Charles Dunstone
Encyclopedia
Charles Dunstone is the CEO and (with David Ross) co-founder, in 1989, of mobile phone retailer The Carphone Warehouse
.
, an independent school
for boys (now co-educational), in the market town
of Uppingham
in Rutland
, in Central England.
It was whilst working at NEC that he first spotted the potential of mobile phones and the future of mobile communications. At that time, handsets were large, cumbersome and mainly purchased by big business and large organisations. Corporate clients were well catered for but small businesses, the self-employed and general public had nowhere to go. Dunstone realised that mobile phones would eventually become ubiquitous and named his company The Carphone Warehouse (CPW) to serve this larger market.
In July 2000 the company floated on the London Stock Exchange and based on an Issue price of 200p, the company was valued at approximately £1.7 billion.
In May 2008, Best Buy, a world-leading consumer electronics retailer, and CPW agreed to create a new company, Best Buy Europe.
Best Buy acquired 50% of CPW’s European and US retail interests for a cash consideration of £1.1 billion or $2.1 billion.
The assets of the newly formed company comprise CPW’s existing retail business, operating from more than 2,400 stores in nine European countries under CPW and Phone House brands. These include the UK, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.
CPW is today the world’s largest independent mobile communications retailer.
The Carphone Warehouse
(also trading as The Phone House) is Europe's largest independent mobile phone retailer.
In 2005 Dunstone's salary and bonus came to £689,000. In the Sunday Times Rich List 2006 he was listed in 64th place, with an estimated fortune of £830 million.
Dunstone employed the controversial ex-convict Ernest Saunders
as a business consultant for Carphone Warehouse prior to its flotation.
.
, which is the main sponsor of the Fulwood Academy school in Preston, Lancashire.
Dunstone is married to Celia Gordon Shute, a public relations consultant. Dunstone's father is an executive at BP
.
The Carphone Warehouse
Carphone Warehouse Group PLC , known as The Carphone Warehouse, is Europe's largest independent mobile phone retailer, with over 1,700 stores across Europe. It is based in the United Kingdom and is a 50% subsidiary of Best Buy...
.
Education
Dunstone was educated at Uppingham SchoolUppingham School
Uppingham School is a co-educational independent school of the English public school tradition, situated in the small town of Uppingham in Rutland, England...
, an independent school
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
for boys (now co-educational), in the market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
of Uppingham
Uppingham
Disambiguation: "Uppingham" is the colloquial name for Uppingham SchoolUppingham is a market town in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England, located on the A47 between Leicester and Peterborough, about 6 miles south of the county town, Oakham.- History :A little over a mile to the...
in Rutland
Rutland
Rutland is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough and Northamptonshire....
, in Central England.
Carphone Warehouse
Charles Dunstone first began selling mobile phones out of his flat on Marylebone Road in 1989. He was 25 years old and had £6000 of savings to start his business having previous worked at NEC as a sales executive.It was whilst working at NEC that he first spotted the potential of mobile phones and the future of mobile communications. At that time, handsets were large, cumbersome and mainly purchased by big business and large organisations. Corporate clients were well catered for but small businesses, the self-employed and general public had nowhere to go. Dunstone realised that mobile phones would eventually become ubiquitous and named his company The Carphone Warehouse (CPW) to serve this larger market.
In July 2000 the company floated on the London Stock Exchange and based on an Issue price of 200p, the company was valued at approximately £1.7 billion.
In May 2008, Best Buy, a world-leading consumer electronics retailer, and CPW agreed to create a new company, Best Buy Europe.
Best Buy acquired 50% of CPW’s European and US retail interests for a cash consideration of £1.1 billion or $2.1 billion.
The assets of the newly formed company comprise CPW’s existing retail business, operating from more than 2,400 stores in nine European countries under CPW and Phone House brands. These include the UK, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.
CPW is today the world’s largest independent mobile communications retailer.
