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.

For other people named John Roberts, see John Roberts (disambiguation).
John Roberts
Born1973/1974 (age 46–47)[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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