James Daunt
British business executive
Achilles James Daunt (born 18 October 1963) is a British businessman. He is the founder of the Daunt Books chain, and since May 2011 has been managing director of the bookshop chain Waterstones.2
From Wikipedia’s article on James Daunt (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Born Oct 18, 1963.1
About
Since August 2019, Daunt has also been CEO of Barnes & Noble, the American bookstore chain. He was once described in 2014 in an article in the Evening Standard as "the man who saved Waterstones". He faced criticism in 2019 for saying Waterstones 'was not profitable enough' to pay staff the Living Wage, following an appeal supported by 1,300 authors.
From Wikipedia’s article on James Daunt, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2
Companies
- Daunt BooksFounder7
Early life and education
Achilles James Daunt was born on 18 October 1963, the son of the diplomat Sir Timothy Daunt and his wife Patricia Susan Knight.
He was educated at Sherborne School, before reading history at Pembroke College, Cambridge University.
From Wikipedia’s article on James Daunt (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Career
Occupation: bookseller.5
- Date not recordedFounded Daunt Books4
His first job was as a purser with Carnival Cruise Lines.
After working in the US as a banker for JP Morgan between 1985 and 1988, he founded Daunt Books in 1990, a chain of six bookshops in London.
In May 2011, he was appointed managing director of Waterstones by the company's new owner, the Russian billionaire Alexander Mamut. The pair were listed at fourth place in a 2011 Guardian list of the top 100 people in the British books industry.
Daunt was elected an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2017.
In June 2019, he became the CEO of the US bookshop chain Barnes & Noble, acquired by Waterstones' parent, Elliott Advisors (UK) for $683m.
In November 2021, Daunt interviewed Sir Paul McCartney to discuss McCartney's bestselling book "The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present".
Daunt was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2022 Birthday Honours for services to publishing.
From Wikipedia’s article on James Daunt (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Personal life
- CitizenshipUnited Kingdom6
Daunt is married to Katy Steward, a professional in the health sector. They have two daughters and live in Hampstead; they also have homes in Suffolk and on the Isle of Jura in Scotland.
From Wikipedia’s article on James Daunt (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Links
Sources
The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.
- 1WikidataJames Daunt on Wikidata
- 2WikipediaJames Daunt on Wikipedia
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- 7WikidataDaunt Books, Founder