Nicholas David Jenkins (born 13 May 1967) is a British businessman, best known for founding the online greeting card retailer Moonpig.com, then as a "dragon" for the BBC Two TV business series Dragons' Den in the thirteenth and fourteenth series.[2]
Nick Jenkins | |
|---|---|
| Born | 13 May 1967 Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire, England |
| Education | Haberdashers' Adams Grammar |
| Alma mater | University of Birmingham (BA) Cranfield University (MBA) |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman; Television personality |
| Known for | Dragons' Den & founder of Moonpig |
| Spouse | Amelia Freer[1] |
| Children | 1 |
Biography
editBorn at Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire, Jenkins was educated at Haberdashers' Adams Grammar School, before going up to Birmingham University to read Russian literature. He then worked for eight years as a commodity trader for Glencore in Moscow. Returning to the UK in 1998, he pursued further studies at Cranfield University, graduating as MBA.
Jenkins launched the greeting card business Moonpig in 2000; 'Moonpig' alluding to his nickname at school, hence the name of the brand.[3] In 2011, he sold Moonpig for an estimated £120 million.[4]
Since 2008, Jenkins has been investing in start-up businesses. He was a member of the Impact Ventures UK investment committee – an investment fund which invests in social enterprises using innovation to find better solutions to social issues in the UK. He is also involved with the educational charity ARK and Shivia.[5]
A donor to the Conservative Party, he was a signatory to a letter to The Daily Telegraph during the 2015 United Kingdom general election campaign, which praised the party's economic policies and claimed that a future Labour government (under Ed Miliband) would "threaten jobs and deter investment".[6][7]
Since 2014 Jenkins has owned Stockton House,[8] a Grade I listed mansion in Wiltshire,[9] and is a Liveryman of the Haberdashers' Company since 2018.
References
edit- ^ www.ameliafreer.com
- ^ Graham, Natalie (10 July 2015). "My first million – Nick Jenkins". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 8 September 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
- ^ Murphy, Claire (5 October 2005). "One to watch: Moonpig". Marketing Magazine. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2010.
- ^ Rizk, Sara (13 October 2009). "Moonpig: Nick Jenkins". startups.co.uk. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
- ^ www.shivia.com
- ^ Dominiczak, Peter (1 April 2015). "100 business chiefs: Labour threatens Britain's recovery". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 24 January 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- ^ "Nick Jenkins". Powerbase. Archived from the original on 21 June 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- ^ www.stocktonhouse.com
- ^ Aslet, Clive (28 January 2018). "Stockton House, Wiltshire: An Elizabethan house packed with 21st century surprises". Country Life. Archived from the original on 28 March 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2020.