Gail Jones (entrepreneur)

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Business person Gail Jones stands in front of a coral background
Gail Jones, UKFast CEO and founder.

Gail Suzanne Jones (born November 1977)[1] is a British businesswoman, entrepreneur and wife of convicted rapist Lawrence Jones..[2] She is co-founder and former CEO of the Manchester-based colocation, dedicated and cloud hosting provider, UKFast.

Biography[edit]

As a child, Jones attended Altrincham School for Girls. In 1999, she formed UKFast with her partner Lawrence Jones.[3] The hosting and colocation business operates a data centre complex in Trafford Park, Manchester, and has more 300 employees. In 2018, the firm's turnover was £53.9 million and the company was valued at £405million.[4] In 2017 she became the Managing Director,[5] and in 2019, she took over the CEO role.[6] The same year, Jones and husband Lawrence sold a 30% stake in the business to private equity firm Inflexion.[7] She exited the business in 2020.[8]

She has overseen investments in various businesses, including in public sector tech company S-IA in 2017.[9] Jones and her husband acquired Le Farinet Hotel in Swiss ski resort Verbier in September 2014. Jones is also a director for cybersecurity firm Secarma,[10] magazine and events creator BusinessCloud and UKFast Properties.

In 2017, Jones joined the board of not-for-profit organisation Tech Manchester.[11] Jones also sits on the board of Manchester Foundation Trust Charity, which includes Royal Manchester Children's Hospital Charity.[12] Jones launched the UKFast Community and Education Awards in 2018,[13] and signed the Tech Talent Charter[14] and the Manchester Pride 'All Equals Charter'[15] on behalf of UKFast to drive diversity and inclusion in the technology industry.

Jones is a keen advocate of women in business and technology and often speaks at industry events[16] and works with local schools to redress the gender imbalance in the technology industry.[17][18][19] She maintains a relationship with Altrincham School for Girls, speaking at workshops and welcoming students to UKFast. Jones also invited pupils from the school to meet HRH Princess Royal while the Princess Royal visited UKFast.[20] She drove UKFast's CSR efforts[21] and she and husband Lawrence donated £5 million to a dedicated trust following the Inflexion deal in 2018.[22]

Jones created an ethos at UKFast that is centred on family - boosting the maternity package[23] and reducing working hours to help create a stronger work-life balance for employees.[24] She is active in the business community, working with awards organisations to recognise and reward others' success. In 2019, Jones was a judge for the National Business Awards[25] and the Northern Power Women Awards.

Honours and awards[edit]

In 2018, Jones was awarded the ICCC Caring Citizen of the Humanities Award.[26]

She was named in the Northern Power Women List in 2016 and 2019.[27] She was also listed in the 2018 and 2019 Most Influential Women in Tech List collated by Computer Weekly.[28][29]

Political activity[edit]

Jones donated £100,000 to the Conservative Party in September 2019.[30]

Personal life[edit]

Gail and Lawrence Jones have four daughters. They live in Cheshire, England.


References[edit]

  1. ^ "Gail Suzanne JONES - Personal Appointments". Companies House. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  2. ^ "Ex-UKFast boss Lawrence Jones guilty of drugging and raping women". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  3. ^ "Gail Jones - Profile - Bloomberg". Bloomberg News.
  4. ^ "UKFast valued at £405m following record year | Business Leader News". Business Leader. 2 January 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  5. ^ Begum, Shelina (8 August 2017). "Gail Jones, who founded UKFast with husband Lawrence, is named managing director". men. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  6. ^ Harding, LaToya (30 October 2019). "Lawrence Jones quits as UKFast chief amid investigation". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  7. ^ Bounds, Andy (21 December 2018). "Internet hosting company UK Fast valued at £405m after stake sale". Financial Times. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  8. ^ "Prolific North - News from the North West".
  9. ^ "UKFast CEO buys another security firm | CRN". www.channelweb.co.uk. 5 February 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  10. ^ "Secarma appoints ex-military cybersecurity expert Holly Williams as Technical Director". PCR. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  11. ^ "Tech Manchester initiative launches". BusinessCloud.co.uk. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  12. ^ "Our Board – Manchester Foundation Trust Charity". Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  13. ^ "UKFast's Annual Community and Education Awards 2019 | Manchester Community Central". www.manchestercommunitycentral.org. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  14. ^ signatories (6 July 2018). "How do we get more women returning to work to retrain into tech?". DiversityQ. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  15. ^ Barlow, Nigel (14 November 2019). "Manchester Pride Partners With Local National & Regional Organisations To Beta Test New Standard For Equality & Inclusion". About Manchester. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  16. ^ "Building a digital dynasty: Manchester tech is showing no signs of slowing down". Tech Nation. 8 October 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  17. ^ "Bede's Prep Podcast". SoundCloud. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  18. ^ "Times have changed but there still aren't enough tech women". BusinessCloud.co.uk. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  19. ^ "UKFast helps develop new badge for Girl Guides | CRN". www.channelweb.co.uk. 23 May 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  20. ^ "UKFast visit to meet HRH Princess Anne | Altrincham Grammar School for Girls". www.aggs.trafford.sch.uk. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  21. ^ "UKFast donates £67,000 in volunteering hours to local charities". PCR. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  22. ^ "UKFast founders make £5m commitment to young people". BusinessCloud.co.uk. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  23. ^ Baxter-Wright, Dusty (21 January 2019). "11 of the best companies to work for as a mum-to-be". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  24. ^ "Tech firm UKFast reduces working hours to energise workforce". BusinessCloud.co.uk. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  25. ^ "Gail Jones". National Business Awards 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  26. ^ "Meet the Award Winners: Gail Jones". Universal Inclusion. 22 November 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  27. ^ "Northern Power Women - Gail Jones". Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  28. ^ "Most influential women in UK tech: The 2018 longlist". ComputerWeekly.com. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  29. ^ "Most Influential Women in UK Tech: The 2019 longlist". ComputerWeekly.com. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  30. ^ "View donation". The Electoral Commission. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gail_Jones_(entrepreneur)&oldid=1189910338"