It's more than a year since the Bomber Command Memorial was dedicated by the Queen.
As principal benefactor to the cost of the Memorial, it is my belief - at a time when the nation seems more aware than ever of both the value of our servicemen and women - that we as a nation should do whatever we can to maintain awareness of just what our armed forces personnel sacrificed to give us the freedoms we have today.
So when I was asked to present a Bomber Command clasp to Harry Hooper, who, I believe, was one of our youngest WWll Lancaster bomber pilots, I jumped at the chance. Indeed, I was honoured and flattered that his family should approach me to make the presentation on the Memorial itself.
Here is how it was reported in print and on TV:
http://www.caudwell.com/uncategorized/veteran-surprised-bomber-command-clasp-89th-birthday/
Showing posts with label philanthropy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label philanthropy. Show all posts
Tuesday, 8 October 2013
Tuesday, 19 February 2013
JOHN CAUDWELL
@johndcaudwell
PRESS RELEASE
February 19, 2013.
JOHN CAUDWELL HELPS BRING THE
GIVING PLEDGE TO EUROPE .
Entrepreneur and
philanthropist John Caudwell is amongst a handful of high-net-worth individuals
to bring the life-changing Giving Pledge (www.thegivingpledge.org) to Europe .
John, who sold his
telecommunications business for £1.5 billion in 2006, joins the likes of Bill
Gates and Warren Buffett in pledging to donate significant tranches of their
wealth to philanthropy - and collectively changing the lives of many
generations to come.
"The Giving Pledge is
a simple principle, a pledge for extremely wealthy people to give away the
majority of their wealth during - or after - their lifetime to charitable
causes," said John Caudwell.
"The collective worth
of those committing to The Giving Pledge is hundreds of billions of dollars.
That sort of resource can help countless millions of people.
"It is in the culture
of north Americans to adopt such an
approach - that's where The Giving Pledge started and thrived - but I contacted
Bill Gates about trying to drive such an approach in the UK and Europe ,
and this is our breakthrough.
"I've already discovered
the pleasure of giving my wealth to worthy and charitable causes that genuinely
make a difference to the lives of the least fortunate. Those of us who have yet
to find philanthropy may find there is a far greater reward from it than from
wealth creation.
"I will give away at
least half my wealth during my lifetime and after my death. In the meantime
I'll continue to grow my wealth as much as possible so that the amount I
bequeath to charities and worthy causes can be as substantial as
possible."
In 2006, John Caudwell sold his 10,000-employee mobile
phone business, which included Phones 4u, for £1.5bn. John now concentrates on
charitable and philanthropic work including Caudwell Children @caudwellkids.
@johndcaudwell
Ends
Further information:
Iain Macauley
07788 978800
www.caudwell.com
www.caudwellchildren.com
www.thegivingpledge.org
Monday, 10 December 2012
HOLLYWOOD STAR EVA LONGORIA PRESENTS JOHN CAUDWELL WITH CHARITY "PHILANTHROPRENEUR" AWARD.
JOHN CAUDWELL
@johndcaudwell
PRESS RELEASE
@johndcaudwell
PRESS RELEASE
December 10, 2012.
Philanthropist and entrepreneur John Caudwell's two worlds merged on Saturday night when he was presented with The Noble Gift Philantrhropreneur Award by Hollywood star Eva Longoria.
John received the award at The Noble Gift Gala at ME London where other award winners included will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas.
John received the award at The Noble Gift Gala at ME London where other award winners included will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas.
"It's easy to get blinded by the fantasy and glamour of Hollywood
and lose sight of reality. But the commitment of Eva Longoria in supporting and
highlighting the efforts of myself and the other award winners illustrates that
while Hollywood is largely completely lost in that fantasy and its own importance,
there are a few shining lights who are deeply appreciative of the gritty
reality of the tough challenges the massively less-fortunate face and overcome
every day," said John Caudwell.
"Eva Longoria is one of those special people who recognise that charities
face real battles - not just in addressing the challenges they commit to
support, but also in driving an awareness of what they do, and consequently to
raise even more funds and support.
