Jon Priest exits Future Thinking Group

Priest (pictured) has led the business for the past eight years and most recently seen it through its acquisition and integration of data insights business, GemSeek. He took on the role in 2010 after the business he co-founded, SPA, was bought by Future Thinking’s main shareholder, Next Wave Partners.

During his tenure, Future Thinking Group has seen its revenue increase by a factor of five times through both acquisitions and organic growth. The group expects to reach revenues of approximately £27m for the current financial year.

It currently employs more than 300 people in six office locations across Europe.

Priest has accepted an invitation by Next Wave Partners to join the main investor board as a non-executive director and will support the strategic development of the group as well has help find a replacement CEO.

Priest said: “I have enjoyed my time as group CEO enormously and it has been a privilege to work with so many talented people. Now is the perfect time to assume a different role while continuing to work closely with the investors. 

“We believe that the market place will increasingly demand data and technology driven insights and one of my duties on the main investor board will be to help identify, nominate and recruit a successor who can lead the group in that direction.”

Mark Bezerra Speeks, chairman of Future Thinking Group, added: “We are delighted that Jon has agreed to remain on the main investor board as a non-executive director and look forward to continuing our long-term working relationship with him.”

Stephane Marder, managing director France, Glen Khouw, CEO Bulgaria, Petko Tinchev, managing director Bulgaria, and Adele Gritten, UK managing director, will join David Griffith and Sue Homeyard, group managing director, operations, on the group board.