stuart rose biography

Stuart A. Rose 76B

Executive Chair of the Board and Founder REX American Resources Corporation Vice Chair, Oil Shale Exploration Company Dayton, Ohio

Stuart A. Rose is executive chair of the board and founder of REX American Resources Corporation, a New York Stock Exchange company that is one of the leading ethanol producers in the world. He is also vice chair of the Oil Shale Exploration Company based in Utah and owned by the country of Estonia.

Arguably, Rose's greatest love is books. He is a rare book collector of international acclaim with a distinguished and extensive private library that spans centuries of the arts, literature, and the sciences. The Stuart Rose Family Foundation, of which Rose is chair and president, focuses on children's programs, rare book libraries, and education and cultural projects. In 2013, Rose was appointed as a board member and head of the collection committee of the Folger Shakespeare Library board of governors.

A gift from Rose in 2013 made possible Emory's purchase of a collection of rare manuscripts by some of the world's great poets, from an unpublished poem by John Clare to drafts of works by Sylvia Plath, Ted Hughes, Samuel Beckett, W. B. Yeats, Seamus Heaney, and Derek Mahon. In fall 2015, Emory's Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library (MARBL) was renamed in his honor, in recognition for his ongoing support and significant gift to MARBL.

He was elected trustee in 2016.

Stuart Rose

Preserving knowledge.

“Every great university should have a great rare books library,” insists  Stuart Rose 76BBA , the namesake of Emory’s Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library, Board of Trustee member, and head of the collection committee of the Folgers Library Board of Governors, the top Shakespeare rare book library in the world.  An entrepreneur turned book collector of international fame, Rose’s admitted “obsession” with books, combined with his great loyalty to Emory, have helped elevate the university’s archives – recently renamed the Rose Library – into what past curator and visiting professor Kevin Young calls “a living collection that would look very different without Stuart’s support.”

As a child growing up in a “normal” family of four in New Orleans, Rose first dreamed of owning his own business. The child of a stockbroker dad and a homemaker mom, Rose set his sights on obtaining a business degree from Emory in the 1970s. He came away with not only a first-class business education but a growing appreciation for the humanities that would change the course of his life.

“It was a great education,” Rose recalls, citing a literature class taught by Bill Fox as a major influence.

“To this day, no one works harder than Emory in terms of people putting in hard work and being enthusiastic about learning," he said. "Emory made me think big versus just thinking locally. I learned how to be in business and make the world a better place. And of course, to do that you first need to make money.”

Upon graduation, Rose moved to New York and began working for Bain & Company, where he “learned management strategy for big companies,” citing Bain himself as an early influence. Rose then acquired four consumer electronic stores called Niederhoffer and Co., where he learned much about “valuing business and buying and selling businesses.”  In 1980 that company became RexAmerican Resources, currently on the New York stock exchange under the REX symbol, one of the largest and most successful alternative fuel companies making ethanol. Rose is the founder and executive chairman. Around this time, Rose moved permanently to Dayton, Ohio to run his business.

He also began his largest passion: collecting rare books.

“Book collecting is an amazing field,” Rose recalls. “This hobby has taken more time than my business.”

Rose admits he probably doesn’t collect in the “right” way.

"Most people become experts in one field, say science or literature," he said. "I’ve tried to go into every field—religion, philosophy, architecture, you name it, I’ve gotten into it. And I’ve tried to buy all the very best, the high spots in each field.”

Past curator of both Emory’s literary collections and the Raymond Danowski Poetry Library Kevin Young insists Rose’s collecting style is spot-on.

“I had the good fortune of seeing his private collection and I was immediately struck by the resourcefulness of the collector and the excellence of the collection,” Young said. “I was struck by the quality of the books. Stuart knows what he wants and he wants the best copy that he can find. He had a copy of  On the Road , with a jacket that talks about Kerouac in the time in which it was published. It’s a unique copy that teaches us about the history of literature.”

Rose’s passion for influential books that have changed the course of history have left an indelible mark on Emory’s collection.

“He not only donated money, he donated his own books to the library,” Young notes. “Books are the holder of information and vehicles for knowledge in a broader sense. Stuart recognizes the way books are telling in ways little else is.”

When Rosemary Magee, former director of the library archives, first received her director appointment, she began working side-by-side with Rose to build the collection.

“He coached me along the way, offered advice as needed, and then gave me the opportunity to make my own calls and decisions,” Magee said.

A gift from Rose in 2013 made possible Emory’s purchase of a collection of rare manuscripts by some of the world’s great poets. In the fall of 2015 Emory’s Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library (MARBL) was renamed in honor of Rose, out of recognition for his ongoing support and significant gift to MARBL.

