Chris Philp

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Chris Philp (born 6 July 1976) is a British entrepreneur described as having “the midas touch”,[1] a Conservative Party politician and the founder of the Next Big Thing. Chris is currently co-founder and Partner of Pluto Capital which has offices in Serbia, Montenegro and London.

Early Years

Chris was brought up in Kent where his mother was a teacher and his father, Dr Brian Philp MBE, who is an archaeologist. Chris was educated at St Olave's Grammar School in Orpington, and then at University College, Oxford where he was awarded a First Class Physics Degree and completed a Masters specializing in theoretical quantum mechanics.

Work

After leaving Oxford University, Chris worked for McKinsey and Co before starting his first business, Blueheath, in 2000 which was sold four years later with a £100m turnover and is now part of the Booker Group.

In 2004. Chris co-founded a training and recruitment business specialising in training HGV drivers which he sold in 2006.

Chris is co-founder and Partner in Pluto Capital which is a financial investor and asset manager specialising in providing funding for the construction sector in the UK and SE Europe.

Politics

Chris was Chairman of the Conservative think tank the Bow Group from 2004-2005 and the key adviser to Andrew Lansley, then Shadow Secretary of State for Health, in the national campaign against MRSA in the run up to the 2005 General Election.

Chris beat the Labour Leader of Camden Council to be become a Councillor in the Gospel Oak ward of Camden in May 2006 with a swing of over 10%.

He was the Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Hampstead and Kilburn in 2010, losing by only 42[2] votes to 5 term Labour MP and former actress Glenda Jackson despite a swing of 9.8%. In a 2008 interview with The Guardian about his views as a candidate he said "10 years ago I wouldn't have voted Tory myself." [3]

Chris’s book “Conservative Revival: Blueprint for a Better Britain” [4] was published in conjunction with the Bow Group and was co-authored by 10 Conservative MP’s or recent candidates in their 30s.

Philp was the author of "Work for the Dole: A proposal to fix welfare dependency," published by The Taxpayers Alliance in September 2013. His report called for mandatory participation in community work and training in return for the continued payment of benefits payments.

He is a Conservative Party Treasurer.

In November 2013, Chris was selected to be the Prospective Conservative Party Candidate for the safe Conservative Croydon South constituency, held by Richard Ottaway.

Next Big Thing

Chris founded Next Big Thing in 2009 which resembles Dragons Den and works to get youngsters from inner city backgrounds interested in business, building their confidence and widening their horizons and their ambitions. This concept is thought to be the inspiration for the Government’s StartUp Loans fund which is chaired by James Caan of Dragons Den.

Awards

Chris was voted London’s Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young and the Times in 2003,[5] alongside being voted the CBI’s Entrepreneur of the Future, 2005. In 2005 Chris was listed as one of the UK’s top 50 entrepreneurs by startups.co.uk,[6] placed at number 8. Richard Branson was number 7 and Peter Jones was number 5.

Personal life

Chris is married to Elizabeth (Lizzy). Their twins Kitty and Nicholas, were born prematurely in April 2013 and spent an extended period in intensive care following their birth.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Press cutting: The top 50 entrepreneurs of 2005 http://thestevies.com/IBA06Attachments/Startups_1205.pdf
  2. ↑ http://cyberboris.wordpress.com/2010/05/11/local-skirmishes/
  3. ↑ http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2008/sep/04/conservatives1
  4. ↑ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Conservative-Revival-Blueprint-Better-Britain/dp/184275159X
  5. ↑ http://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/London-South-Award-Recipients-99-12/$FILE/London-South-Award-Re c ipients-99-12.pdf
  6. ↑ Press cutting: The top 50 entrepreneurs of 2005 http://thestevies.com/IBA06Attachments/Startups_1205.pdf
  7. ↑ http://www.hamhigh.co.uk/news/former_hampstead_and_kilburn_parliamentary_candidate_s_delight_as_premature_twins_arrive_home_1_2307550
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