Mr Cashmore, 35, was previously managing director of corporate services at the RAC, which has an annual turnover in excess of 100m.
He said, 'I'm really excited about being involved in the business. The whole nursery industry interests me and Leapfrog has the opportunity to be by far the strongest brand.'
Nord Anglia, the largest nursery chain in the UK and Ireland, operates 101 settings under the Leapfrog, Princess Christian and Jigsaw names. All the nurseries are being rebranded as Leapfrog Day Nurseries.
Nord Anglia's chief executive, Andrew Fitzmaurice, said, 'I am delighted to welcome Simon to the group and am confident that his people management skills and his experience at managing and improving the financial performance of a major service business will prove invaluable to us as we implement the plan.'
