At JS Group, we take the time to understand our partners so we can deliver solutions that meet the needs of both funders and their beneficiaries.
With a team of over 50 colleagues bringing a wealth of expertise and experience, we are committed to being trusted, knowledgeable partners. We work alongside funders across higher education, charities, local authorities & beyond to ensure financial support is delivered with purpose, creating the greatest possible impact for the people who receive it.
Tricia King brings a wealth of experience to this role having worked in senior roles in the university sector. For 11 years she was Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Strategic Engagement at Birkbeck College in the University of London. More recently Tricia spent 3 years as Vice President Global Engagement at CASE. Tricia’s focus at the JS Group is scoping, developing and implementing innovative new services at the graduate employment stage of the JS Group student journey.
Tricia currently runs a consultancy and coaching business TKCC that she established in 2019.
Professor Michael Thorne has worked at UCL and Cardiff University, and was Pro Vice Chancellor at Sunderland, Vice Principal at Napier in Edinburgh, Vice Chancellor at the University of East London and prior to his retirement, Vice Chancellor at Anglia Ruskin University. He has chaired the government’s Advisory Committee on Libraries, the Parliamentary Skills Commission’s enquiry into Information, Advice and Guidance and was a member of the Board of the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education. He has most recently been appointed as the new independent Chair of the Mid and South Essex NHS Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP).
Aaron brings extensive experience in higher education governance, policy, and leadership to JS Group. He holds senior roles including Chair of BPP University and Deputy Chair of Goldsmiths, and leads a national development programme for university boards with Advance HE.
With a portfolio of board and advisory positions across education, professional services, and the not-for-profit sector, Aaron provides valuable expertise and connections to support JS Group’s mission of transforming the delivery and impact of financial support.
Chairman and CEO
Under Peter's leadership JS Group has become one of the most innovative companies in the UK Higher Education sector with a clear purpose of delivering better student outcomes.
Peter started his career as an engineer before moving to work in the family library supply business in 1990. In 2001 Peter bought John Smith & Son’s, an historic Scottish academic book retailer which traces its roots back to 1751.
During Peter’s tenure, he grew the academic retailing side to eventually include 32 shops in universities across the UK, a Legal Information Services business with a base in Fleet Street and a technology company that serviced the business needs.
In 2002 Peter was asked by the Government of Botswana to help them ensure university students in the country we able to use their government allowances to get the things they needed to succeed rather than to see the money wasted or taken into general living expenses. This initiative led to the creation and development of the Aspire technology platform, which manages bursaries and scholarships on behalf of universities to facilitate students being able to use their funds to buy the tools for study.
With clear data and analytics to help universities realise what their financial awards were being used for and, more importantly to shine a spotlight on student need it transformed how universities and government viewed their financial interventions for students.
With the growth in higher education in the UK and the strong footprint the Group already had, the Aspire platform was bought back to the UK and further developed into what is today the leading cashless bursary distribution mechanism in the UK. In 2019 Peter reorganised the Group, divesting the retail, legal and international businesses and now its entire focus is on its Aspire platform and unique delivery model in UK Higher Education, working with more than 40 universities and 400,000 students annually.
Throughout this journey Peter has built a very strong team that brings together both corporate and HE sector experience with a combined passion for helping students get the best out of their time at university and with a strong focus on developing new, innovative services to help deliver better student outcomes.
Peter Gray
Chairman and CEO
Under Peter's leadership JS Group has become one of the most innovative companies in the UK Higher Education sector with a clear purpose of delivering better student outcomes.
Peter started his career as an engineer before moving to work in the family library supply business in 1990. In 2001 Peter bought John Smith & Son’s, an historic Scottish academic book retailer which traces its roots back to 1751.
During Peter’s tenure, he grew the academic retailing side to eventually include 32 shops in universities across the UK, a Legal Information Services business with a base in Fleet Street and a technology company that serviced the business needs.
