Neil Gillis

Neil Gillis joined the Board of Governors in January 2014. Neil graduated from Oxford University in 1985 with an MA in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics. His early business career was in Marketing where he worked on brands such as Cadbury, Typhoo, and Heinz. He first came to East Anglia in 1998 when he was Managing Director of the Linda McCartney food business. He has since had roles as Managing Director of the Greene King Pub Company, Chief Executive of Esporta Health Clubs, and Chief Executive of Blacks Leisure PLC. Neil is now Chairman of a variety of businesses including a London health club chain, a national hotels business, and a mental healthcare company. He also acts as a consultant to various private equity firms and manages his own small property business.

Neil is married to Nicola who is an HR Director. Neil has lived in the same Suffolk farmhouse for the last 16 years where he has a small vineyard that produces several thousand bottles of sparkling white wine each year. He has three children who all attend Culford. His interests include consuming his own sparkling wine and compensating for this with running, cycling, and weight training.