CEO of Busy Bees appointed head of global education and training company
Catherine Gaunt
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
The founder of the largest nursery group in the UK has been appointed as interim chief executive officer of Knowledge Universe.
John Woodward, chief executive of the Busy Bees Group, will be based in Singapore, but will remain as CEO of the two companies he started.
Knowledge Universe is the largest for-profit education and training company in the US and the largest majority shareholder in Busy Bees, acquiring the stake in 2009, after previous owners ABC Learning Centres went into receivership.
At the same time Mr Woodward and the original founders and management team of Busy Bees were able to buy back a substantial share in the business.
Mr Woodward told Nursery World, ‘The appointment reflects the success of the Busy Bees team over the years and the ability of the individuals to work together, and with our global partners.’
In a statement the Busy Bees Group said, ‘After long consideration, and following discussion with the Knowledge Universe board, Peter Maslen has resigned as CEO of the Global Knowledge Universe business. His decision is entirely personal, and reflects a need to focus on some recurring health issues that he has experienced over the last year while also wanting to slow down and dedicate quality time to his family.
‘While the Knowledge Universe board considers long-term leadership for our global business, John Woodward, chief executive officer of Busy Bees has been asked to assume day-to-day management in the interim, with the executive council reporting to him.
‘Over the next few months John will be spending time in both Singapore and the USA but he will continue with his current responsibilities for the UK nurseries and benefits businesses.’
Mr Woodward, who started his career as a PE and maths teacher, set up Busy Bees 30 years ago this year with Lynn Woodward and their friends Margaret Randles and David Thackery. Busy Bees' first nursery opened in a converted house in Staffordshire. The company has grown to be the largest provider of nursery places in the UK and is now a multi-million pound nursery and childcare voucher business. Margaret Randles is now managing director of the company.
The major acquisition of Just Learning’s 71 nurseries last August means that the group now offers 19,500 childcare places, nearly twice as many places as the second largest nursery chain Bright Horizons, and owns and manages 214 nurseries and crèches throughout the UK.
Busy Bees launched its first childcare voucher scheme in 1998 before selling the business to share registration company Computershare in 2008 for £90m. More than 12,000 organisations and 100,000 parents were using Busy Bees childcare vouchers when it was sold to Computershare.
In December 2010 Mr Woodward returned to the childcare voucher market launching Busy Bees Benefits.
The company is campaigning to raise the weekly childcare voucher cap allowance from £55 to £75 for basic rate taxpayers, to make childcare more affordable for working parents.
