DAVID GRAYSON CBE
David started his working life trying to persuade people to buy a certain brand of washing-up liquid - in marketing management with the multinational Procter and Gamble. For most of his career, however, he has been a social entrepreneur - starting and / or running a number of public-private-community partnerships. He was co-founder / director of Project North East - an innovative British ngo which has now worked in 40 countries. (www.pne.org). He was the founder Principal of the BLU for small business development professionals established by the UK's Business Links and Small Business Service, modelled on corporate universities like the Unipart U.

He is a former joint Managing-Director of Business in the Community and remains a part-time Director of Business in the Community (www.bitc.org.uk) where he particularly focuses on small businesses as founder chairman of the UK Small Business Consortium. (www.smallbusinessjourney.com) and the international dimensions of responsible business.

He speaks, writes and advises regularly on business, society, entrepreneurialism, and future trends for businesses, media and business schools around the world. He has worked with many, leading global businesses including BP, Shell, Microsoft and Diageo. He has also worked with international institutions such as the OECD, the European Union, and the World Bank. He is a regular key-note speaker for business conferences internationally. He has lectured at business schools in Africa, North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia, including Wharton, Stanford and INSEAD. The Financial Times has described him as: "one of the UK's most respected voices on business social responsibility."

David was the first, joint Managing-Director of the Prince's Youth Business Trust; and the director of The Prince of Wales Award for Innovation. He sat on the board of the UK's Strategic Rail Authority throughout its operational life, where he particularly championed disability access. He was the first Chairman of the National Disability Council, established by Parliament to end discrimination against disabled Britons, and is now a Patron of the disability charity Scope (www.scope.org.uk); and an ambassador for the National Aids Trust (www.nat.org.uk). He is also a trustee of the Responsibility in Gambling Trust (www.rigt.org.uk). He was a governor of an inner city comprehensive in London for five years and remains an adviser to the board of governors. He is now a member of the Public Interest General Council of the Office of Public Management (www.opm.co.uk) . He is a contributing editor to The Corporate Citizenship Briefing (www.ccbriefing.co.uk)

He has Masters degrees from the universities of Cambridge and Brussels (ULB, where he was Wiener-Anspach Scholar) an MBA from Newcastle; and has an honorary doctorate of laws from London SouthBank University. He was the first German Marshall Fund Employment Fellow. He has been a Visiting Fellow at several UK business schools including Durham and Imperial (Tanaka).

His latest book: "Corporate Social Opportunity: Seven Steps to make Corporate Social Responsibility work for your business" is published by Greenleaf - July 2004. (www.greenleaf-publishing.com) His previous book: "Everybody's Business - Managing Risks and Opportunities in to-day's global society" (also co-authored with Adrian Hodges ) was published by Dorling Kindersley and The Financial Times. He has also contributed chapters to several other books including "The Accountable Corporation;" the Financial Times "Mastering Enterprise;" "The Financial Times Handbook of Management;" "The Directors' Manual;" and "What if?" He was awarded the OBE for services to industry in 1994 and the CBE for services to disability in 1999. He is happiest on, in or - preferably - under water - in hot climates. Speeches, articles and other resources are regularly posted at (www.davidgrayson.net)
March 2006