Gordon D'Silva
Board member
Gordon D’Silva is the founder and CEO of Training for Life, a charity that’s committed to building enterprising learning communities and social enterprise businesses – in hospitality and health and fitness - that provide skills, apprenticeships and work for unemployed people.
In his earlier career Gordon worked as Counsellor Psychologist, managed a therapeutic residential centre for the children’s charity, Barnado’s before setting up his own business in community regeneration. Since 1993, he has devoted his time to converting his uncompleted doctorate - transferring its theoretical assumptions - into practical reality that is now known as Training for Life.
Since its inception in 1995 Training for Life has returned over 13,000 people previously trapped in poverty and long term unemployment, back to work or full time education. They have pioneered successful social enterprises - such as the Michelin recommended Hoxton Apprentice restaurant. As an SME in its own right, Training for Life has created over 150 new jobs for local people. The charity’s turnover has increased from £150K (in its first full year of trading) to approaching £5m today. They have also developed capital assets with a book value of approximately £5M. These are previously owned community buildings that are acquired and restored for charitable purpose. As a committed social entrepreneur, Gordon re invests all social enterprise profit to Charity through legal mandate. They will soon be in a position to scale their business model through franchise.
Gordon has been twice named London Social Entrepreneur of the Year in 2003 & 2006 (sponsored by Ernst Young, Coutts Bank, Stock Exchange and the Times) and the 2004 National Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year-Highly Commended (sponsored by Orange). In 2006 he was inaugurated as Visiting Professor in Social Entrepreneurship at the University of Northampton and in the following year was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Thames Valley University for his contribution to business. He was voted as one of the top seven social entrepreneurs in the country by the Guardian Newspaper in 2008.
Training for Life has also been the recipient of several prestigious Charity of the Year and Social Enterprise of the Year awards. In addition, they have won awards for their commitment to staff training, corporate partnership and more recently as environmentally friendly employers. Their social enterprise restaurant, Hoxton Apprentice is acknowledged as the first charity owned social enterprise to have won a Michelin rating three years running.