole original investor featured on the BBC One programme Dragons' Den and has also appeared on comparable shows including the American series Shark Tank.
Early life
Born in Langley, Buckinghamshire (currently part of Berkshire), Jones relocated to Maidenhead when he was seven years old. His education was completed at Desborough School followed by The Windsor Boys' School.
Business career
At the age of 16, Jones initiated a personal computer enterprise but incurred losses amounting to £200,000 after an unsuccessful attempt to sell the company to IBM. Subsequently, he joined Siemens Nixdorf and rose to become the head of its UK computer division.
During his mid-twenties, he launched a cocktail bar located in Windsor. After Siemens was acquired by another company, Jones went on to establish Phones International Group in 1998.
From 1998 until 2007, he developed several businesses including 10telecom (which Vodafone later purchased), Data Select (acquired by Westcoast Group), Wines4Business.com (a corporate wine supplier), and Celsius Resourcing (specialising in biotech recruitment). In 2005, together with fellow Dragons' Den investor Theo Paphitis, he took over Red Letter Days following its financial collapse under previous management.
In 2005, Jones created The Peter Jones Foundation aimed at fostering enterprise education and entrepreneurship. This led to the launch of the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy (PJEA) in 2009 with multiple campuses across the UK, offering BTEC courses that emphasize entrepreneurial competencies.
His portfolio of investments made through Dragons' Den includes Wonderland magazine, Square Mile International (later sold to BT), The Generating Company, Synthetic Genomics, iTeddy, and Reggae Reggae Sauce. He founded Hungry Bear Media—departing in 2021—and owns Peter Jones TV. His real estate holdings encompass commercial office spaces and residential properties in locations such as Portugal, California, Barbados, and Switzerland.
In 2011, Jones sold Wireless Logic—a division of Phones International Group—for £38 million while maintaining ownership of Data Select. Two years later, in 2013, he became the principal investor and proprietor of Jessops photographic retailer. His investment firm also controls Partner Retail Services, which manages Samsung Experience stores and provides retail solutions for Jessops and other clients.
In 2017, both Jones and Theo Paphitis were victims of an accountant who forged cheques totaling £33,000 over a two-month period.
Dragons' Den
Peter Jones continues to be the only original investor featured on the BBC's Dragons' Den, which first aired in January 2005 and has been renewed with new seasons every year since. He was known for his frequent disagreements with former Dragon Duncan Bannatyne, who participated from 2005 until 2014.
American Inventor
Jones developed the concept for The Inventor, which he sold to the American Broadcasting Company. This led to the creation of American Inventor, a series co-produced by Fremantle, Simon Cowell, and Peter Jones Television. The show ran for two seasons in 2006 and 2007.
Tycoon
Following a "golden handcuffs" agreement with ITV positioning him as their primary business presenter, Jones appeared on GMTV in September 2006 to promote both Dragons' Den and his ITV venture, Tycoon. This programme, inspired by American Inventor and produced by Peter Jones Television, aired five episodes during mid-2007. The series also served as the foundation for the nationwide youth entrepreneurship competition Tycoon in Schools, initiated in 2012 and now operating under the name Tycoon Enterprise Competition, supported by the Peter Jones Foundation.
Shark Tank
Since 2020, Jones has made regular appearances as a Shark on the American reality show Shark Tank.
Additional television appearances
In 2010, Jones joined his Dragons' Den colleagues Duncan Bannatyne and Deborah Meaden in the sixth season of Hustle. That same year, he featured on ITV2's Celebrity Juice and James Corden's World Cup Live. He also took part as a guest panelist on BBC's Never Mind the Buzzcocks later in 2010 and appeared on the show The Magicians in 2011. Jones has participated twice in the "Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car" segment on Top Gear, once individually and once alongside fellow judge Theo Paphitis.
In 2008, Jones succeeded Gordon Ramsay as the face of BT Business. Additionally, he serves as Ambition Ambassador for Sage Group, a business software company, appearing in their marketing campaigns and utilizing their products.
Honours
Commander of the Order of the British Empire (2009)
In recognition of his contributions to business, entrepreneurship, and youth development, Jones was honoured with a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) title in the 2009 New Year Honours.
Personal life
Jones is divorced from his first wife Caroline; together they have two children. He currently resides in Buckinghamshire with his partner Tara, with whom he has three children.
An enthusiast of classic and luxury sports cars, Jones is also a supporter of Chelsea FC.