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]}

Career

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

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

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

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

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

External links

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