Denys Shortt
Denys C. Shortt OBE is a British businessman.[1]
Early life
Shortt attended Eagle House Prep School in Surrey and Warwick School in Warwick. At Warwick School he was selected to play hockey for England at age 15. He played for England at U16, u18 and U21 levels for both indoor and outdoor hockey.
Career
Shortt founded DCS Europe plc in 1994 at his home in a stable block in Buckland, Broadway, England.[2] In 2012 DCS employed 250 people with sales of £148 million.[3] The company distributes health and beauty products.[4] In 2020 DCS Group UK Ltd employed 400 people with sales of £268 million and are now headquartered in Banbury, Oxfordshire, England. The company also owns a new toiletries factory in Redditch, Worcestershire, England. In 2022 DCS Group UK Ltd reached annual sales of £320m.
In 2000 he started Enable Software with co-founder Andrew Butt. Enable Software now employs 25 with annual sales of £1.7 million. In 2021 Enable raised $45 million in a Series B funding. The company is now headquartered in San Francisco and employs over 150. In 2023 Enable.com raised a Series D of $120m to become a Unicorn - valued at over $1bn. Total amount raised $276m
Pro-bono activities
In Dec 2010 Shortt became Chairman of the Coventry & Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership.[5][6] He retired in May 2012.[7]
He was on the advisory Board of Warwick Business School, and he was a Director of Stratford Town Football Club.
Shortt founded an organization "Business Supporting Stratford" to facilitate charitable donations from Stratford area businesses.[8][9]
Awards
Shortt was 2000 Entrepreneur of the Year[10] and he was presented with a Growing Business Award in 2011.[11]
Shortt was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to the Economy in the West Midlands.[12][13]
Personal life
Shortt is married with a son and daughter.[3] He is a helicopter pilot. He was Chairman of the Ladykillers Hockey Club.
References
- ^ "Review into Stratford combined authority snub looks likely" Archived 2016-01-01 at the Wayback Machine. Stratford-upon-Avon Herald, 10th Jan 2016
- ^ Denys Shortt of DCS Europe praises LinkedIn for revenue increase THEBUSINESSDESK.COM
- ^ a b " Stratford millionaire is reliant on his wife's cows". Birmingham Post 28 Nov 2015
- ^ "Making connections ". Business Quarterly, 1 Sep 2015
- ^ Birmingham Post: Business news, local news, expert opinion
- ^ Rural growth for Warwickshire – Warwickshire News
- ^ Business News: Denys Shortt leaves strong legacy at Coventry and Warwickshire LEP - Coventry Telegraph
- ^ Business Supporting Stratford "‘Let us Help ‘ – Business Supporting Stratford ". Stratford Observer, Aug 06, 2015
- ^ "Businesses in Stratford are here to help". Stratford Observer, Nov 12, 2015 Sophie Heaviside
- ^ Central region awards recipients EY
- ^ winner "Growing Business Awards 2011 winners revealed" Real Business.
- ^ Business News: Shortt's OBE well deserved, says MP - Coventry Telegraph
- ^ Stratford's Denys Shortt branded one of the UK's great entrepeneurs [sic] after OBE - Coventry Telegraph
