Jon Hunt

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Jonathan Michael Hunt, born June 1953 in Colchester, England, is a British billionaire property entrepreneur who founded Foxtons and Pavilion and created Wilderness Reserve in Suffolk.

Hunt came from an army family and earned a Millfield scholarship. He left school after O levels to join the Royal Artillery, then spent a brief period washing cars in Ottawa, Canada, before returning to the UK in 1972 and working as an estate agent in Woking and Guildford for eight years.

In 1981, at age 28, he founded Foxtons with school friend Anthony Pelligrinelli, who contributed £30,000. The firm stood out by staying open around the clock and offering 0% commission for the first three months to attract clients. Foxtons expanded in London and beyond, investing in marketing and an early web presence. The company later grew to a large network with thousands of staff, but the property crash of the early 1990s hit the business. Hunt later diversified into lettings to provide stability. Foxtons also became known for eye-catching marketing and a distinctive company culture. In 2007, Hunt sold Foxtons to private equity firm BC Partners for about £375 million.

Since the sale, Hunt has invested in central London property through Ocubis Ltd, developing projects such as the 150 Holborn building, the Fulham Green Campus refurbishment, and the 5 St James’s Square redevelopment. Ocubis has grown, with significant office rents and projects in the capital. In 2010 he founded Bacchus Partners to back residential or retail developments in the South East of England.

Hunt also runs Pavilion, a business members’ club on Kensington High Street, described as an upscale office club for entrepreneurs and executives. The club began as Dryland in 2011 and later became Pavilion.

In Suffolk, Hunt owns Heveningham Hall, a 5,000-acre estate bought in 1994 that hosts the Heveningham Hall Concours d’Elegance and a country fair that raises money for local charities. In 2013 he launched the Wilderness Reserve around Heveningham Hall, restoring lakes, parkland and woodlands in the Yox Valley as part of a landscape project inspired by Capability Brown. The reserve includes private homes and is aimed at sustainable, high-end rural living. Hunt also bought Cockfield Hall in Yoxford in 2014.

Hunt is married to Lois and they have four children, including Harry Hunt. He is known for collecting classic Ferraris and is often described as a disciplined, reserved former military man.

His net worth was estimated at about £1.3 billion in 2021.