Peter Jones CBE
About
Dragon and entrepreneur with an interest in everything ranging from telecommunications to Reggae Reggae Sauce.
Peter Jones is one of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs. He became a television celebrity through his appearances on Dragons’ Den and also his American television show American Inventor. He is Chairman and Chief Executive of Phones International Group, steering and driving them forward as one of the UK’s most successful telecomms businesses.
Phones International Group
Peter Jones set up Phones International Group in 1998, starting humbly by sleeping on the office floor. But business soon grew. The firm experienced explosive growth with revenue totalling £14 million by the end of the first year. Then £44 million by the end of the second. The company was one of the fastest growing businesses in Europe.
The Inventor
He sold his TV show idea called ‘The Inventor’ to the American Broadcasting Company. “American Inventor” aired in March 2006. The first episode put ABC ahead of rival networks with a 7.8 average rating. The show became a number one show in America. The show was the network’s biggest success for a Thursday primetime slot in years.
Dragons’ Den
His investments resulting Dragons’ Den include Wonderland Magazine, Square Mile International, The Generating Company, Concentrate Design, iTeddy and Reggae Reggae Sauce (created by Levi Roots).
In January 2010, Jones appeared alongside his Dragons’ Den co-stars Duncan Bannatyne and Deborah Meaden in Hustle. Jones appeared in ITV’s Celebrity Juice in May 2010, and then James Corden’s World Cup Live in June. In November 2010, Jones was a guest panellist in BBC Quiz Show Never Mind the Buzzcocks, and in The Magicians in January 2011.
Accolades
Peter Jones has also received a number of personal accolades. In 2001, he was named as Emerging Entrepreneur of The Year by The Times/Ernst & Young, and was listed 10th in Britain’s top entrepreneurs aged 40 and under by the Daily Telegraph in 2006.