John Burns (businessman)

John Burns
Born	John David Burns May 1944 (age 73) UK
Nationality	British
Occupation	CEO of Derwent London, property developer, surveyor
Salary	£ 2,488,000 (fiscal year 2013)
Spouse(s)	Married
Children	2
Relatives	Richard Livingstone (former son-in-law)

John David Burns (born May 1944) is a British chartered surveyor and property developer, founder and CEO of the FTSE 250-listed Derwent London.

John David Burns was born in May 1944. According to Burns, he entered estate agency on the advice of his mother, "My mother said it was a very gentlemanly business, which it was at the time and still is today, to a degree." He trained as a chartered surveyor.

In 1961, Burns joined Hillier Parker as a property negotiator. In 1965, he became a partner in the estate agency Barnet Baker. In 1974, he became a senior partner in the estate agency Pilcher Hershman, a position which he still holds.

In 1984, Burns was looking for a shell company to manage his property interests and chose the Derwent Valley Light Railway Company, which was then the owner of a few disused railway stations and valued at £1.5m. This became Derwent London, with Burns as its CEO.

Burns is married with two grown-up children. In 1997, his daughter Claire married the billionaire property developer Richard Livingstone. They later divorced.

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Wikipedia