Mark Andrew Pears (born 1962) is a British billionaire businessman, CEO of the privately held

William Pears Group William Pears Group is one of Britain's largest property companies, with £6 billion of property in London and south-east England. The William Pears Group was founded in 1952, by Bernard Pears (who changed his name from Schleicher on emigrati ...

since 1984.

Early life

Mark Andrew Pears was born in 1962, the son of Clive Pears (died 1984) and Clarice Talisman Castle (1933–1999), and the grandson of Bernard Pears. Clarice Talisman Castle was born in and grew up in Lochside Street, Shawlands, Glasgow, the daughter of Abraham Castle, a dealer in electrical and wireless appliances, and his wife Hannah. He grew up in Hendon and was educated at the

City of London School , established = , closed = , type = Public school Boys' independent day school , president = , head_label = Headmaster , head = Alan Bird , chair_label = Chair of Governors , chair = Ian Seaton , founder = John Carpenter , special ...

Career

The William Pears Group was founded in 1952, by his grandfather Bernard Pears (who changed his name from Schleicher in 1939) and his father Clive Pears, and is run by Mark Pears with his younger brothers Trevor and David. Mark Pears has run the company since his father died in 1984, when he was aged 21. According to ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'', Pears won't allow his photo to be taken, or say which of the over 212 companies of which he is a director, a "complex labyrinth of operating and investment companies", is the main holding company or what the group's annual profit might be. In 2014, he had a net worth of £2.1 billion.

Philanthropy

In 1992, he co-founded the Pears Foundation, together with his brothers.

Personal life

In 1987, he married Debra Groves at the

Western Marble Arch Synagogue The Western Marble Arch (WMA) Synagogue is a synagogue, Jewish place of worship in central London. The WMA is the result of a merger between the Western and the Marble Arch Synagogues, with the former congregation dating back to 1761. The current ...

. They live in

Totteridge Totteridge is a residential area and former village in the London Borough of Barnet, England. It is a mixture of suburban development and open land (including some farmland) situated 8 miles (13 km) north north-west of Charing Cross. It ...

, London.

Honours

He was awarded a

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in the 2014 Queen's Birthday Honours, "For services to Business and to Charity".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pears, Mark 1962 births Living people British billionaires People educated at the City of London School British Jews Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Pears family