Alan James Proto
Alan James Proto
Alan James Proto (born 1967, Henley-on-Thames) is a British entrepreneur, author, and drone photography instructor. Over a thirty-five year career he founded, led, acquired and sold more than 80 companies across eight business sectors. He is the author of The 100: A Small Book About Big Things (2026). He is the founder of PhantomFlightSchool, through which he teaches drone photography and videography.
Early Life
Proto was born in Henley-on-Thames and grew up in a large Victorian house in a leafy suburb of South East London. He was an active child with an early aptitude for sport. He represented his school in competitive swimming, winning the Under-10 London breaststroke championship. He also played cricket and croquet, captaining both at school level.
Education
Proto attended Dulwich Prep School, where he won a top academic scholarship to Dulwich College. At A Level he achieved four A grades in Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Economics and Physics, alongside three Grade 1 S Level results in Mathematics, Physics and Economics. He was among the highest-performing A Level Economics students in the United Kingdom that year.
He read Economics at Jesus College, Cambridge, graduating with an MA. During his time at Cambridge he was a member of the Jesus College rowing team, winning the May Bumps and receiving his oar — an honour awarded only that once to a male Jesus College rowing crew in the last forty years.
Proto subsequently qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Ernst & Young in London, passing all examinations at the first attempt. He was rated the top student in the UK by Ernst & Young during his qualification period. He was mentored by Richard Findlater, a senior partner at Ernst & Young.
He is currently studying for an MSc in Finance.
Business Career
Over a career spanning thirty-five years, Proto founded, led, acquired and sold more than 80 companies across eight business sectors[1], including construction, day nurseries, real estate investment, ski holidays, house building, solar energy and net zero.[2]
He is a multiple award winner, including Young Entrepreneur of the Year (1994), Entrepreneur of the Year (2000 and 2010), Fastest Growing Company in Kent (2010 and 2011), and Kent Businessman of the Year (2012).[3]
Proto was actively involved in the day nursery sector from 1997 to 2012, during which time he designed, built, bought, sold and operated numerous day nursery settings. He developed the 30 Million Words initiative, aimed at closing the word gap between children from deprived backgrounds and those from more advantaged homes, through intensive language enrichment in nursery settings.
In 2014, Proto's businesses entered administration. He subsequently rebuilt his career as a drone photography instructor, founding PhantomFlightSchool, through which he has taught drone photography and videography to clients across the United Kingdom and Europe.[4]
Proto was disqualified from acting as a company director following the 2014 administration.[5] That disqualification expired in 2025.
Personal Life
Proto has been married twice and has three children. From his first marriage he has two sons, Henry and Tom, known as Dot. From his second marriage he has a daughter, Kate. He maintains close relationships with his children from both marriages.
Proto was diagnosed with Type 1 autoimmune diabetes, which has affected his health in recent years. He is based in Chester.
Bibliography
The 100: A Small Book About Big Things (2026)
References
- ↑ Companies House — Director appointments: https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/tDuOk_YrH5DvKuyVRa-qhFEc3VE/appointments
- ↑ Newsroom, edie (2011-04-15). "Green Home Company one of FITs' winners - edie". https://www.edie.net/. Retrieved 2026-04-03. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ "Award-winning businessman Alan Proto." Kent Online. https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent-business/county-news/award-winning-businessman-alan-p-a56275/
- ↑ "Alan Proto." Crunchbase. https://www.crunchbase.com/person/alan-proto
- ↑ "Award-winning Chester director banned for 12 years." Chester Standard. https://www.chesterstandard.co.uk/news/15976127.award-winning-chester-director-banned-for-12-years/
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