

Jonathan began his professional career as a management trainee with the Curzon Group in 1973 and spent 17 years working in various business sectors, gaining a wealth of invaluable experience, leading to his appointment as head of its PR division, which he maintained before leaving the group in 1990 following its sale. As an elite sportsman himself, Jonathan has always had a keen interest in sport, so a progression into sports management was the natural next step and resulted in him establishing the Stellar Group with business partner David Manasseh in 1992. Over the years Jonathan has become synonymous with sporting success, from initially discovering and nurturing major talents such as Glen Johnson, Peter Crouch and Ledley King in football, managing world record holding cricketer Brian Lara and being the only man to have been involved in managing two heavyweight world boxing champions at the same time in Lennox Lewis and Michael Bent. His success and influence even reached world leaders, when Nelson Mandela asked him to help bring the West Indies and Pakistan cricket teams to South Africa following the end of Apartheid. More recently, Jonathan’s most notable success culminated in the world record transfer of Gareth Bale to Real Madrid and being named most powerful agent in the world by Forbes Magazine.

JONATHAN BARNETT
EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN


When David left Harrow School in 1988, he had to decide on whether to pursue a career in cricket with Somerset who had offered him a contract or a professional career in the property sector with Clive Lewis & Partners. He decided on a career in the property sector and became a key member of their team and also continued his cricket as a playing captain of the MCC. In 1992 David established the Stellar Group with business partner Jonathan Barnett; he lives and breathes his business and is at the forefront of the unprecedented growth in clients over the last decade. David not only has a good eye for footballing talent and has recruited some of the game’s biggest stars at a young age, including Gareth Bale, Ashley Cole, Joe Hart, Adam Lallana and Luke Shaw to name a few but he has an incredible understanding of the management needs of his clients. David is responsible for the day to day running of the football business and is very much a hands on Managing Director driving the business forward at every opportunity. He is a key player in European football, incredibly well connected and respected throughout the industry. David spends the little spare time that he has when not watching sport with his wife and children.
