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Garret Graham Wellesley, 8th Earl of Cowley (born 30 March 1965), styled Viscount Dangan from 1975 to 2016, is a British hereditary peer and businessman. Previously an entrepreneur in derivatives and foreign exchange trading, he is the founder and CEO of UK alternative lender Wellesley & Co.

Early life

Graham Wellesley was born in 1965, the son of Garret Wellesley, 7th Earl Cowley, and his first wife, (Elizabeth) Suzanne Lennon. He has an elder sister, Lady Tara (born 1962). He is a descendant of Henry Wellesley, 1st Baron Cowley, brother of the Duke of Wellington. He spent his early years in California before coming to the UK aged 10, where he attended the American Community School in Hillingdon, west London.

After graduating with a degree in economics from Franklin College, Switzerland, he served for 18 months in the Household Cavalry.

Career

Wellesley’s financial career began in 1985 as a derivatives trader at the London stockbroking firm Hoare Govett, from where he moved to two further derivatives trading roles at Banque Indosuez and ING Charterhouse. In 1992, he became head of foreign exchange trading at global metals trader Gerald Metals.

In 1995, he established the UK foreign exchange market maker IFX, which specialised in contracts for difference (CFDs) and spread bets on equity prices. In 1999, he and another director, Lorenzo Naldini, purchased the 51% of the business owned by its US parent company IFX Corp in a buyout that left them as sole shareholders.

In 2000, IFX was bought by the football pools operator Zetters for £20.4million in a reverse takeover, forming a new entity – IFX Group – with Wellesley as group chief executive. Two years later the company sold its pools business.

In 2003, Wellesley and Naldini left IFX following a disagreement with the board and co-founded ODL Securities, an online foreign exchange and derivatives broker.

In 2005, ODL was the whistleblower in an attempted banking fraud by US hedge fund Bayou. Bayou opened an account with ODL, depositing $101million and requesting two transactions that were refused by the management, who notified the UK Financial Services Authority.

In 2010, Wellesley and Naldini sold their 50% stake in ODL to US foreign exchange firm FXCM Holdings, creating a business employing around 1,000 staff. In December that year, the newly enlarged entity floated on the New York Stock Exchange.

In 2013, Graham Wellesley co-founded alternative lender Wellesley & Co. with three other shareholders, taking the role of chief executive. The following year the company issued what at the time was the largest ever loan by a peer-to-peer lender – a £8.3million bridging loan to a UK urban regeneration scheme.

Personal life

In 1990, Wellesley married Claire L. Brighton. The couple have two sons and a daughter:

• Henry Arthur Peter Wellesley, Viscount Dangan (born 3 December 1991)
• Lady Natasha Rose Wellesley (born 28 June 1994)
• Hon. Bertram Garret Graham Bertie Wellesley (born 12 April 1999)

Ancestry

References

1. ^ "Garret Wellesley Obituary (1934 - 2016) - Reno, NV - the Reno Journal-Gazette and Mason Valley News". www.legacy.com. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
2. ^ "Zetters spreads its bets". The Guardian. 25 August 2000. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
3. ^ Coppock, John (22 August 2002). "IFX Chief plays against odds: Nobleman Wellesley focuses on tax-free financial speculation". Wall Street Journal.
4. "IFX applies to join LME". Metal Bulletin. 15 July 1999.
5. Chisholm, Jamie (31 May 2002). "Zetters bets on transformation". Financial Times.
6. Dey, Iain (23 July 2006). "Elliot takes non-executive chair at ODL". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
7. Moore, James (27 September 2005). "London firm 'was link in US banking fraud case'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
8. Wilson, Harry (4 May 2010). "Forex broker ODL accepts US takeover". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
9. "FXCM's IPO Raises $211 Million at Midpoint of Range". Bloomberg. 2 December 2010. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
10. "Peer to peer lending market gets new risk-capital entrant". City AM. 18 November 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
11. Dunkley, Emma; Sharman, Andy (1 April 2014). "Largest P2P loan to fund urban regeneration scheme". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2016.

