Businessman Luke Johnson has worked a varied career, from managing restaurants to dental surgeries and private equity. A graduate of Oxford University, Luke has a BA in Psychological Sciences but has since differentiated into quite different sectors. Initially beginning his working career at Grieveson Grant as a media analyst, Luke has now managed some of the largest high-street chain restaurants of today. Back in 1993 Luke first embarked into the world of restaurant management, taking control as Chairman of Pizza Express. Proving his worth as a manager, Luke later went on to establish Signature Restaurants. Signature Restaurants housed a collection of some of the best London restaurants, with Luke managing The Ivy, Le Caprice and Belgo.
Finding a passion for retail management, Luke has since been involved with countless other restaurant and leisure businesses. He has previously acted as the owner and manager of Druckers, Patisserie Valerie, Baker & Spice, Whittard of Chelsea, My Kinda Town and Gail’s Bakery which stocked its products in giants such as Waitrose, Harvey Nichols and Ocado. In 2010 Luke went on to purchase Japanese restaurant chain Feng Sushi and a stake in Ego Group dining firm, dominating the food retail sector once more.
Outside of restaurant management, Luke has also committed his time to several other business ventures. In 2000 he became Chairman of Risk Capital Partners, through which he has overseen the purchase of stakes in Zoggs swimming brand, Bread Ltd and Elegant Hotels Group. Luke has also formerly acted as co-founder of Integrated Dental Holdings, a Non-Executive Director of Metro Bank Plc, Director of InterQuest Group Plc, Chairman of Channel 4 and owner of Mayfair Gaming. Currently, Luke is serving on the board of Brompton Bicycles and owns All Star Lanes bowling chain in London.
Along with his keen passion for business, Luke is also a philanthropist acting as chairman of several charities. Currently, he is the Chairman of The Institute of Cancer Research and dedicates time to supporting budding entrepreneurs as the Chairman of StartUp Britain. To further support entrepreneurs, Luke later founded Centre for Entrepreneurs to promote the sector to both the Government and the general public. Luke is also passionate about the performing arts industry, having formerly acted as the Chairman of the Royal Society of Arts and supports commercial theatre by acting as the Chairman of StageOne.
As a speaker, Luke is sought to cover how he successfully managed some of the most popular high-street restaurant chains of modern-day. A diverse businessman, Luke can cover a variety of different sectors and engage corporate audiences with the success stories from each. Covering subjects such as leadership, retail and entrepreneurship’s contribution to society, Luke Johnson is the perfect speaker to engage corporate audiences and encourage budding future entrepreneurs to follow in his footsteps.