“Over the time I’ve known Stuart, he has often called to say that he heard of a collection or a rare volume that the library might like to consider," Magee said. "This is how we acquired a first edition of David Walker's 19th-century anti-slavery book, 'Appeal,' owned and signed by W. E. B. Du Bois. Only a few first editions of 'Appeal' are known to exist, and Stuart brought this distinctive volume to our attention.

Rose cites Emory’s commitment to encouraging student interaction with the books as one of the reasons he donates.

“Every school says that all students can use the library," he said. "At Emory they actually do it, and most don’t. At many colleges, the students don’t know they have one of the greatest college libraries in the world. At Emory, they use the books in the curriculum.”

Today Rose’s passion includes spending times with this wife, Mimi, and their five daughters, two of whom are in the process of deciding which college to attend. He is currently seeking first editions by Plato, Machiavelli and Cervantes.

“Is there a magic to books? Yes. To me, the fact that I’m reading a book that changed or entertained the world for hundreds of years is magical – especially a first edition or a manuscript that has scratch-outs," Rose said. "How do you think of something like gravity? Or putting a plane in their air? Or writing a play? I enjoy books more than anything else.”

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Stuart Rose

He originally joined Marks & Spencer in 1971, going on to manage a series of other retail chains before returning as CEO and then Chairman. He is a Non-Executive Director of Woolworths (South Africa), and Chairman of Ocado, Fat Face, Oasis Healthcare Group and The Healing Foundation, a medical charity. He was knighted in 2008 and made a life peer in September 2014. 

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Stuart A. Rose

Executive chair of the board and founder, rex american resources corporation.

A Dayton, Ohio, businessman, Stuart A. Rose is Executive Chair of the Board and Founder of REX American Resources Corporation, a New York Stock Exchange company that is one of the leading ethanol producers in the world. He is a rare book collector of international acclaim with a distinguished and extensive private library that spans centuries of the arts, literature, and the sciences.

The Stuart Rose Family Foundation, of which Rose is chair and president, focuses on children’s programs, rare book libraries, and education and cultural projects. In 2013, Rose was appointed as a board member and head of the collection committee of the Folgers Library Board of Governors, the top Shakespeare rare book library in the world. A gift from Rose in 2013 made possible Emory’s purchase of a collection of rare manuscripts by some of the world’s great poets, from an unpublished poem by John Clare to drafts of works by Sylvia Plath, Ted Hughes, Samuel Beckett, W. B. Yeats, Seamus Heaney, and Derek Mahon. In fall 2015, Emory’s Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library (MARBL) was renamed in honor of Rose, out of recognition for his ongoing support and significant gift to MARBL.

Stuart Rose

• Business Leader

Knighted in 2008 for services to the retail industry, Stuart Rose has been a retail icon for more than two decades. Best known for his roles within Marks and Spencer, Rose has also worked with businesses as diverse as Burton Group, Argos and Booker Plc. Now working as Chairman of online retailer Ocado, he is in demand as a speaker, a role in which he shares his experiences and insights with clients from all sectors.

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Stuart Rose 's 2024 biography

Stuart rose’s background.

One of the most prominent figures in UK retail, Stuart Rose was formerly Chairman and Chief Executive of Marks and Spencer and is now Chairman of Ocado.

During his seven years at the helm of Marks and Spencer, Sir Stuart Rose helped to revive the once struggling retailer. Using his business acumen, vision, enthusiasm and determination, he was able to win the respect of his rivals and the support of not only his colleagues but of the general public. His leadership truly transformed Marks and Spencer’s fortunes; once a mainstay of the British high street known for product quality, the brand had been in decline. Rose quickly established what customers wanted and then made it happen. He created a company ahead of the competition in terms of environmental sustainability and ethical practices, introduced new product lines and brought a new sense of dynamism and energy to the brand, pleasing existing customers and winning new ones in the process. Since leaving M&S in 2011, he has worked similar magic for other businesses and is currently an independent non-executive director and chairman designate of the online retailer Ocado, a non-executive chairman of Dressipi.com and non-executive director of Woolworths Holdings Ltd.

Rose began his retail career as a management trainee at M&S in 1972, gradually gaining experience and rising through the ranks. After almost twenty years with the company, he moved on to become the Chief Executive of Burton Group. His success within the role saw him move on to senior positions at other retailers, including Argos, Booker Plc (which merged with Iceland to become Big Food Group under his leadership) and Arcadia Group. He returned to M&S in 2004.

Awards, Accolades, Achievements, Honours

• Appointed a Conservative Life Peer in the House of Lords (2014)
• Knighthood New Year Honours (2008)
• Chairman – Business in the Community (2008)
• Business Leader of the Year – World Leadership Forum (2006)
• Chairman of Britain Stronger in Europe Campaign (2015)

Current/Past Roles and Positions

• Former Executive Chairman (2008 – 2011) and Chief Executive (2004 – 2010) of Marks and Spencer
• Retail leadership guru
• Current Non-Executive Director of Ocado, Dressipi.com and Woolworths Holdings Ltd
• Advisor to the Government on turning around failing NHS hospitals and improving the culture within the organization.
• Campaign Chair of the Britain Stronger In Europe Campaign

Speaking Style

Rose transmits the energy which he used to transform several UK retail giants to eager audiences as his talks, recounting experiences and offering invaluable advice.

