An early Apple employee who became very successful in digital publishing, Hugh now invests in online startups.
Hugh Chappell
LADbible Group
John Frieda
Creator, John Frieda Hair Care
John worked his way up from being a junior for legendary stylist Leonard to opening a flagship salon in 1975 on New Cavendish Street. The styling products John sold to personal clients had already earned a cult following. But in 1988 John Frieda launched the very first premium professional hair care range to the masses, exclusively at Boots.
In 1990, after teaming up professionally with Gail Federici (formerly the Vice President of Advertising and Marketing at Conair), John Frieda’s Frizz-Ease line debuted in the USA and the rest is hairstyling history. In September 2002, the John Frieda product empire was sold to the Japanese Kao Corporation, one of the most innovative and technically advanced companies in the world.
John is the co-founder of Great Ormond Street – HAIRraising appeal, a fundraising collaboration that hairdressers around the country took part in to raise money for a new Respiratory Unit, which opened in 2017.
John has mentored
The Girls Network
We inspire and empower girls from the least advantaged communities by connecting them with a mentor and a network of professional female role models.
- The Girls Network
- Talentino
- Spark Inside
- Best Beginnings
- Grow Movement
- GlobalGiving
- LRTT
- Yes Futures
- School Space
- Special iApps
- IncomeMax
- Rowdy Kind
- Kids Classics CLG
- From Babies With Love
John was phenomenally helpful! He was so generous with his time, advice and connections. He got right to the heart of where we are at with the charity, and gave really clear and insightful suggestions about how to move forward.”
Charly Young, Founder of The Girls Network
John has mentored
Talentino
An organisation passionate about providing innovative, high quality career development so ALL young people make smart career decisions and become work-ready.
- The Girls Network
- Talentino
- Spark Inside
- Best Beginnings
- Grow Movement
- GlobalGiving
- LRTT
- Yes Futures
- School Space
- Special iApps
- IncomeMax
- Rowdy Kind
- Kids Classics CLG
- From Babies With Love
John was expressive, expansive, generous of thought and ideas. He affirmed some things for me and made me come back to a simple perspective rather than the mania that is the daily life of an entrepreneur.
Jenny Connick, Managing Partner of Talentino
John has mentored
Spark Inside
London-based charity pioneering the use of professional coaching in prisons to tackle violence, promote rehabilitation and reduce re-offending.
- The Girls Network
- Talentino
- Spark Inside
- Best Beginnings
- Grow Movement
- GlobalGiving
- LRTT
- Yes Futures
- School Space
- Special iApps
- IncomeMax
- Rowdy Kind
- Kids Classics CLG
- From Babies With Love
I was inspired by John Frieda’s commitment to empowering his team, his passion for business, and his humility as a leader – he is a role model for anyone developing a people-focused organisation.
Baillie Aaron, Founder of Spark Inside
John has mentored
Best Beginnings
Best Beginnings is a charity working to give every child in the UK the best start in life.Working to give every baby in the UK the healthiest start in life.
- The Girls Network
- Talentino
- Spark Inside
- Best Beginnings
- Grow Movement
- GlobalGiving
- LRTT
- Yes Futures
- School Space
- Special iApps
- IncomeMax
- Rowdy Kind
- Kids Classics CLG
- From Babies With Love
The reality of my Expert Impact session with John Frieda far exceed my expectations; I was hoping to glean some new ideas, useful reflections and potentially a few connections. What I got was so much more profound. John listened intensely, asked highly pertinent questions and shared significant insights from his own life experience. John is an incredibly warm and wise man and I’m incredibly lucky to have had this opportunity. Thank you.”
Alison Baum, CEO of Best Beginnings
John has mentored
Grow Movement
Grow Movement unlocks the potential of entrepreneurs in Uganda, Rwanda and Malawi by matching them with volunteer business consultants from around the world.
- The Girls Network
- Talentino
- Spark Inside
- Best Beginnings
- Grow Movement
- GlobalGiving
- LRTT
- Yes Futures
- School Space
- Special iApps
- IncomeMax
- Rowdy Kind
- Kids Classics CLG
- From Babies With Love
So valuable. John enabled me to focus and make my challenges simple..he took the clutter out of my head!”
Claire Jenkins, CEO of Grow Movement
John has mentored
GlobalGiving
GlobalGiving connects nonprofits, donors, and companies in nearly every country around the world. We help local nonprofits access the funding, tools, training, and support they need to become more effective.
- The Girls Network
- Talentino
- Spark Inside
- Best Beginnings
- Grow Movement
- GlobalGiving
- LRTT
- Yes Futures
- School Space
- Special iApps
- IncomeMax
- Rowdy Kind
- Kids Classics CLG
- From Babies With Love
John was informed, articulate, clear, resourceful and passionate about my work. It was great to hear back what is so exciting about GlobalGiving UK and the exceptional work we are doing to make the world a little brighter, a little better. John paid great attention to the detail of our challenges and structured a key actionable path to get to the next stage of our journey.”
Eleanor Harrison, CEO of GlobalGiving
John has mentored
LRTT
A highly effective leadership development opportunity for teachers. Lead inspiring teacher training in places where teachers receive little or no training.
- The Girls Network
- Talentino
- Spark Inside
- Best Beginnings
- Grow Movement
- GlobalGiving
- LRTT
- Yes Futures
- School Space
- Special iApps
- IncomeMax
- Rowdy Kind
- Kids Classics CLG
- From Babies With Love
It was great to meet with John. He asked thought provoking questions cutting through to the issues that matter for us at the moment. He offered helpful introductions I look forward to keeping him up to date as LRTT grows.
