Sam Instone (born 3 August 1977) is a British businessman who is the founder and current chief executive of AES International. This organization became the fastest growing UK financial services business between 2008 and 2012 and was the winner of Sunday Times/Virgin Fast Track United Kingdom's Best Management Team Award. In the wake of the financial crisis, he is well known for promoting the mission statement 'Positive Change' as a means for the financial services sector to get better consumer, employee and corporate outcomes through the adoption of stronger core values, regulatory governance and transparency.

Career

A graduate in

War Studies War studies, sometimes called polemology, is the multi-disciplinary study of war. It pertains to the military, diplomatic, philosophical, social, political, psychological or economic dimensions of human conflict. The word ''polemology'' derives ...

from

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

and

The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academy, military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial Commissioned officer, officer train ...

, Instone served as an Airborne Officer in the operational and ceremonial squadrons of

The Household Cavalry Regiment The Household Cavalry Regiment (HCR) is an Armoured Cavalry regiment of the British Army based in Bulford Camp in Wiltshire. It is the brother regiment of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (HCMR) based at Hyde Park Barracks in London - both ...

. In 2004 he founded the international financial services organisation, AES International in Geneva which relocated to London in 2007. Initially specializing in the provision of financial services to those in hostile areas or hazardous professions he diversified AES into more mainstream and conventional international markets at this time. Instone aligned the organisation of this business to the core values, mission, structure, doctrine and operations of the western military in a manner that has become known as 'militology'. This led to The Economist Magazine describing Instone as 'The Field Marshal of Finance' and discussing the merits of applying military principles to commercial environments. These ideas first became the subject of post graduate academic study at Aston Business School and latterly at the EDHEC Business School in France as a credible management theory for organizing commercial businesses in the wake of 2007–2012 global financial crisis. Instone was a finalist in the 2013 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards and was recognised by Sir

Richard Branson Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is a British billionaire, entrepreneur, and business magnate. In the 1970s he founded the Virgin Group, which today controls more than 400 companies in various fields. Branson expressed ...

for his work in promoting militology as a credible business management strategy. He featured as an expert witness on the BBC Panorama episode entitled 'Who Stole My Pension' and regularly appears in national television and media features to discuss problems and possible solutions within the international financial services marketplace.

Personal life

Instone is a descendant of Sir

Samuel Instone Sir Samuel Instone (16 August 1878 – 9 November 1937) was a British shipping and aviation entrepreneur and the founder of the Instone Air Line. Personal history Instone was born in Gravesend, Kent, the eldest of three brothers born to Ad ...

(1878–1937) the shipping and aviation entrepreneur and the founder of the

Instone Air Line Instone Air Line was an early British airline from 1919 to 1924. Along with other private airlines of the time, it was absorbed into Imperial Airways. This airline is not to be confused with Instone Air Line (1981) of Stansted, which operated ...

. A member of the Skinners Livery Company, he was Honorary Treasurer of The London Polo Club and remains a Partner in The London Polo Academy. He married Kate in 2006 and has two sons and a daughter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Instone, Sam 1977 births Living people British businesspeople Alumni of King's College London Associates of King's College London