I’d like you to think for a minute about Deprivation.
About The King’s Trust Achieve program, and
About my book Winning Leadership.
Deprivation. – We live in a 2-tier society.
Most of us have a reasonable standard of living, choices about what we do, and a life expectancy into the 70s and beyond (thankfully in my case!)
A large minority live day to day, are often multi-generation benefit-dependent and have life expectancies in the 50s and 60s. If you lived in inner Middlesbrough or Stockton you might be dead or close to death by now!
Disadvantaged children need help. The best help we can give them is education. The Child of the North Study has concluded that the way to a long and healthy life is not the NHS and drugs but education. “Education is more powerful than any drug”.
At Outwood Grange Academies Trust we have 30,000 students in 42 schools mostly in areas of high deprivation. The life experiences of many of these children are hard to comprehend. How they cope is a miracle.
1 in 7, 16 to 24 year-olds in this country are unemployed. (1,000,000)
Many from these deprived backgrounds have never had anyone outside school who truly believes in them and consequently lack confidence and resilience. Generally, they are very nervous about taking on the challenges of everyday life. They mostly want to work but don’t have the wherewithal to land and keep a job.
The Prince’s Trust (Now The King’s Trust) Achieve Program over the years has helped countless young people to change their lives – to build self- assurance and resilience, to become full members of society and to equip them for work. Students earn L1 and L2 qualifications that open doors.
Winning Leadership.
My intention is to use the book to raise at least £10,000 for the Achieve Program in the NE to give young people, much needed, life changing opportunities. (£20 will pay for qualifications for one young person in resilience and employability skills)
The book largely wrote itself.
It grew out of some development work I have been doing with a number of businesses. It is built on the learning of 50 + years working with some outstanding people in all parts of the world.
It was recently the prize in Durham University Business School’s Entrepreneurship competition.
Who am I? What experiences have I had to weave into a book? Is the book any good?
Well – Life has been good – I have had a great time!
The World Political Landscape – a Confucian Curse – “May you live in interesting times!”
I grew up in the time of rationing at the end of WW2.
Definitely interesting times – recovery after the war – entitled business owners provoking the growth of unions and the British Disease of strike after strike – Red Robbo – Arthur Scargill – Michael Edwardes.
The Cold War- devaluation of the £ – The EU – The 1970s oil price shocks and 15% mortgages – the Japanese miracle – Thatcher and Reagan resetting society – The collapse of the USSR – Deng Xiaoping opening up China – and now the growth of what the Economist calls The Strong Men – Men who hang on to power election after election – Xi Jinping, Putin, African Leaders -the decline of democracy and Trumpism.
Not to mention the advent of mobile phones, personal computers, the internet, social media and AI.
My business education began at home. My father ran a corner shop. Pre-university I was sponsored by ICI then the bellwether of the FTSE and spent several months learning about supplier businesses.
Leaving Cambridge in 1969 with a masters in engineering I returned to ICI and worked in design, production and international technology licensing. In 1980, ICI sponsored me at INSEAD business school in France.
In 1985, ICI formed a JV with Rank Hovis McDougall to bring Quorn to the market – novel food regulations – challenging biotechnology – regulatory and clinical trials – market and brand building –television advertising and large capital construction –massive financial exposure. In 1989, I negotiated the buy-out of the business for ICI. By 1995 we had built sales to $100 million in 6 countries.
In 1994, ICI cut itself in half with all the research-based business going into Astra Zeneca. It was clear that the non-pharma businesses would be sold and so it was time to go.
I joined a US company, initially in the UK, then in Singapore running the company’s business in Asia Pacific and then in the USA with global responsibility – 3000 staff in 35 countries. We also bought and integrated 50 companies in 5 years – one of which I successfully defended when subjected to a full UK Competition Commission enquiry.
In 2008, I retired and came back to the UK.
What next?
A long standing friend – chair of several VC funds – asked me to chair and invest in some early-stage companies. Businesses in – green energy – retail – diagnostics – brain scanners – optometry – vaccine manufacture – and diabetic eye disease. Successes and Failures amongst them. It is especially sad to see a successful, proven product driven by a great team fail due to investors’ unwillingness to support pre-profit businesses to grow to break-even.
All this is woven into the book – It has been fun!
The book is free with a donation of £20, all of which will go to The King’s Trust to raise the £10,000 to build resilience and employability in 500 young people in the NE.
Please – Take a book and change a life.
If you like the book, please tell your friends. It would also make a great Gift.