Kevin McNeany

Kevin McNeany (born 1943 Keady, Northern Ireland), is a Northern Irish entrepreneur in the education and international education sectors. He was described in The Guardian in 2003 as "probably the country's richest teacher, worth an estimated £15 million".

Life and career 1944-2004: Early life and Nord Anglia Kevin McNeany was born circa 1943 in Keady, Northern Ireland. He retired as chairman of Nord Anglia Education in December 2004, after being part of the company for 32 years.

2005-2014: Founding Acorn and Orbital In 2005, founded Acorn Care and Education,

In April 2012, he sold all but a 2.5% stake of his share in Nord Anglia, shortly after retiring from the company. The year prior, it had become Britain's largest nursery group.

At the start of 2013, McNeany owned the Manchester Academy of English, after first investing in 2008. He sold the stake in 2013 for £3 million, retiring as chairman. In 2014, he owned 14 nurseries linked to existing independent schools. Kevin received the "Outstanding individual contribution" accolade at the Education Investor awards on November 13, 2014, for contributions to the education sector.

2015-2025 In 2019, he remained chairman of Orbital Education. In 2023, he was present at the opening of United School International on The Pearl Island. At the time, he remained Orbital chair and vice chairman of United Schools International, a school opened in 2022 as a partnership between Orbital and United Development Company (UDC).