Simon Graffy, Director of LRTT
John has mentored
Yes Futures
Yes Futures specialises in extra-curricular personal development programmes, improving young people’s confidence, resilience and access to successful futures.
- The Girls Network
- Talentino
- Spark Inside
- Best Beginnings
- Grow Movement
- GlobalGiving
- LRTT
- Yes Futures
- School Space
- Special iApps
- IncomeMax
- Rowdy Kind
- Kids Classics CLG
- From Babies With Love
It was great to meet John – he was so down to earth and willing to give his time and support regarding the business challenges we discussed.
Sarah Wallbank, Founder of Yes Futures
John has mentored
School Space
We’re creating thriving schools at the centre of thriving communities. We help schools generate extra income by letting out their facilities to local community groups.
- The Girls Network
- Talentino
- Spark Inside
- Best Beginnings
- Grow Movement
- GlobalGiving
- LRTT
- Yes Futures
- School Space
- Special iApps
- IncomeMax
- Rowdy Kind
- Kids Classics CLG
- From Babies With Love
John has mentored
Special iApps
At Special iApps, we develop educational apps for children with special educational needs, including autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, hearing impairment and other learning disabilities.
- The Girls Network
- Talentino
- Spark Inside
- Best Beginnings
- Grow Movement
- GlobalGiving
- LRTT
- Yes Futures
- School Space
- Special iApps
- IncomeMax
- Rowdy Kind
- Kids Classics CLG
- From Babies With Love
Talking to John was fantastic, it felt more like 5 minutes than an hour and he touched on so many things that I could take away and look into straight away. He hit the nail on the head and got to the point very quickly, understanding my challenges and suggesting ways I can break through. John has clarified my next steps as his experience developing and selling his own brand is transferable to how we can promote and sell our apps and have a bigger impact.
Beverley Dean, Founder of Special iApps
John has mentored
IncomeMax
Take control of your finances. We provide independent personal money advice for the real world.
- The Girls Network
- Talentino
- Spark Inside
- Best Beginnings
- Grow Movement
- GlobalGiving
- LRTT
- Yes Futures
- School Space
- Special iApps
- IncomeMax
- Rowdy Kind
- Kids Classics CLG
- From Babies With Love
Meeting John was an amazing and hugely beneficial experience. I was able to ask so many questions and it was great to get such amazing insights, advice and ideas. John has been there and achieved so much, so to be able to tap into that knowledge and learn from John’s experience was like gold dust.”
Lee Healey, founder of IncomeMax, met with John Frieda.
John has mentored
Rowdy Kind
We make plastic free body care for kids; in so doing we make bath time more sustainable through reduced plastic consumption, CO2 consumption, and ethical sourcing and production.
- The Girls Network
- Talentino
- Spark Inside
- Best Beginnings
- Grow Movement
- GlobalGiving
- LRTT
- Yes Futures
- School Space
- Special iApps
- IncomeMax
- Rowdy Kind
- Kids Classics CLG
- From Babies With Love
John’s style is very engaging. He asks great questions to get to the heart of the issues and shares openly his opinions and advice. He knows how to challenge effectively, and certainly pushed me to think differently about our ambitions, plans and company. My eyes have been opened to possibilities I hadn’t considered before.
Kate Tilbury, Co-Founder, Rowdy Kind
John has mentored
Kids Classics CLG
Our vision is for an Ireland where everyone’s life is enriched by high-quality live music, delivered with their needs in mind, whatever their situation.
- The Girls Network
- Talentino
- Spark Inside
- Best Beginnings
- Grow Movement
- GlobalGiving
- LRTT
- Yes Futures
- School Space
- Special iApps
- IncomeMax
- Rowdy Kind
- Kids Classics CLG
- From Babies With Love
Thank you John for giving your time and sharing your experience and expertise. Your thought-provoking questions helped us look at different ideas and possible pathways to support the growth of our work. We look forward to sharing our journey with you in the near future.
Grainne Hope, General Manager, Kids Classics CLG
John has mentored
From Babies With Love
From Babies with Love is the baby brand that donates 100% of its profits to orphaned and abandoned children.
- The Girls Network
- Talentino
- Spark Inside
- Best Beginnings
- Grow Movement
- GlobalGiving
- LRTT
- Yes Futures
- School Space
- Special iApps
- IncomeMax
- Rowdy Kind
- Kids Classics CLG
- From Babies With Love
John instinctively understood the opportunities ahead of us and unreservedly shared success and learning from his experience, translating it to apply to our business, advising me how to prioritise and what to look out for. I left the session fizzing with excitement to act on his advice. Thank you so much John!
Cecilia Crossley, Founding Director, From Babies With Love
Want to meet with John?
Jenny is the founder and CEO of Consumer PR & Brand Consultancy agency Halpern.
Jenny Halpern Prince
Halpern Limited
Jeremy is the man behind many of London’s most famous restaurants, including The Ivy, The Wolesley and the Belgo chain.
Jeremy King
Corbin & King
The ‘Jim’ in Jimmy’s Iced Coffee, Cregan has gone from delivering his own product to shops to being stocked in every major supermarket.
Jim Cregan
Jimmy’s Iced Coffee
Sign up to our newsletter here
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We’ll assume you’re ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.