Nationality British Name James Daunt Role Businessman | Spouse(s) Katy Steward Parents Timothy Daunt Children Molly and Eliza | |
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Full Name Achilles James Daunt Born 18 October 1963 (age 61) ( 1963-10-18 ) Education University of Cambridge, Sherborne School | ||
James daunt on his journey to bookselling
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 book chain Waterstones.
Contents
- James daunt on his journey to bookselling
- James daunt on reclaiming the honourable profession of bookselling
- Early life
- Career
- Personal life
- References
James daunt on reclaiming the honourable profession of bookselling
Early life
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.
Career
His first job was as a purser with Carnival Cruise Lines. After working in the US as a banker for JP Morgan, he founded Daunt Books, 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.
Personal life
He is married to Katy Steward, a health professional, they have two daughters Molly and Eliza, and live in Hampstead. They have a second house in Suffolk.
