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/== Gary Ashworth (entrepreneur) == Gary Peter Ashworth (born 23 April 1960) is a British entrepreneur, business coach and mentor. Having held several non-executive director roles, he is presently the Chairman of InterQuest Group[1], Positive Healthcare [2] and Albany Beck Consulting [3]. He has started or backed over 30 businesses spanning recruitment, healthcare and property. Alongside his business interests, he is an award-winning theatre producer [4] and is regularly featured in the British press as a commentator on business, entrepreneurship [5] and The Arts, where he believes there is an intrinsic link.

Early Years
The son of an engineer and a chemist, Ashworth spent his early years in Manchester before relocating to Marlow at the age of 7, where he later attended Sir William Borlase Grammar School.[6] Spurning further education for an early career in business, he moved to London at 18, where he quickly stepped into a role in accountancy recruitment, shortly after which he went on to set up his own business, Abacus Recruitment, at the age of 21.

Business Career
After founding Abacus Recruitment in February 1982, the business was floated on The London Stock Exchange in September 1995 and was the best performing AIM share in both 1996 and 1997. After selling to Carlisle Holding in 1998, initial investors achieved a tenfold multiple on their investment and Ashworth exited Abacus Recruitment plc in 1999, aged 39. Following time in the USA, where Ashworth extended his business portfolio into real estate, setting up Rosebud Properties in Savannah, Georgia in 1999, he returned to the UK in 2001 when he took a joint stake in Lionheart Management with business partners Jim Mellon and Luke Johnson. Shortly after, in November 2001, he founded InterQuest Group Ltd. With a business career spanning 30 years, across start-ups, growth acceleration, investment, mentorship and coaching, Ashworth's book Eat the Pudding First is a modern-day recipe for business success. Gary is a Fellow and past President of the Institute of Employment Consultants.

Business Approach
During his business career, Ashworth has both started and helped more than 30 businesses achieve their goals by clearly defining their offering, dramatically increasing their value and working with senior management to develop a well thought out exit strategy. Drawing from personal experience, modern management and coaching techniques to reinforce belief systems, Ashworth is skilled at helping entrepreneurs and business owners in both the public and private sector, hone their management style and strategic thinking for business success. Amongst Ashworth's business maxims is:  'There is seldom such thing as an unachievable goal, just an over ambitious timetable'.

Publications
Ashworth's first business publication  'Eat the Pudding First' is due for release in October 2021. It considers many aspects of starting, scaling and selling a business.

The Arts
Ashworth has a strong interest in The Arts, in particular theatre production. Between 1995 and 1998 he represented and managed Jazz singer Rebecca Wheatley, producing her first album of the same name. He was co-founder of Third Stage Productions which saw his involvement with performances and festivals at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and London's West End. Anonymous Society, a musical based on the works of Jacques Brel [7], won the Total Theatre Award in 1999 for best overall production. It went on to transfer to The Lyric in The West End. Also co-producer of Slava's Snow Show (both in London and National tour), My Name is Rachel Corrie, a political play based on the diaries and e-mails of American activist Rachel Corrie, (London's Playhouse Theatre, March 2006) and Some Girls are Bigger than Others, based on the story of The Smiths (Lyric Hammersmith, 2013). Third Stage Productions also managed English comedian, singer and songwriter Boothby Graffoe and British stand-up comedian and children's author James Campbell. In his work within The Arts, Ashworth has been Chairman of the Enterprise Committee of the University of the Arts and a board member of Assembly Theatre. His interview  'What does recovery look like for The Arts?' with William Burdett-Coutts OBE, Artistic Director of Assembly recorded in May 2021 discusses commerciality versus artistic interest in a post-pandemic world. He was recently introduced to the London Bubble Theatre Company by Sir Simon Hughes where he is a strong supporter.

Press, Media & Speaking
Ashworth is a prominent media spokesperson on a range of business topics, diversity and management issues. He has spoken on TV and Radio for the BBC and Bloomberg on a range of business topics, as well as recruitment conferences in the UK and USA. Ashworth wrote the Streetwise column for Real Business Magazine, is a regular contributor to Business Leader [8] and his podcast series, Business Britain 2.0 is available on Player FM.

Personal Life
Ashworth, his partner and children live between their homes in London, Marlow and his Ski chalet in Megeve, France. A singer and keen pianist, his first EP album is due for release in November 2021.