Business name: Bathtub 2 Boardroom
Based: London
Website: www.bathtub2boardroom.com
Person nominated: Paddy Willis, CEO
Nominated by: Amy Walker, marketing manager
Paddy Willis has a knack. A knack for being the most relaxed, understated and eloquent tour de force a small business could hope for.
In the last two years he’s taken our startup charity that supports and propels other new and early-stage businesses, from supporting 45 people in an old chapel to two homes in London with 105 businesses, 152 entrepreneurs working for those businesses and five full-time Bathtub staff.
But the really impressive measures are in the output: 55 jobs have been created, more than £2m in funds raised, and over 50 businesses have become fully-fledged, thriving enterprises.
Paddy became a trustee after meeting the young founders and, instantly won over by their mission to level the playing field of starting a business, offered to serve as Bathtub’s CEO.
In a previous life, Paddy quit university to spend three years in Bordeaux after falling in love with the wine trade, before founding Plum Baby, a luxury baby food business, which exited five years later for £10m. Driven by his passions, a complete lack of smoke and mirrors and hugely respected by anyone he meets, I can’t imagine working with anyone else to take Bathtub 2 Boardroom to the next level.
