Alex Willcock is a British designer and entrepreneur. He is a co-founder of The Nest, the founder and former
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization.
CEOs find roles in variou ...
of Imagini,
[Victor Keegan: Looking at a new way to make friends , Technology]
''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', 9 August 2007. and a co-founder, with his son Felix Conran, of Maker&Son.
Career
The Nest
Alex Willcock co-founded the design and brand consultancy The Nest in 1999 with
Russell Pinch and
Rachel Marshall. The company was sold to St Luke's in 2004.
Imagini
Imagini was a London-based
software
Software consists of computer programs that instruct the Execution (computing), execution of a computer. Software also includes design documents and specifications.
The history of software is closely tied to the development of digital comput ...
company established in 2006. The firm specialised in using images rather than traditional questions for marketing purposes. One of its software applications compared an individual's image selections with those in a database to identify and suggest others with similar preferences and worldviews.
[
]
Maker&Son
In 2018, Willcock and his son Felix Conran co-founded the luxury furniture company Maker&Son. The company quickly gained recognition for its high-quality, handcrafted products including luxury sofas. In 2022, they sold the business to Inc & Co Group.
Public speaking
On 25 January 2020, Willcock delivered a talk at TEDx Glasgow, where he explored the topic of the language of feelings.
Education
Willcock was awarded a scholarship to study classical music
Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...
at Eton College
Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...
, where he honed his innate musical talent, particularly in playing the violin, which he had taken up only a few years earlier. His deep appreciation for both classical and classic music has profoundly influenced his personal and professional endeavours.
Personal life
Willcock and his former wife, Sophie Conran
Henrietta Sophia Conran (born 28 October 1965) is a British designer, retailer, cook and author. She is the founder and director of the Sophie Conran Shop.
Early life
Conran is the daughter of designer and restaurateur Terence Conran and food ...
, have two children, Felix Conran, who collaborates with his father as a furniture designer, and Coco Conran, who established herself as a fashion designer. Alex Willcock and Sophie Conran are now divorced.
In addition, Willcock has three children from another marriage.
References
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
People educated at Eton College
British chief executives
Conran family
{{UK-business-bio-1960s-stub