A businessman who sold his successful company and gave millions of pounds to his staff is planning to give away millions more – but this time, to charity.
Colin Potter was hailed as the UK’s ‘most generous boss’ last year when he sold communications company Uniworld for £10m and gave £2m of the proceeds to his staff.
Now he has launched a new company, ProposalGENie, producing a web-based system for preparing sales proposals, and he and his wife Barbara have vowed to donate all their future profits to local causes.
Potter said: “Barbara and I don’t need any more money. The reasons I am doing this are purely to give money away and because I love the excitement of building a business.
“We own 40 per cent of ProposalGENie. We plan to set up a trust and hope to be able to start giving money to local charities by the end of this year.”
The inspiration behind their generosity was a visit Potter made last year to the Rainbow Centre in Fareham, Hampshire, which provides conductive education for children with motor impairments, such as cerebral palsy.
He was so moved by the courage of children and the dedication of the staff that as well as making donations, he now devotes a day a week to fundraising for the charity.
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
“You get heaped with praise for achievements in business, but when you go somewhere like the Rainbow Centre and see what the staff do, then it all pales in comparison,” Potter said. “I was humbled.”
