James Daunt


Achilles James Daunt is a British businessman. He is the founder of the Daunt Books chain, and since May 2011 has been managing director of the bookshop chain Waterstones. Known as "the man who saved Waterstones". In June 2019, he became the CEO of the US bookshop chain Barnes & Noble, acquired by Waterstones' parent, Elliott Advisors for $683m.

Early life

Achilles James Daunt was born on 18 October 1963, the son of the diplomat Sir Timothy Daunt and his wife Patricia Susan Knight. He was educated at Sherborne School, before reading history at Pembroke College, Cambridge University.

Career

His first job was as a purser with Carnival Cruise Lines. After working in the US as a banker for JP Morgan, he founded Daunt Books, a chain of six bookshops in London. In May 2011 he was appointed managing director of Waterstones by the company's new owner, the Russian billionaire Alexander Mamut. The pair were listed at fourth place in a 2011 Guardian list of the top 100 people in the British books industry.
Daunt was elected an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2017.
In 2020 Daunt was criticised for arguing that a bookshop was “essential” during the global coronavirus pandemic, keeping the shops open as competitors and other non-food retail businesses closed. Waterstones, led by Daunt, also made no effort to distribute hand sanitiser or protective gloves to its employees despite their close interactions with customers.

Personal life

He is married to Katy Steward, a health professional, they have two daughters Molly and Eliza, and live in a 4-storey house in Hampstead. They have a second house in Suffolk, and a third in Scotland.