Eleanor Harris: An Eye on British Airways i360

Introducing The Founders

One of the most common misperceptions is that we are a big company, but that could not be further from the truth. In fact the i360 is run by a handful of individuals. This week we will meet our directors and next week I will introduce my team.
BA’s sponsorship – we are now called British Airways i360 – will bring in a source of sponsorship income and so enable us to repay our loans. It will also help us raise our profile on the international stage, but BA will not be running the attraction and there has been no corporate takeover.
David Marks and Julia Barfield of Marks Barfield Architects are well known as the architects of British Airways i360 and the London Eye. Our Chairman, David, was also the real entrepreneurial force in making the i360 happen and persisted with absolute determination when we hit the major setback when our bank funding collapsed in the credit crunch. It is to his full credit that we are building a world-class attraction today.
David and Julia continue to be hands on, overseeing the construction and every detail of the design, whilst juggling other projects at their architecture practice. They have invested £6 million into the i360 (money earned when they sold their one third share of the London Eye in 2006) and have committed to pay for any additional expenditure if the project comes in over budget.

I have worked with David and Julia for the past 15 years, first at the London Eye where I was commercial director 2000 to 2006, and since 2006 on the i360. I too have invested in the project and it is my role as chief executive to ensure we deliver our business plan.
Our other shareholders have also got a personal stake in the project and been involved from the start: John Roberts is our chief engineer, a highly respected ex-President of the Institution of Structural Engineers and the London Eye’s principal engineer. Richard Russell is our legal advisor and has played an instrumental role in securing our funding.
www.britishairwaysi360.co.uk
Twitter/Instagram: @ba_i360
Facebook: British Airways i360