Jonathan Sands - Founder and CEO

Jonathan Sands has owned and operated businesses for the last 30 years, having worked with some of the largest franchises in the Film Industry, including Star Wars, James Bond and Harry Potter.

In this time, he has led creative and commercial teams to create ‘best-in-class’, ‘record breaking’, consumer-based experiences in both physical and digital spaces.

Career Highlights

In 2007, Jonathan curated and produced Star Wars: The Exhibition, a groundbreaking attraction in 2007/2008 at County Hall. The exhibition featured the largest collection of original costumes and artefacts from the Lucasfilm Archives and developed experiential activations such as the Live Action - Jedi Academy.

Jonathan went on to establish the London Film Museum in 2008, which became a staple in Covent Garden for a decade. He curated multiple celebrated exhibitions, including Chaplin: The Great Londoner, Harryhausen: Myths and Legends, London on Film, Magnum on Set,and Bond in Motion—the latter being one of the longest-running exhibitions in the Museum’s history, featuring the largest official collection of James Bond vehicles.

In 2012, Jonathan co-founded and built The Harry Potter Shop at Platform 9 3/4, King’s Cross Station before any retail for HP had been established, under a licence from Warner Bros. Consumer Products. The shop rapidly expanded and became a fan-favourite destination, boasting record breaking performances, later extending to Heathrow and Gatwick airports whilst building a significant product development program through its central Creative and Retail division.

He also oversaw the retail operations for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in London and its expansions to New York, Melbourne, and San Francisco.

The business was acquired by Warner Bros Studios in 2018.

Following the sale of the business, Jonathan became SVP of Creative & Retail for Warner Bros. where he remained until 2021, helping to drive a number of concepts forward, including the Flagship HP Store in New York.

Following Jonathan’s departure, he formed Sands Consulting, which specialises in Branded and Destination retail at every level, advising International organisations inc. Warner Bros, Pophouse/ABBA The Museum and reimagined retail strategies for the National Gallery.

The group prides itself on practicing what they preach and owning and operating a number of retail endeavours including a partnership with Blast.TV, providing global merchandise solutions for live championships, covering popular esports like Fortnite, Rocket League, Rainbow Six, and Counter-Strike. Additionally, he oversees retail and licensing activity for WHAM!, developing fan-centric events and products for one of the most successful pop acts of the 1980s.