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
editAs a child, Jones attended Altrincham Grammar 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.
Honours and awards
editIn 2018, Jones was awarded the ICCC Caring Citizen of the Humanities Award.[16]
She was named in the Northern Power Women List in 2016 and 2019.[17] She was also listed in the 2018 and 2019 Most Influential Women in Tech List collated by Computer Weekly.[18][19]
Political activity
editJones donated £100,000 to the Conservative Party in September 2019.[20]
Personal life
editGail and Lawrence Jones have four daughters. They live in Cheshire, England.
References
edit- ^ "Gail Suzanne JONES - Personal Appointments". Companies House. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- ^ "Ex-UKFast boss Lawrence Jones guilty of drugging and raping women". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ^ "Gail Jones - Profile - Bloomberg". Bloomberg News.
- ^ "UKFast valued at £405m following record year | Business Leader News". Business Leader. 2 January 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
- ^ Begum, Shelina (8 August 2017). "Gail Jones, who founded UKFast with husband Lawrence, is named managing director". men. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ Harding, LaToya (30 October 2019). "Lawrence Jones quits as UKFast chief amid investigation". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ Bounds, Andy (21 December 2018). "Internet hosting company UK Fast valued at £405m after stake sale". Financial Times. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ "Prolific North - News from the North West".
- ^ "UKFast CEO buys another security firm | CRN". www.channelweb.co.uk. 5 February 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ "Secarma appoints ex-military cybersecurity expert Holly Williams as Technical Director". PCR. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ "Tech Manchester initiative launches". BusinessCloud.co.uk. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
- ^ "Our Board – Manchester Foundation Trust Charity". Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ "UKFast's Annual Community and Education Awards 2019 | Manchester Community Central". www.manchestercommunitycentral.org. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
- ^ signatories (6 July 2018). "How do we get more women returning to work to retrain into tech?". DiversityQ. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Meet the Award Winners: Gail Jones". Universal Inclusion. 22 November 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
- ^ "Northern Power Women - Gail Jones". Retrieved 16 December 2019.
- ^ "Most influential women in UK tech: The 2018 longlist". ComputerWeekly.com. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ "Most Influential Women in UK Tech: The 2019 longlist". ComputerWeekly.com. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ "View donation". The Electoral Commission. Retrieved 29 May 2020.