Member Article

William Lees-Jones Talks Business At MGS

William Lees-Jones, Managing Director of JW Lees & Co. (Brewers) took to the stage in the latest The Manchester Grammar School (MGS) Business Class, which sees the School open its doors to the city’s business community.

William, who was born in Bowdon, told the 100-strong audience about the opportunities and daily challenges that face his business; from the threat of international brands to changes in social behaviour patterns. He also explained the challenge of achieving sustainable growth, by explaining: “As a family business, your main aim is simply to leave the company in an even better state than in which you found it.”

Having studied Latin, Greek and Maths at Rugby School, William went on to read Classics at Bedford College, now Royal Holloway College at London University, before embarking on a career in advertising. After narrowly missing out on a place at advertising agencies JW Thompson and Saatchi & Saatchi, William landed his first role at a start up agency in London where he spent seven years.

William said: “In truth, I hadn’t really thought a great deal about going into the family business and was keen to pursue my own interests rather than having a pre-determined career path. The company had always stipulated that any family member must spend at least five years in the wider world to prove his or her own ability, something which I think is paramount to the success of the business.”

William joined J.W. Lees in 1995, married and moved north in the same year. In 2000, he became joint Managing Director alongside his father and uncle, before they both stepped down in 2003.

Asked about what ambitions he has for the company, William said: “My main objective is to keep having ‘another record year.’ Businesses like ours need to keep constantly evolving, keep listening to the market in which we operate and continue to attract high calibre people. There were 300 employees when I joined and now there are 1,200 – whilst growing we need to ensure that we don’t compromise on talent, which I don’t believe we have.”

William is one of many successful businessmen and women who have gone on to be a trustee of the MGS Trust, which manages the Bursary Fund. To date over £23 million has been raised, helping to support over 200 boys through their education. The longer-term aim is to grow the fund to £100 million to enable the School to become ‘needs blind,’ where pupils are chosen based purely on their academic talent.

Speaking about his decision to become a Trustee, William said: “MGS is more than a School; it’s an institution. For those that have been successful in business, there is an responsibility to invest in the future of others.”

Dr. Martin Boulton, Highmaster at MGS, concluded: “It’s extremely interesting to hear about how a family business can continue to grow and be successful in an ever changing climate. William has been a strong supporter of the School and I would like to thank him for all that he has contributed.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Kate Healey .