"Yes, we had a great and glamourous evening, but the effect and
influence of such events in bringing to the fore the plights and challenges of
those in need should not be underestimated."
The Noble Gift Gala honours individuals who have impacted the world through their
exceptional philanthropic work, and is a unique international fundraising gala
initiative that brings together the worlds of business, celebrity and
philanthropy to raise funds and awareness to fiscally responsible charities
locally and internationally.
It works with fundraising organisations and
charities including Make-A-Wish UK, The Eva Longoria Foundation, The Great Initiative, Seven Bar Foundation, Fight for Life, and, most recently, Caudwell Children, a charity founded by John Caudwell, and which he
continues to support.
Caudwell Children, which John founded in 2000, is so efficient that it
converts every £1 raised into £2.08 to help desperately ill children and their
families.
"It's a great honour to receive any award or recognition. But this
is an award which in effect recognises the efforts philanthropists make the
world over, and how charities and good causes embrace and direct donations and
resources, in turn enabling them to make a huge difference to the lives of the
vulnerable," said John Caudwell.
"But while I was delighted to accept the award, I must highlight
the day-to-day efforts of the Caudwell Children team, and use this moment to
emphasise the depth of the desperate plight of the children and families
Caudwell Children tries to help."
Amongst others, John also supports the Elton John Aids Foundation, The
Prince's Trust and the NSPCC, and was the principal donor to the Bomber Command
Memorial in London .
John Caudwell is one of the UK 's most
successful entrepreneurs, having built and then sold the Caudwell Group of telecoms businesses.
The sale of the group, whose high street face was Phones 4u, realised £1.46
billion. Since the 2006 sale, John has concentrated on supporting various
charities, but with a particular emphasis on Caudwell Children.
Other
recipients of 2012 Noble Gift Awards: Mrs. Ella Krasner (NG Philanthropist Award), rap music star will.i.am (NG Humanitarian Award) and Mrs. Sylvie Young OBE (NG
Wanson Award).
Ends
Further information:
Iain Macauley
07788 978800
www.caudwellchildren.com
Thursday, 26 April 2012
CAUDWELL PROPOSAL TO MAKE £100 MILLION FROM THIN AIR – AND GIVE IT AWAY.
JOHN CAUDWELL
@johndcaudwell
PRESS RELEASE
April 26, 2012.
CAUDWELL PROPOSAL TO MAKE £100 MILLION
FROM THIN AIR – AND GIVE IT AWAY.
Photos: http://bit.ly/HzcyaS
Philanthropist John
Caudwell, who is believed to be the country’s highest personal tax payer, is
proposing to turn thin air above the UK’s most expensive car park into up to
£100 million – and then give the money to charity.
Caudwell, who acquired the
property in Audley Square London
But, crucially, in the
process, he proposes to generate substantial funds to help London
He already has planning
permission to develop the site to the maximum permitted within planning guidelines
– but says if local government planning committees across the country allowed
projects to be expanded beyond the original approved plan, for charitable
purposes, it could generate billions of pounds for community projects.
He is proposing the introduction
of special local authority planning sub-committees, formed of experts in
design, architecture and construction, as well as council planners, charities
and representatives of the business community. These special committees will be
given the authority and discretion to make intelligent and informed decisions
to enable development projects to be expanded beyond the original approved
plan, with profits from the expansion going to charity.
Caudwell’s expanded plans
for Audley Square
“The incredibly exciting
thing about the idea of adding two floors to this project is that we create a
massive amount of financial support for London’s underprivileged - and
potentially provide a prototype for future developers and investors,” said John
Caudwell.
“Many philanthropists could
well be taxed out of giving, but I actually want to give more. ‘Creative
philanthropy’ could become a crucial element of charitable support in
challenging economic times.
“Imagine if the planners
were to be allowed to flex their rules - but only where the architectural
merits were undoubted, and, equally specifically, only where all of the
incremental profit went to charitable causes; in London alone the extra revenue
for good causes could be hundreds of millions of pounds a year. The lives of
thousands of vulnerable people would be transformed.