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Great Britain	Robert Shirley, 14th Earl Ferrers William Legge, 10th Earl of Dartmouth Peter Bennett, 10th Earl of Tankerville Charles Finch-Knightley, 12th Earl of Aylesford Richard Parker, 9th Earl of Macclesfield James Waldegrave, 13th Earl Waldegrave Charles Stanhope, 12th Earl of Harrington Quentin Wallop, 10th Earl of Portsmouth Guy Greville, 9th Earl Brooke George Hobart-Hampden, 10th Earl of Buckinghamshire Piers North, 10th Earl of Guilford Joseph Yorke, 10th Earl of Hardwicke Robin Fox-Strangways, 10th Earl of Ilchester Guy Greville, 9th Earl of Warwick William Sackville, 11th Earl De La Warr William Pleydell-Bouverie, 9th Earl of Radnor Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer Allen Bathurst, 9th Earl Bathurst George Villiers, 8th Earl of Clarendon Alexander Murray, 8th and 9th Earl of Mansfield Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 7th Earl Talbot Christopher Edgcumbe, 9th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe Charles Fortescue, 8th Earl Fortescue Alexander Murray, 9th Earl of Mansfield George Herbert, 8th Earl of Carnarvon Edward Cadogan, 9th Earl Cadogan James Harris, 7th Earl of Malmesbury
Ireland	Kingdom of Ireland Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 22nd Earl of Waterford John Boyle, 15th Earl of Cork William Anthony Nugent, 13th Earl of Westmeath John Brabazon, 15th Earl of Meath Alexander Feilding, 11th Earl of Desmond Roger Lambart, 13th Earl of Cavan John Boyle, 15th Earl of Orrery Derry Moore, 12th Earl of Drogheda Peter Forbes, 10th Earl of Granard Ivo Bligh, 12th Earl of Darnley Myles Ponsonby, 12th Earl of Bessborough Thomas Butler, 11th Earl of Carrick Henry Boyle, 10th Earl of Shannon Arthur Gore, 9th Earl of Arran Patrick Stopford, 9th Earl of Courtown John Savile, 8th Earl of Mexborough David Turnour, 8th Earl Winterton Robert King-Tenison, 12th Earl of Kingston Robert Jocelyn, 10th Earl of Roden David Vaughan, 9th Earl of Lisburne Patrick Meade, 8th Earl of Clanwilliam Randal McDonnell, 10th Earl of Antrim Thomas Pakenham, 8th Earl of Longford George Dawson-Damer, 7th Earl of Portarlington Charles Bourke, 11th Earl of Mayo Michael Annesley, 12th Earl Annesley Andrew Cole, 7th Earl of Enniskillen John Crichton, 7th Earl Erne George Bingham, 8th Earl of Lucan John Lowry-Corry, 8th Earl Belmore Andrew Stuart, 9th Earl Castle Stewart Nicholas Alexander, 7th Earl of Caledon Richard Hely-Hutchinson, 8th Earl of Donoughmore After 1801 Edmund Pery, 7th Earl of Limerick Nicholas Trench, 9th Earl of Clancarty Brendan Parsons, 7th Earl of Rosse Charles Acheson, 7th Earl of Gosford Shaun Agar, 6th Earl of Normanton Richard Needham, 6th Earl of Kilmorey Francis Hare, 6th Earl of Listowel Richard Graham-Toler, 7th Earl of Norbury Edward Knox, 8th Earl of Ranfurly
United Kingdom	King George III Peter St Clair-Erskine, 7th Earl of Rosslyn Benjamin Craven, 9th Earl of Craven Rupert Onslow, 8th Earl of Onslow Julian Marsham, 8th Earl of Romney John Pelham, 9th Earl of Chichester Francis Grosvenor, 8th Earl of Wilton John Herbert, 8th Earl of Powis Simon Nelson, 10th Earl Nelson Alexander Kent Grey, 8th Earl Grey William Lowther, 9th Earl of Lonsdale Conroy Ryder, 8th Earl of Harrowby Prince Regent David Lascelles, 8th Earl of Harewood Timothy Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 7th Earl of Minto Charles Cathcart, 7th Earl Cathcart John Grimston, 7th Earl of Verulam Albert Eliot, 11th Earl of St Germans Mark Parker, 7th Earl of Morley Richard Bridgeman, 7th Earl of Bradford King George IV John Scott, 6th Earl of Eldon Frederick Curzon, 7th Earl Howe Keith Rous, 6th Earl of Stradbroke James Temple-Gore-Langton, 9th Earl Temple of Stowe Colin Campbell, 7th Earl Cawdor King William IV Thomas Anson, 6th Earl of Lichfield Edward Lambton, 7th Earl of Durham Fergus Leveson-Gower, 6th Earl Granville Edward Howard, 8th Earl of Effingham David Moreton, 7th Earl of Ducie Charles Pelham, 8th Earl of Yarborough Queen Victoria Thomas Coke, 8th Earl of Leicester Anthony Noel, 6th Earl of Gainsborough William Byng, 9th Earl of Strafford Mark Pepys, 9th Earl of Cottenham Graham Wellesley, 8th Earl Cowley David Ward, 5th Earl of Dudley Hugh Montgomerie, 7th Earl of Winton John Russell, 7th Earl Russell John Mackenzie, 5th Earl of Cromartie John Wodehouse, 5th Earl of Kimberley Richard Wortley, 5th Earl of Wharncliffe Simon Cairns, 6th Earl Cairns John Lytton, 5th Earl of Lytton William Palmer, 5th Earl of Selborne John Northcote, 5th Earl of Iddesleigh Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook King Edward VII Evelyn Baring, 4th Earl of Cromer Ivor Windsor-Clive, 4th Earl of Plymouth Edward Foljambe, 5th Earl of Liverpool King George V Harry Primrose, 4th Earl of Midlothian Michael Hicks Beach, 3rd Earl St Aldwyn David Beatty, 3rd Earl Beatty Alexander Haig, 3rd Earl Haig Edward Guinness, 4th Earl of Iveagh Roderick Balfour, 5th Earl of Balfour Raymond Asquith, 3rd Earl of Oxford and Asquith Patrick Jellicoe, 3rd Earl Jellicoe Peter Mackay, 4th Earl of Inchcape William Peel, 3rd Earl Peel King George VI Simon Bowes-Lyon, 6th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne Benedict Baldwin, 5th Earl Baldwin of Bewdley Peter Wood, 3rd Earl of Halifax Brer Ruthven, 3rd Earl of Gowrie David Lloyd George, 4th Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor Norton Knatchbull, 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma Queen Elizabeth II Shane Alexander, 2nd Earl Alexander of Tunis Mark Cunliffe-Lister, 4th Earl of Swinton John Attlee, 3rd Earl Attlee Simon Marquis, 3rd Earl of Woolton David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon Alexander Macmillan, 2nd Earl of Stockton
Italics in entries mean the peer also holds a previously listed earldom of higher precedence

• 1965 births
• Living people
• Wellesley family
• Earls in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
• 21st-century British businesspeople
• 20th-century British businesspeople