In 2002 Peter was asked by the Government of Botswana to help them ensure university students in the country we able to use their government allowances to get the things they needed to succeed rather than to see the money wasted or taken into general living expenses. This initiative led to the creation and development of the Aspire technology platform, which manages bursaries and scholarships on behalf of universities to facilitate students being able to use their funds to buy the tools for study.
With clear data and analytics to help universities realise what their financial awards were being used for and, more importantly to shine a spotlight on student need it transformed how universities and government viewed their financial interventions for students.
With the growth in higher education in the UK and the strong footprint the Group already had, the Aspire platform was bought back to the UK and further developed into what is today the leading cashless bursary distribution mechanism in the UK. In 2019 Peter reorganised the Group, divesting the retail, legal and international businesses and now its entire focus is on its Aspire platform and unique delivery model in UK Higher Education, working with more than 30 universities and 250,000 students annually.
Throughout this journey Peter has built a very strong team that brings together both corporate and HE sector experience with a combined passion for helping students get the best out of their time at university and with a strong focus on developing new, innovative services to help deliver better student outcomes.
CCO
David has been at the forefront of the JS Group transformation over his 13 years in the business, with his leadership playing a major role in developing our Aspire service.
David has extensive experience in building and managing long-term relationships with our university partners and leads on JS Groups discussions with both the HE sector and emerging adjacent sectors around the value that Aspire can add in giving optionality and control to funders, and agency to beneficiaries.
CFO
Nick leads the Finance and HR function and has overall control and responsibility for all financial aspects of the JS Group.
Prior to JS Group Nick spent 5 years at Capita, where he was CFO of Capita Technology Solutions and most recently Managing Director of two resource management software companies. Nick has a wealth of financial and operational experience across a number of complex technology-based organisations having held senior positions at Talk Talk, BT, Thomas Cook and KPMG.
Chief Strategy Officer
Peter is responsible for strategy at JS Group working with clients and partners to see how our existing services can be improved to deliver better outcomes and what new services and collaborations can be developed to help transform the delivery and impact of financial support. Prior to joining the JS Group in 2011, Peter held senior management positions in the information sector.
IT Director
Brad leads the IT team at JS Group, overseeing the development of the Aspire platform and the company’s data and analytics strategy. With more than 30 years’ experience in hardware, software, and enterprise IT leadership, his career began with high-availability systems for the Ministry of Defence and the European Space Agency, instilling a focus on reliability and security.
He later specialised in software development for major institutions and retailers, including Waterstones and The British Museum. Since designing the first Aspire platform in 2006, and as IT Director since 2009, Brad has driven its ongoing innovation and impact.
Director of Programmes
Dawn has worked for JS Group for 15 years and as Director of Programmes, Dawn holds ownership of our Aspire product, working closely with our partners to drive product development to ensure that Aspire meets their changing needs. Dawn also heads up our project function, overseeing the planning, execution & completion across all JS Group's projects.
Director of Communications & Marketing
Gemma has over a decade of experience leading high-impact marketing, communications, and partnership strategies across the Higher Education and commercial sectors. She currently leads the JS Group’s brand, corporate and student communications, PR, events and strategic partnerships, aligning our voice, visibility, and services to drive growth and achieve strategic goals.
Non-Executive Director
Hugo brings a wealth of experience in strategy, business growth, and transformation to JS Group. His career spans leadership roles across FMCG, technology, and food industries, including CEO positions at Samworth Brothers and Brakes, as well as senior roles at Coca-Cola Enterprises, LexisNexis, and Sage. Currently Chairman of First Milk and a member of Swansea University’s School of Management Advisory Board, Hugo provides independent insight and strategic expertise to help shape the future direction of JS Group.
Non-Executive Director
Stuart has been a trusted Non-Executive Director at JS Group for over 20 years, supporting the business through key phases of change, from John Smith’s bookshops to the development of Aspire in Botswana and the Group’s more recent Aspire Cash focus. A former Partner at Deloitte, Stuart led the Corporate Finance practice in the South West of England, specialising in strategy development, capital raising, mergers and acquisitions, and succession planning. At JS Group, he combines challenge with support, bringing valuable financial and strategic expertise to guide the business as it continues to evolve.
