Education

After obtaining a Baccalaureate qualification with majors in Literature and Philosophy, Jonathan studied Business Administration at CERAM business school in France’s most established business park.

Career

Throughout his studies Jonathan was keen to begin his professional life and worked from a very young age at every available opportunity.

Aged only 16, after a chance encounter with a powerful industry insider during the Cannes film festival, Jonathan Gray worked for 3 consecutive years as a fixer in Cannes for major film distributor Buena Vista International.

From age 19 to 21, Jonathan worked for various limousine companies along the French Riviera, which served as an invaluable insight into the lives of the people he would end up both working with and providing services for through his own companies.

From 21 to 22 years of age, Jonathan Gray worked for several high net-worth Russian clients organizing bespoke holidays and providing lifestyle services. His top client at this time is probably now the wealthiest Russian living in London and has a penchant for a certain popular sport!

From 2002 to 2003 Jonathan also worked for a top international real estate investor and learned the ropes in high-end property.

Business Activities

JG
Jonathan Gray decided to launch his first company upon returning from a trip overseas in 2003. On the 2nd April 2003, at only 22 years of age, Jonathan Gray launched his own events agency: JG (originally known as JG Events).

JG was initially run from a small studio apartment in downtown Cannes but grew extremely quickly thanks to Jonathan’s local and international connections, savoir-faire and incurable enthusiasm.

A second office was opened in Barcelona in 2005 following the migration of one of JG’s most important revenue sources; the GSM world mobile phone congress.

May 2008 JG expanded to London with an office in the Mayfair neighborhood at the same time as work starts on the brand new JG Cannes concept-space offices, which are currently under construction in central Cannes.

Within months of JG’s launch, Jonathan diversified into other service areas. His experience spans from property rentals, luxury lifestyle services, temporary recruitment and video production. All Jonathan’s activities have become part of the JG Connect group.

Beauchamp Estates
Keen to maximize on the lucrative real estate sales market along the French Riviera, Jonathan Gray took an extremely beneficial strategic move to team-up with British real estate agency; Beauchamp Estates. A structure was put in place in December 2006 and the joint venture was officially carried out in July 2007.

Beauchamp Estates deals primarily in the very high-end property market focusing on a select range of exclusive, quality properties. As well as property sales, Beauchamp Estates Cannes offers corporate and seasonal rental services and has an impressive client list featuring the world’s most prestigious financial establishments.

JG Connect
As well as being the holding company for JG and Beauchamp Estates Cannes, JG Connect describes an entirely different type of activity that Jonathan Gray engages in. Using his international business network of high net-worth individuals Jonathan seeks to find capitol investment for new entrepreneurial projects that come his way. Currently Jonathan is working on a very exciting project in the very high-end automobile industry.

Quintessentially France
In 2005, Jonathan Gray became involved in the France-wide launch of exclusive global concierge company Quintessentially. Jonathan appeared on several magazine TV shows in France to talk about the new world-phenomenon of the private concierge club. Jonathan Gray currently offers concierge services to a very select number of high net-worth individuals and is also a member of a world-wide inner circle network of fixers.

Film Production
Jonathan has always dreamt of producing a film about his father’s extremely interesting and full life. A project is currently in the works for this fantastic homage to his beloved father; Martin Gray.
The film will be an adaptation of Martin Gray’s autobiographical novel; ‘For Those I Loved’.  ‘For Those I Loved’ was made into a French language feature film some 25 years ago and today Jonathan believes the time has come to retell his father’s tale to a wider, more international audience.

Personal Life

Jonathan Gray currently resides in Cannes but travels very frequently to the UK, Russia, Spain the USA for both business and pleasure.
Jonathan is currently unmarried and does not have any children. Expansion plans for his businesses are sure to provide him with ample opportunities to travel the world discovering new cultures and learning new languages. Jonathan currently speaks French, English, basic Russian and Italian..

Family

Jonathan is son to a well-known author Martin Gray. Martin’s most celebrated work “For Those I Loved” recounts his harrowing experience as a Polish Jew in the Warsaw Ghettos during the Second World War, his escape to America and the deep sadness which followed upon his eventual move to France. At 86, Martin Gray swims 1 kilometer every a day and thrives off a completely organic diet.

Jonathan Gray’s adored late mother Virginia Gray was an extraordinary influence throughout his youth and was only 20 years of age when she brought Jonathan into the world on the 24th August 1980. Jonathan thanks his mother Virginia for instilling in him his positive can-do attitude, which has served him so well in both his professional and personal life. Virginia brought light into the lives of all those that she touched and is greatly missed by all that knew and loved her.

Jonathan has 3 sisters and 2 brothers who live in different regions of France. His two oldest siblings Barbara and Larissa Gray (pictured above - left and right respectively) were invaluable in the establishment and development of JG and the later JG Connect companies. Jonathan maintains that without their support, he would not have experienced the success he has to date and that this is due by and large to the family values instilled in the JG Group from the early days.

Barbara Gray, a JG Connect shareholder, was drafted in as Account Manager for JG Events, a post which she occupied for the first 4 years of the companies’ existence. Keen to pursue a career in real estate, a sector in which she worked before joining JG Cannes, Barbara decided to embark upon a career move. Barbara Gray is currently heading up the sales department in Beauchamp Estates Cannes.

Larissa Gray joined forces with her brother Jonathan on a return trip from Cuba to set up the JG Connect companies and ended up staying 3 years in an admin / HR role. However, the pull of adventure and travel called to her again and Larissa took off to continue her world tour. Upon return to France, Larissa has moved to Paris and has recently started her own tailor-made handbag company, Sarila.

Gregory, Tom and Esther, Jonathan’s youngest siblings are all eager to join the family businesses as soon as they finish their studies.