Famous British CEOs

Rebekah Brooks is a British former newspaper editor and journalist. She currently works as a media executive and has been serving as News UK's CEO since 2015. In 2003, she started working as the editor of The Sun, becoming the first female editor of the tabloid. From 2009 to 2011, she served as the chief executive officer of News International.

Often termed The Fifth Beatle, music executive Neil Aspinall went from being a schoolmate of Paul McCartney and George Harrison to eventually managing The Beatles. He later also headed Apple Corps., a company established by The Beatles. He had also fathered a child with the mother of his friend, musician Pete Best.

Jacqueline Gold is a British businesswoman estimated to be the 16th richest woman in Great Britain. She is the chief executive of Gold Group International, Ann Summers, and Knickerbox. The daughter of businessman David Gold, she began her career working under her father. Within years, she became an established businessperson in her own right. 

British automobile and aviation pioneer Charles Stewart Rolls is remembered for co-founding Rolls-Royce. The Cambridge alumnus was the first pilot to fly across the English Channel and back without a halt. He died in a plane accident at age 32 and was the first British aviator to do so.

Former CEO of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) Fred Goodwin perhaps became the most-hated banker after the 2008 collapse of RBS, when it registered the biggest annual loss in the history of the UK. Subsequently, his knighthood was revoked. He still receives an annual pension from the bank.

One of the co-founders of the chain of health-oriented fast-food eateries, Leon Restaurants, John Vincent has also penned seven cookbooks. He has also launched the School Food Plan, which has improved the diet of millions of students. He has chaired the Council for Sustainable Business, too.