Jonathan Rowland

Jonathan Rowland    (banker, businessman, entrepreneur)
Born	8 June 1975
Alma mater	Exeter University
Founder of	Banque Havilland

Jonathan Rowland is a British businessman and entrepreneur and son of multi-millionaire David Rowland.

Business activities

Rowland was a founder director and chief executive of Jellyworks plc from its flotation on 21 December 1999 until it was purchased by Shore Capital Group plc in August 2000.

In 2011 Rowland launched Jellybook intended to invest in social media companies.

Rowland led the restructuring of Kaupthing Bank Luxembourg, an Icelandic-owned entity which was hit by the banking crisis of 2008, into Banque Havilland, a global private bank. He has been an executive of Rowland Capital Limited, is co-founder of Redwood Bank and is one of the founders of Tomorrow Partners.

In February 2024, Rowland announced his latest venture, R3 Sport, which is focused on the fast-growing game of padel.

Prince Andrew

According to the Daily Mail, Jonathan Rowland is a "close friend" of Prince Andrew.

In February 2011, the MoS revealed that Jonathan Rowland's father David had secretly helped pay off the Duchess of York's debts. The exposé put the close ties between the Duke and the Rowlands under the spotlight.

Questions were raised about why Andrew had opened Banque Havilland, their private bank in Luxembourg. For the notoriously publicity-shy Rowlands, being dragged into the controversy that surrounded Andrew was an uncomfortable experience.

'It never ends!!,' an exasperated Jonathan Rowland wrote to the Duke in March 2011. 'I had Mail and Telegraph on all day. Just read the stories doesn't seem too bad all things considered. Told them you attended bank as Trade Envoy supporting a British owned business.'

'Thank you,' replied Andrew. 'There is a real case of vindictiveness in this and I'm sorry for causing you trouble.'

There was no question, however, of the Rowlands cutting ties with their influential friend. 'Don't worry we are behind you,' Mr Rowland wrote. 'We just need to reinvent the relationship to circumvent these idiots.'

Later, the Duke asked Mr Rowland's advice for how he should handle the continuing controversy. His friend offered two suggestions, the first of which was standard advice for handling a crisis.

'Lay low for a while carry on with less engagements and slowly build the profile back up,' he wrote. 'Avoid difficult people for a bit, we can always take messages, and play straight.' His second idea, however, was less conventional: 'Or you could put your Trade position to a national vote, you would win, and then carry on as normal as you have a public mandate.

'If it goes wrong you resign and we carry on completely under the radar of everybody because nobody would be able to criticise you any more.' He added: 'The second option has some appeal as you could do really want [sic] you want without much accountability.'

An enthusiastic Andrew replied: 'I like your thinking!'

Four months later, Buckingham Palace announced Andrew was stepping down as trade envoy. His links to Epstein had been the latest, and most damaging, in a long list of controversies that had dogged him since taking up the role in 2001.

Divorce

In 2005 he was involved in a divorce with his then wife, Zoe. It was reported his fortune of £690 million was at threat in the divorce proceedings.

 

Event Participated in

Event	Start	End	Location(s)	Description
WEF/Annual Meeting/2008	23 January 2008	27 January 2008	Switzerland World Economic Forum	At the 2008 summit, Klaus Schwab called for a coordinated approach, where different 'stakeholders' collaborate across geographical, industrial, political and cultural boundaries."

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References

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