Stuart Rose 's 2024 talks & topics

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Stuart Rose: "Being CEO isn't the be-all and end-all. It's exhausting"

The former ceo of m&s on growing up in a caravan, de-stressing and the difference between business and politics..

I lived in a caravan in Warwickshire with my parents and sister until I was four. We cooked, ate and slept inside those paper-thin four walls and it was fucking freezing. My parents were both immigrants. My father was born in China to Russian parents; he came here when he was 15 and joined the RAF when war broke out. My mother was born in Egypt and came here in her teens. They were both displaced. They wanted to make a decent living but they didn’t have a bean. I remember my father finding an old Meccano toy in the mud while he was digging a latrine outside our caravan – he stuck it together and that was my Christmas present.

My father got a job with the civil service in what is now Tanzania. After three weeks on the SS Uganda steamship, we found ourselves in a comfy bungalow in the middle of the African bush with a cook and a gardener. Our lives were transformed. The sun shone, and my sister and I spent every afternoon on the beach after school. But when Tanzania became independent in the early 1960s, we moved back to England.

My father found work as an administrator and I was sent to Bootham, a Quaker-run boarding school in York. We couldn’t afford it – and I wasn’t bright enough to get a scholarship – but my parents scraped together every last penny to make sure I had a good education. The school was less about academic achievement and more about developing well rounded students. Looking back, I wouldn’t have sent myself there. There wasn’t enough discipline; I’m better under pressure. 

Early career

My mum was desperate for me to become a doctor but instead I got accepted on the Marks & Spencer graduate trainee scheme, with a starting salary of £1,250. If I was given a job to do, I’d do it to the best of my ability – and someone would always notice. Bosses like to surround themselves with people who get the hard work done. 

The top job

There’s a perception that if you don’t get to the top fast, you’re a failure. But being a chief executive isn’t the be-all and end-all. It’s exhausting, it requires a great deal of sacrifice and there’s no work/life balance. The job I enjoyed the most was being a senior manager, heading my own department, with a boss who trusted me. I had a fabulous time – and I wasn’t lying in bed until 2am worrying about the company.

The chief executive’s job is to run the company. The chairman’s job is to run the board. I took on both roles at the same time at Marks & Spencer, much to everyone’s chagrin. I’m unrepentant about that. The board thought it was necessary. I tried to do my best for the business – and I certainly left it in a better state than when I inherited it.  

I was an absent father. When I started my career, there was no paternity leave and no such thing as flexible working. I missed the school plays and sports days – I left all that to my wife. Of course, it caused friction and there were painful years; we ended up getting a divorce. Do I have regrets? No. My children benefitted from a more comfortable lifestyle because of those decisions.

I’m 70 now and I still work six days a week. Why would I retire? I still get a buzz out of work. I know, to the penny, how much money I have in my bank account every day. It’s in my DNA to worry about cash and my career. I never want to be back in that caravan.

I was cajoled into being involved in the Britain Stronger in Europe campaign. Nobody else would stand up. I didn’t realise how brutal politicians are and I was ambushed pretty early on. I’m a conservative with a small c and I have a deep and abiding interest in what happens to our country – but that whole episode was a reminder that I should stick to what I’m good at.

Business people are doers; politicians are talkers. People care less now about the outcome of Brexit – they just want a decision. I worry that Britain will have a lost decade of growth in an incredibly competitive world.  

Staying sane

I never bear grudges and I’m an optimist. If I start to feel stressed, I’ll take time out and run around Hyde Park or go to the gym for a couple of hours and beat the shit out of myself. Reading also helps me to relax; I usually have about 10 books on the go at the same time. I’ve just finished Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup , which was fantastic.

Every morning, I’ll open the paper (usually The Times or The Daily Telegraph ) and read the obituaries to see who’s died. I’m constantly fascinated by how much people manage to cram into their lives. It’s genuinely humbling and motivating. Next, I turn to the business section, which is altogether less cheering.

Image credit: NHS Confederation/Flickr (Creative Commons)

Hermann Hauser: "An A team with C technology wins over a C team with A technology every time"

Stuart Rose

• Born November 21 , 1950 · Eton, Buckinghamshire, England, UK
• Birth name Stuart William Rose
• Height 5′ 8″ (1.73 m)
• Stuart Rose was born on November 21, 1950 in Eton, Buckinghamshire, England, UK. He is an art director, known for Ready Player One (2018) , Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) and Hugo (2011) .
• He used to own an architectural salvage business in his home town of Chertsey.

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