Business Leaders - John Caudwell

John Caudwell is an entrepreneur and philanthropist. He founded Phones4u in 1987 during an emerging mobile phone market, and later sold the business in 2006 for £1.47 billion. The UK’s biggest taxpayer, John donates over half of his wealth to philanthropic causes through the Giving Pledge and his own charities Caudwell Children and Caudwell LymeCo. In this in-depth conversation, he reflects on his eyes being opened to an aggressive marketplace and rivalry early on in his sales career, which put him in good stead for his future, argues “spiritualism is more rewarding than materialism”, and discusses business being a double-edged sword that can be tough on your home life but “gives rewards for being the best”.