“I’ve spoken with Boris
Johnson about this plan, and how he can use his position and charisma to help
deliver it - assuming he wins the London
“In the case of my Audley Square
“The enhanced plans are
ready to be run past the appropriate authorities; sustainability is high on the
design agenda, as is the ‘grand Mayfair ’ architectural
look that we seek to create.
“I must stress I would
make nothing from this additional floor space – I already have planning permission
for the building, but I’m so passionate about the concept and how it could
transform London’s ability to deal with deprivation that I’m delaying the start
of construction to try to make the ‘thin-air’ idea work.
“It’s difficult to
establish accurate figures, but research seems to indicate that, for instance,
the base cost to the state of a homeless person is around £30,000 a year, but
can easily double or treble if they’re involved in crime. But helping them off
the street and into care or accommodation - and out of trouble - costs the
state around £25,000 a year.”
Ends
Notes
John Caudwell, who made
his fortune by building and selling his mobile phone business for £1.5 billion,
has in recent years turned his efforts towards charity and philanthropic work,
ploughing millions of pounds into causes as wide-ranging as the
soon-to-be-unveiled Bomber Command Memorial, the Prince’s Regeneration Trust,
the Elton John Aids Foundation and his own children’s charity, Caudwell
Children @caudwellkids, amongst others.
Further information:
Iain Macauley
im@pressrelations.co.uk
+44(0)7788 978800
www.thinairfoundation.com
www.caudwell.com
@johndcaudwell
@caudwellkids
Thursday, 19 January 2012
CAUDWELL IS TITLE CHARACTER IN SKY 1 HD SERIES “THE ANGEL”
JOHN CAUDWELL
@johndcaudwell
PRESS RELEASE
January 19, 2012.
ENTREPRENEUR JOHN CAUDWELL IS TITLE CHARACTER IN SKY 1 HD SERIES “THE ANGEL”.
Photo available.
Entrepreneur John Caudwell is to be the title character in a new flagship Sky 1 HD series to be screened in the summer – The Angel.
John, who sold his mobile telecoms business for £1.5 billion in 2006, has more recently been involved in extensive charitable and philanthropic work, but in this series he goes back to his business roots by assessing entrepreneurs who will compete for £100,000 of his money in each programme.
In each of the five 60-minute shows, six contestants will be invited into the studio to compete for that investment in a bid to make their business dreams come true.
But it will not be easy: Caudwell will scrutinise their every word, thought and move.
“Business is tough and uncompromising, and that’s how I’ll be in interviewing and assessing people who are hoping to get £100,000 of my money to invest in their business,” said John.
“I’ve interviewed many would-be senior managers for my businesses, and I know from experience that with the right people on board, you can make almost anything work – but the wrong ones, with the wrong approach, wrong attitude and wrong qualities can be disastrous.
“I’ll be looking for specific and exceptional qualities – perhaps not entirely what these contestants would expect: hunger and ambition can hide in many places in somebody’s character, personality and background.”
John, from Stoke-on-Trent , transformed twenty six mobile phones worth £1,350 each into a £2 billion business. Caudwell Group – best known for the high street chain Phones4U – had by 2000 achieved an annual turnover exceeding £1billion. More recently he has provided millions of pounds worth of support through philanthropic work to projects including the Prince’s Regeneration Trust and its redevelopment of Middleport Pottery in Stoke-on-Trent, as major benefactor to the Bomber Command Memorial in London’s Green Park, and to the work of the Elton John Aids Foundation amongst others – although his prime charitable interest is his own charity, Caudwell Children www.caudwellchildren.com
John says that the success of the business was mostly to do with the quality of his employees – who could have been successful in any business – although being involved in the fast-growing mobile phone market was a contributing factor.
“Success can be down to the individual and his or her qualities, and the ability to deliver against an idea rather than the idea itself – although the idea is, of course, important,” said John (Twitter @johndcaudwell).
“Bearing that in mind, the show provides a fantastic opportunity to combine analysis of business people’s abilities with an opportunity to help drive young entrepreneurial companies forward, but, best of all, it creates a vast opportunity to generate cash for charitable purposes: all profits from my investments, and all my fees, will go to my charity, Caudwell Children (@caudwellkids), which helps sick and dying – but massively inspirational – children.”
