Awards '05
Charles Dunstone: Business
The judges chose Charles Dunstone, founder and CEO of Europe's largest mobile phone retailer, Carphone Warehouse, because he was a "great British success story" and he embodied "Britishness in business". The judges felt he deserved his place on the shortlist not just for his achievements, but also because he was a philanthropist committed to charity work. The panel felt that his success had been achieved in a uniquely British way, combining enthusiasm, energy and drive with modesty - his offices are in Acton and he takes the Tube to work. The judges thought that he was a great British role model whose story will inspire others.
Charles had planned to go to Liverpool University but, during a gap year, he had a job as a computer salesman which then led to work in the mobile communications division of NEC. While there, he identified the growth potential among small and medium-sized businesses which were being poorly served by the mobile communications industry. Charles founded Carphone Warehouse in 1989 with £6,000 and it is now worth hundreds of millions of pounds with over 400 shops in the UK and a large share of the market. In 2004, Charles launched a residential fixed line service called Talk Talk in several European countries. In 2005, connections to the business rose to almost 1 million.
More information and links
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Guardian Interview
Charles’s Blog
Carphone Warehouse
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