Lawrence Jones (businessman)
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1 August 1968
Lawrence Jones | |
|---|---|
| Born | Lawrence Nigel Jones 1 August 1968 Denbigh, Wales |
| Occupation | Former director of UKFast |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Spouse | Gail Jones |
| Children | Four daughters |
Lawrence Nigel Jones (born 1 August 1968) is a convicted rapist and business man.[1] Jones is best known for founding UKFast in 1999. In December 2023, Jones was sentenced to a total of 15 years in prison for multiple criminal offences.[2]
Lawrence Jones was born in Denbigh, North Wales. At seven years old he won a scholarship to sing and study music at Durham Chorister School before attending Ruthin School when he was 13 years old.[3][4] At 16, he left home and moved to Manchester.[5][6]
Career
After previously working as a hotel pianist,[7] Jones formed UKFast with his partner Gail in 1999.[8] The cloud hosting and colocation business operated a data centre complex in Trafford Park, Manchester, and had over 350 employees.[9][10]
In May 2010, Jones joined the board of the Manchester Camerata.[11][12]
Jones acquired Le Farinet Hotel in Swiss ski resort Verbier in September 2014.[13]
In June 2017, Jones launched a podcast offering business advice and sharing inspirational stories from people including Sir Richard Branson, Gary Neville and Stacey Copeland.[14]
In December 2018, Jones sold a 30% stake of UKFast for £205 million to private equity firm Inflexion and in May 2020, it was reported in The Financial Times that Jones and his wife "have both now left the business and will no longer have any role in it".[15]