The six contestants – each carefully chosen for character, contrast and their business idea - will be put under extreme pressure throughout a series of rounds specifically designed to address John’s six golden business attributes: drive, ambition, passion, resilience, commercial intellect and leadership.
The rounds will consist of a mixture of individual tasks, head-to-heads and group challenges, and at the end of each round, after the worst performing contestants have faced a thorough grilling from John, one hopeful will be eliminated. The last remaining entrepreneur in each programme will be awarded £100,000 of John’s own money in investment.
However, it is only after John has put his money on the table does he finally find out what he’s just invested in.
The Angel is a Twofour production for Sky 1 HD. The factual entertainment series was commissioned by Stuart Murphy and will be exec produced by Melanie Leach and Chris Brogden (Twofour) and Antonia Hurford-Jones (Sky). Sarah Caplin is consultant executive producer, and the series producer is Kate Bates.
The Angel is due to be broadcast on Sky 1 HD in the summer. To get involved visit www.sky.com/theangel.
In 2006, John Caudwell sold his 10,000-employee mobile phone business, which included Phones 4u, for £1.5bn. John now concentrates on charitable and philanthropic work including Caudwell Children @caudwellkids.
Ends
Further information:
Iain Macauley
07788 978800
Wednesday, 17 August 2011
A-LEVEL RESULTS: “TOO MUCH PEER PRESSURE” TO GO TO UNIVERSITY, SAYS CAUDWELL.
JOHN CAUDWELL
PRESS RELEASE
August 17, 2011.
A-LEVEL RESULTS: “TOO MUCH PEER PRESSURE” TO GO TO UNIVERSITY, SAYS CAUDWELL.
Video interviews: YouTube Channel CaudwellPhilanthropyBusinessman and philanthropist John Caudwell says in some cases there's way too much peer pressure on young people to go on to university after they complete their A levels.
Sixth form students get their life-shaping exam results on August 18, 2011, but Caudwell says that while they should be aiming for straight 'A's across the board, a fast-track into a top university place should not be the be-all and end-all.
Caudwell, who made his estimated £1.5 billion fortune by growing and selling his mobile phone business – which included high street retailer Phones 4u – says that while formal education is an essential route for many young people, it’s not the best choice for everybody.
"There’s a group of people who feel pressed to do 'A' levels and university who actually would be much better just getting out there and going for it,” he said (video – 43 seconds).
"Clearly, for certain people, further education is absolutely the way forward, certainly if you're going into a professional environment where you need those qualifications. It also gives them a chance to develop themselves emotionally and intellectually, and enhance their education at the same time.
"But I don't think formal education necessarily plays an essential part in being a business success, in fact, possibly in some cases quite the reverse. I firmly believe that a challenging childhood that creates that drive, passion and desire to succeed is one of the strongest attributes to actually being successful (video – 42 seconds).
"Of course, you do need to be intelligent, there's no getting away from that, but being intelligent doesn't mean you have to go to university; being in a vocational situation, being in an entrepreneurial environment, and pushing for success, might be a way better education for some people than spending five years on further education.”
John Caudwell says his business success is largely down to taking a me-too idea, applying six critical business success factors, and doing it bigger and better.
"The opportunities these days from an ideas point of view are immense. The internet, the whole 'e' side of life, gives you massive scalability throughout the world. You've still got to come up with the idea, but even the less spectacular ideas can be made massively successful by having those six critical success factors (video – 50 seconds)," he said.
"Let's face it, who would have thought you could have made a fortune out of mobile phones by just being 'me-too'. That's all I had - I had a me-too proposition. Everybody sold Nokia, everybody sold Motorola, everybody connected to Vodafone airtime; all I did was do it bigger and better."
Ends
Further information:
Iain Macauley
+44 (0)7788 978800
YouTube Channel CaudwellPhilanthropy
Twitter @johndcaudwell
Flickr CaudwellPhilanthropy
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