The Carphone Warehouse
The Carphone Warehouse
Carphone Warehouse Group PLC , known as The Carphone Warehouse, is Europe's largest independent mobile phone retailer, with over 1,700 stores across Europe. It is based in the United Kingdom and is a 50% subsidiary of Best Buy...
(also trading as The Phone House) is Europe's largest independent mobile phone retailer.
In 2005 Dunstone's salary and bonus came to £689,000. In the Sunday Times Rich List 2006 he was listed in 64th place, with an estimated fortune of £830 million.
Dunstone employed the controversial ex-convict Ernest Saunders
Ernest Saunders
Ernest Walter Saunders is a former British business manager, best known as one of the "Guinness Four", a group of businessmen who attempted to fraudulently manipulate the share price of the Guinness company. He was sentenced to five years' imprisonment, but released after 10 months as he was...
as a business consultant for Carphone Warehouse prior to its flotation.
HBOS
- Non-executive DirectorNon-executive directorA non-executive director or outside director is a member of the board of directors of a company who does not form part of the executive management team. He or she is not an employee of the company or affiliated with it in any other way...
of HBOSHBOSHBOS plc is a banking and insurance company in the United Kingdom, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Lloyds Banking Group having been taken over in January 2009...
PLC. - HBOSHBOSHBOS plc is a banking and insurance company in the United Kingdom, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Lloyds Banking Group having been taken over in January 2009...
is the holding company for Halifax plc and the Governor and Company of the Bank of ScotlandBank of ScotlandThe Bank of Scotland plc is a commercial and clearing bank based in Edinburgh, Scotland. With a history dating to the 17th century, it is the second oldest surviving bank in what is now the United Kingdom, and is the only commercial institution created by the Parliament of Scotland to...
. - In 2005 Dunstone's fee was £56,000.
The Daily Mail General Trust
- Non-Executive Director of The Daily Mail General Trust.
- DMGT is one of the largest media companies in the UK and has interests around the world in national and regional newspapers, television, radio, exhibitions and information publishing.
- In 2005 Dunstone's fee was £34,000.
Independent Media Distribution PLC
- Non-Executive Director of Independent Media Distribution PLC.
- IMD is a distributor of radio advertising and programming for the advertising and music industries. Clients include ITVITVITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
and BSkyBBritish Sky BroadcastingBritish Sky Broadcasting Group plc is a satellite broadcasting, broadband and telephony services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with operations in the United Kingdom and the Ireland....
. - In 2005 Dunstone's fee was £20,000.
The Prince's Trust
- Council Member of The Prince's TrustThe Prince's TrustThe Prince's Trust is a charity in the United Kingdom founded in 1976 by Charles, Prince of Wales to help young people. They run a range of training programmes, provide mentoring support and offer financial grants to build the confidence and motivation of disadvantaged young people...
and the Chairman of Prince's Trust Trading Ltd. - The Prince's Trust is a Registered Charity (in England) No 1079675. The Prince's Trust Trading Limited (a company registered in England No 3161821) is a wholly owned subsidiary and trades on behalf of The Prince's Trust. In their 2006 annual report, The Prince's Trust had a gross income of £56.8m and an expenditure of £40.8m.
Qualifications
Dunstone has 3 A-levels, grades B,C & D. He abandoned his business degree at Liverpool University after taking a gap-year with Torch Computers in Cambridge and then with NECNEC
, a Japanese multinational IT company, has its headquarters in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. NEC, part of the Sumitomo Group, provides information technology and network solutions to business enterprises, communications services providers and government....
.
Personal life
Dunstone has established a charitable trustCharitable trust
A charitable trust is an irrevocable trust established for charitable purposes, and is a more specific term than "charitable organization".-United States:...
, which is the main sponsor of the Fulwood Academy school in Preston, Lancashire.
Dunstone is married to Celia Gordon Shute, a public relations consultant. Dunstone's father is an executive at BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
.