Sir Rod Aldridge

Sir Rod Aldridge stepped back from Corporate life in 2006 and established his Charitable Foundation, www.aldridgefoundation.com. The idea was to encourage young people into entrepeneurship and to develop skills required to help them succeed in later life. Rod is a "self made man" and so he would like to give others the opportunity to follow his path. He runs the Aldridge Foundation and has already established five Academy Schools one of which will operate in North Kensington (The Kensington Aldridge Academy). The original one, The Darwen Aldridge Community Academy, in Lancashire has been a great success and exam results in that school have improved markedly. There are a number of other initiatives which are all detailed on the website. The obvious impact is that the students who attend his schools have a more modern, encouraging environment, which has enabled them to flourish academically to give them the best chance of success in later life. This nomination is a classic example of a very successful individual giving back to the wider community. He could have gone on as the Chairman of a large Plc to grow the wealth of him and his immediate family, but chose instead to support others as well.