University News Last updated 25 January 2011
Entrepreneur and charity founder, John Caudwell, will receive an honorary doctoral degree from Birmingham City University in recognition of his charitable work as Founder and Chairman of Caudwell Children, which provides specialist equipment, treatment and therapy for sick and disabled children throughout the UK.
John established Caudwell Children in 2000 and, since then, it has become widely recognised as one of the country’s fastest growing children’s charities.
John’s aim was to create a sustainable charity where all funds donated were used directly to change the lives of children. Today, he remains as passionate about his charitable commitments as ever. As Caudwell Children’s largest benefactor, he personally donates the cost of the Charity’s annual management and administration overheads and sits as Chairman of the Board of Trustees alongside its ambassadors which include Hollywood actresses Joan Collins and Elizabeth Hurley; Rod Stewart and Penny Lancaster; Bruce Forsyth; and singer, Robbie Williams. John also has interests in other leading charities, including the Princes Trust, The Elton John Aids Foundation, The Gorbachev Foundation and the NSPCC.
John first tasted success in the mobile phone industry in the 1980s, when he invested in 26 mobile phones. In the first two years of business, he lost £2,000 a month but his faith in the fledgling mobile phone market was justified and, a year later, he had turned a £24,000 annual loss into a £500,000 profit. By 2009, John was ranked as number 25 in The Sunday Times Rich List.
He now devotes the majority of his time to charity work and is determined that his money and time should be used for the benefit of those less fortunate than himself.
John’s award will be conferred at 10.45 am on Wednesday 26 January at the Awards Congregation ceremony, held at Symphony Hall, Birmingham, which will celebrate the work and achievements of students graduating from the Birmingham City Business School and the Faculty of Health.