Mike Danson is a serial entrepreneur, media proprietor, philanthropist and data guru. He is the founder and CEO of London-listed GlobalData PLC, a data analytics and consultancy business with a market value of over £1.4 billion, employing 2,000 researchers, 800 analysts and 100 journalists.
Danson began his career as a management consultant but in 1990 turned his attention to the world of data. Using funds from four credit cards, he set up Datamonitor, a subscription-based business intelligence company. Datamonitor grew quickly as Danson bought out smaller companies, broadening coverage and increasing global reach and in November 2000 the company was listed on the London Stock Exchange. In 2007 Datamonitor was sold to Informa for £502 million, just months before the global financial crash, reinforcing Mike’s reputation as a shrewd deal-maker.
Michael went on to found GlobalData in 2008, re-purchasing parts of Datamonitor in 2015.
Mike’s other business interests include ownership of The New Statesman, the left-of-centre political magazine; Spear’s Publishing; and Press Gazette....Mike Danson is a serial entrepreneur, media proprietor, philanthropist and data guru. He is the founder and CEO of London-listed GlobalData PLC, a data analytics and consultancy business with a market value of over £1.4 billion, employing 2,000 researchers, 800 analysts and 100 journalists.
Danson began his career as a management consultant but in 1990 turned his attention to the world of data. Using funds from four credit cards, he set up Datamonitor, a subscription-based business intelligence company. Datamonitor grew quickly as Danson bought out smaller companies, broadening coverage and increasing global reach and in November 2000 the company was listed on the London Stock Exchange. In 2007 Datamonitor was sold to Informa for £502 million, just months before the global financial crash, reinforcing Mike’s reputation as a shrewd deal-maker.
Michael went on to found GlobalData in 2008, re-purchasing parts of Datamonitor in 2015.
Mike’s other business interests include ownership of The New Statesman, the left-of-centre political magazine; Spear’s Publishing; and Press Gazette. He is also owner of Wigan Athletic football club and Wigan Warriors, a professional rugby league club and part of the Super League.
In 2010 Mike set up The Danson Foundation with an initial donation of £10 million. The Foundation is run by Helen Danson, Mike’s wife, and focuses on education and mental health. In 2012 the Foundation gifted £1.5 million to Danson’s Alma Mater, St Anne’s College, Oxford to provide undergraduate bursaries. It also organises internships for St Anne’s students at companies that Mike owns, or is associated with.
Mike grew up near Wigan in North West England, the grandson of miners. After completing his secondary education at Bolton Grammar School Mike went on to study at St Anne’s College, University of Oxford from where he graduated with an MA in Law.moreless
GlobalData's CEO, Mike Danson, said that the company’s product continued to deliver “mission-critical intelligence” and insights to customers, driving strong growth across both new and existing clients.
GlobalData is one of the top data and analytics companies in the world, providing expert analysis and unique data to 4,000 of the world’s largest companies across an array of sectors.
Datamonitor PLC
Founder
1990
-
2007
London, UK
Founded in 1989 by Mike Danson, Datamonitor was a global market intelligence and data analysis company serving over 6,000 clients. It was bought by Informa in 2007 for £502 million. In 2015, Danson acquired key parts of the Datamonitor business from Informa for £25 million.
The Wigan Warriors are one of the oldest and most prestigious rugby league clubs in the UK, and the most successful club in the history of world rugby league.
Founded in 1913, The New Statesman is a leading cultural and political magazine, renowned for its progressive and liberal politics and the quality of its journalism and analysis. Past contributors have included George Bernard Shaw, Virginia Woolf, George Orwell, Clive James and Andrew Marr.
Press Gazette is an online trade magazine for journalists and media leaders, covering all aspects of global news from the national and regional press, both online and in print. It is part of the New Statesman Media Group which is privately owned by Mike Danson.
Spear’s is a luxury lifestyle and wealth management media brand whose magazine has established itself as required reading for the UHNW community. It has 30,000 subscribers and is part of the New Statesman Media Group.
Established by the Danson Family in 2010, The Danson Foundation is a grant-making organisation that supports charities working in education and mental health, both in the UK and abroad. The Foundation also provides access to Mike Danson’s network and resources, organising internships and mentoring for university students at companies with which Mike has an association.
