Nicholas Wheeler

For the professor of international politics, see Nicholas J. Wheeler. For the musician with The All-American Rejects, see Nick Wheeler.

Nicholas Wheeler
OBE
Born
Nicholas Charles Tyrwhitt Wheeler

(1965-01-20) January 20, 1965 (age 59)
Ludlow, Shropshire, UK
EducationEton College
Alma materUniversity of Bristol
OccupationEntrepreneur
Known forFounder of Charles Tyrwhitt
Spouse
​
(m. 1995)​
Children4

Nicholas Charles Tyrwhitt Wheeler OBE (born 20 January 1965) is an English businessman. In 1986, he established the Charles Tyrwhitt company and shirt brand, which he owns.[1]

Wheeler was born in Ludlow, Shropshire and was educated at the Dragon School in Oxford and Eton College. At Eton, he was a classmate of former Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.[2] After Eton, Wheeler attended the University of Bristol, where he studied geography. His first job was as a management consultant for Bain & Company.[3][4]

In November 1986, with the assistance of financing from his family and said connections, he set up Charles Tyrwhitt, a shirt brand in the United Kingdom.[5] It grew to be the UK's largest mail order shirt business, and it also has several brick and mortar locations.[6]

In 2008, he was a regional judge for the Entrepreneur Challenge in the UK.[7]

Personal life

Wheeler is married to Chrissie Rucker, founder of The White Company.[8] They have four children: Tom, Ella, India and Bea.[9] His sister, Susie Cummings, is founder and CEO of Nurole, the online head-hunting platform.

In 2010, Wheeler supported the Conservatives in the 2010 general election.[10] He voted in favour of the UK's withdrawal from the European Union in 2016.[11]

As of 2020, Wheeler and his wife's collective wealth was estimated at £427 million by the Sunday Times Rich List.[12] In 2016 Wheeler was reported as owning Tythrop Park in Buckinghamshire and a duplex penthouse chalet in Klosters, Switzerland.[13]

The Wheeler Programme

In 2017, Wheeler founded a fully-funded educational programme for around 20 students per year, named "The Wheeler Programme". This has 100 students from local partnering schools at any one time, each student joining in Year 9, before graduating from the programme at the end of Year 13.

Wheeler funds for each of these children to have this experience at Wellington College,[14] a co-educational school in Crowthorne, Berkshire.

When asked to comment, Wheeler said: “Our graduating students are an incredible group of individuals. I have no doubt that they will go on to achieve great things. We have worked hard over the last five years to ensure that they have been given the confidence and skills to make a difference, to not just their own world, but also to the world of all those around them.”[15]

References

  1. ^ Davidson, Andrew (13 December 2009). "Nick Wheeler, founder of Charles Tyrwhitt" [Published as 'The old Etonian barrow boy', page 6 (paper version)]. Business section. The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 11 June 2011.
  2. ^ Klajn, Yoni (14 September 2021). "A Cut Above". Mishpacha Magazine. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  3. ^ "About Nick Wheeler | Charles Tyrwhitt". www.charlestyrwhitt.com. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  4. ^ "Charles Tyrwhitt founder, Nick Wheeler: 'I'm allergic to bureaucracy'". the Guardian. 27 July 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  5. ^ "Our history". www.ctshirts.co.uk. Charles Tyrwhitt. Archived from the original on 27 December 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  6. ^ Arnott, Sarah (15 October 2009). "Nick Wheeler: From failed photographer to Jermyn Street's king of the shirts". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 19 June 2022.
  7. ^ Morrison, Doug (23 March 2008). "Nick Wheeler of Charles Tyrwhitt Shirts says that work should be fun". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 12 June 2011.
  8. ^ Shah, Oliver (31 January 2016). "Cotton queen". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  9. ^ "The White Company founder Chrissie Rucker's dazzling life". House & Garden. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  10. ^ "General Election 2010: 30 more business leaders back Tories on National Insurance". www.telegraph.co.uk. 7 April 2010. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  11. ^ Dunn, Will (20 December 2021). ""Subconsciously, it does influence people": Nick Wheeler on the power of clothes". New Statesman. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  12. ^ "Rich List 2020: profiles 304-399". The Sunday Times. 16 May 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  13. ^ Grainger, Lisa (4 February 2016). "Klosters, Switzerland: inside the White Company's ski chalet". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  14. ^ "An Introduction to Wellington". Wellington College. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  15. ^ kmartin (17 November 2021). "The Wheeler Programme: A Transformational Opportunity for Partner State School Pupils". Wellington College. Retrieved 30 June 2023.