Simon Wright

Chair | Founder of The Growth Advisor & PREXIT™ | Business Leader & Trustee in Education and Mental Health

London, England, United Kingdom

About

I’ve spent most of my career building businesses. I founded Gatehouse, grew it internationally and sold it to Gallagher in 2017. Since then, I’ve worked with founders, boards and management teams, usually when a business is growing quickly, changing direction, preparing for investment or considering a sale. My work now is increasingly board-based, drawing on my experience as a founder, chair and CFO. I tend to be most useful where strategy, finance and people come together — particularly when there are difficult decisions to make or a significant change to navigate. Through PREXIT™, I help business owners prepare properly for an eventual exit. That is not simply about getting a business ready for sale. It is about making it stronger, more valuable and less dependent on its founder, whether an exit is two years away, ten years away or never happens. I’m also Deputy Chair of Speech and Language UK, a national charity supporting the 1.9 million children and young people who struggle with talking and understanding words. My role includes board leadership, governance and helping the organisation make the strategic and financial choices needed to increase its impact. These days, I’m selective about what I take on. I’m most interested in board and advisory roles where my experience can make a practical difference.

Experience

  • Open Communication Group (5 yrs 3 mos)
    • Investor Relations and NED
      Sep 2025 - Present · 11 mos

    • Chief Financial Officer
      Jan 2024 - Feb 2026 · 2 yrs 2 mos

    • Executive Chairman
      May 2021 - Jan 2024 · 2 yrs 9 mos

      Working with the leadership team at Open, I am helping drive the next phase of growth as the business continues to expand across Europe, South Africa, the UK and the US.

  • Chief Financial Officer at Digital Natives
    Jan 2024 - Present · 2 yrs 7 mos

    Fractional CFO and strategic adviser to the founders, supporting financial performance, growth, major commercial decisions and exit readiness.

  • Co-Founder at James Anthony Gallery
    Jan 2022 - Present · 4 yrs 7 mos

    Based in the beautiful Cotswolds village of Blockley, the James Anthony Gallery prides itself in finding interesting, often unique items that represent the very finest in craftsmanship and design.

  • Speech and Language UK (6 yrs 10 mos)
    • Deputy Chair
      Sep 2023 - Present · 2 yrs 11 mos

    • Board Trustee
      Oct 2019 - Sep 2023 · 4 yrs

      Beyond my executive leadership roles, I joined I Can as a Digital Trustee in 2019 to further evolve and develop the charity's excellent work.

  • Fountain London (9 yrs 7 mos)
    • Growth Advisor
      Jan 2021 - Present · 5 yrs 7 mos

    • Fractional Exec and Non-Exec Director
      Jan 2017 - Present · 9 yrs 7 mos

      Founder of Fountain, through which I work with founders, boards and investors as a fractional CFO, chair and strategic adviser. My focus is on growth, transformation, financial strategy and PREXIT™ — helping businesses become stronger, more valuable and better prepared for an eventual exit.