Luke Johnson

Luke Johnson is a renowned entrepreneur and business leader with decades of experience in investing, revitalising and scaling businesses fast across hospitality, media, healthcare, and beyond.

For eleven years he chaired and remains a director and key stakeholder in Gail’s, where his investments have helped drive the meteoric rise of a small chain of artisan bakeries into a well loved British phenomenon with over 175 locations.

Luke’s early career saw him take control in 1993 of PizzaExpress and then growing it from 12 to over 150 restaurants before its sale in 1999. He later founded Signature Restaurants, the owner of renowned dining venues including The Ivy, J. Sheekey, Le Caprice, and Belgo, which he sold in 2005. In 2000, he launched Strada, expanding the Italian restaurant chain to 30 locations before its sale in 2006. He also co-founded Integrated Dental Holdings, which became the UK’s largest dental chain, which he eventually exited in 2006. Luke also became a key investor and engine of growth for Giraffe Restaurants, which he sold to Tesco in 2013. He invested in and chaired Cruise.co.uk from 2013 to 2016. Between 2014 and 2018, he invested in and chaired Neilson Active Holidays, achieving a sixfold return on sale. He was also Chairman and part-owner of Draft House pubs, where he also oversaw significant growth and returns.

He wrote a weekly newspaper column about entrepreneurship for 20 years in The Sunday Telegraph, The Financial Times and The Sunday Times.

From 2004 to 2010 Luke was Chairman of Channel 4, overseeing record ratings and revenues and indeed beyond the boardroom, Luke has had a lasting impact on British entrepreneurship and philanthropy. He co-founded the Centre for Entrepreneurs in 2013, chaired StartUp Britain, the national campaign to support UK entrepreneurship, and for many years chaired The Institute of Cancer Research. From 2016 to last year, he also chaired the Almeida Theatre, reflecting his ongoing support for the arts.