Gary Peter Ashworth (born 23 April 1960)[1] is a British entrepreneur, business coach and mentor.[2] He has started or backed approximately 30 businesses[2] spanning recruitment, healthcare and property,[3] and often appears in the British press as a commentator on business and entrepreneurship.[2][4][5][6] Alongside his business interests, he is a theatre producer.[7][3]

Gary Ashworth
Born
Gary Peter Ashworth

23 April 1960
Occupation(s)Entrepreneur, business coach and mentor

Career edit

Ashworth opted for an early career in business, moving to London at 18 to work in accountancy recruitment.[2] Shortly after, aged 21, he set up his own business, Abacus Recruitment.[8][9]

Founded in February 1982,[5] Abacus Recruitment was floated on the London Stock Exchange in September 1995.[10] This was sold to Carlisle Holdings in 1998; initial investors achieved a tenfold multiple on their investment.[10] Ashworth exited Abacus in 1999, aged 39.[11] Ashworth then extended his business portfolio into US real estate, setting up Rosebud Properties in Savannah, Georgia in 1999.[12] He returned to the UK in 2001 when he took a joint stake in Lionheart Management with business partners Jim Mellon and Luke Johnson.[13] Shortly after, in November 2001, he founded InterQuest Group Ltd.[14] Ashworth is a Fellow and past President of the Institute of Employment Consultants.[15]

Having held several non-executive director roles,[5] he is the current chairman of InterQuest Group,[14] Positive Healthcare[16] and Albany Beck Consulting.[17]

Approach edit

Ashworth has both started and worked with approximately 30 businesses[2][3] as a business owner, investor and advisor.[2] Based on his business experience,[18] Ashworth aims to help entrepreneurs and business owners in public companies or the private sector towards an exit strategy.[15] His business maxims include: 'There is seldom such a thing as an unachievable goal, just an over ambitious timetable’.[19]

Press, media and speaking edit

Ashworth is a spokesperson on business topics,[2][6] investment[4] and management issues.[20] He wrote the Streetwise column for Real Business Magazine,[21] is a regular contributor to Business Leader[22][23][24][20][25][26][27] and has a podcast series titled Business Britain 2.0.[28]

Publications edit

Ashworth's wrote a book, Eat the Pudding First, released in October 2021.[29] It considers aspects of starting, scaling and selling a business.[30]

Arts edit

Ashworth has a strong interest in the arts, in particular theatre production. Between 1995 and 1998 he represented and managed jazz singer Rebecca Wheatley, producing her first album.[5] He co-founded Third Stage Productions, involved with performances at the Edinburgh festival fringe and London's West End.[31] Anonymous Society, a musical based on the works of Jacques Brel, won the Total Theatre Award in 1999 for best overall production,[7] and transferred to the Lyric in the West End.[32] Ashworth also co-produced Slava's Snowshow (London and national tour), My Name is Rachel Corrie, a political play based on the diaries and e-mails of American activist Rachel Corrie (London's Playhouse Theatre, March 2006), and Some Girls are Bigger than Others, based on the story of The Smiths.[33] Ashworth is a board member of Assembly Theatre.[34]

References edit

  1. ^ "Gary Peter ASHWORTH personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Leathers, Samantha (2021-11-07). "Multimillionaire was once told he would 'never amount to anything'". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  3. ^ a b c Cooper, Lanna. "Gary Ashworth". Startups Magazine. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  4. ^ a b Leathers, Samantha (2021-10-08). "'Warning signs' of 'biggest crash in world history' - how you could protect your assets". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  5. ^ a b c d "'One of my directors turned to drink, the other lost confidence'". The Independent. 1996-06-29. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  6. ^ a b Mills, Eleanor (2021-07-06). "It's time to 'Work From Work' again – but has your generation already lost out?". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  7. ^ a b "1999 Total Theatre Awards | Total Theatre Magazine Print Archive". totaltheatre.org.uk. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  8. ^ "Market profile: Gary Ashworth". www.telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-12-15.
  9. ^ Johnson, Luke (2011-08-30). "Joys and perils of a business partnership". Real Business. Retrieved 2021-12-15.
  10. ^ a b "Ride the jobs rally | Shares Magazine". www.sharesmagazine.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  11. ^ "ABACUS RECRUITMENT & TRAINING SERVICES UK LIMITED filing history - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  12. ^ "ROSEBUD PROPERTIES, LLC | Georgia Company Directory". www.georgiacompanyregistry.com. Retrieved 2021-12-15.
  13. ^ "Lionheart roaring to go". citywire.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  14. ^ a b "Board". InterQuest Group. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  15. ^ a b "Meet the team at RCP". www.recruitmentcapitalpartners.com. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
  16. ^ "Corporate - Positive Health". www.positivementalhealth.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  17. ^ "Acquisition of Albany Beck Consulting Limited – Company Announcement - FT.com". markets.ft.com. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  18. ^ Bassett, Kate (2011-01-06). "Luke Johnson banks double exit". Real Business. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
  19. ^ "Where's YOUR private jet? By Gary Ashworth". InterQuest Group. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
  20. ^ a b "How to manage difficult people - Business Leader News". Business Leader. 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2021-12-15.
  21. ^ Rock, Stuart (2008-02-11). "Flotation: 12 key issues for entrepreneurs". Real Business. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  22. ^ "Merger and Acquisition values have gone wild - it's too easy to spend someone else's money - Business Leader News". Business Leader. 2021-10-22. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  23. ^ "Authentic leadership in a fake world - Business Leader News". Business Leader. 2021-09-08. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  24. ^ "'Failure is good, in fact it's great' Gary Ashworth talks to Business Leader - Business Leader News". Business Leader. 2021-07-16. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  25. ^ "Should you be looking at employing a Non-Executive Director? - Business Leader News". Business Leader. 2021-06-14. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  26. ^ "How to win the war for talent in a remote working environment - Business Leader News". Business Leader. 2021-05-26. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  27. ^ "Why your business needs an NED post-pandemic - Business Leader News". Business Leader. 2021-03-23. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  28. ^ FM, Player. "Business Britain 2.0". Business Britain 2.0. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
  29. ^ Ashworth, Gary (2021-10-24). Eat The Pudding First: A modern-day recipe for business success. Known Publishing.
  30. ^ "Eat The Pudding First: A modern-day recipe for business success by Gary Ashworth 1913717658 9781913717650". Discover Books. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  31. ^ "Theatre reviews". the Guardian. 1999-08-08. Retrieved 2021-12-15.
  32. ^ "The Home Page". www.hammersmithtoday.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  33. ^ "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others, Lyric Hammersmith, London". the Guardian. 2005-07-07. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  34. ^ "ASSEMBLY THEATRE LIMITED filing history - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 2021-11-29.

External links edit