Paul Lindley

Early life

Paul Lindley was born in Sheffield, England and moved to Lusaka, Zambia when he was eight years old. He attended the International School of Lusaka, Barlborough Hall School and Mount St Mary's College in Derbyshire, UK.

Career

Graduating from the University of Bristol with a degree in Economics and Politics, Paul qualified as a Chartered Accountant at KPMG in London and Los Angeles.

Paul then spent 9 years at children's television brand Nickelodeon where he rose from Financial Controller to Deputy managing director of its UK business.

In 2004 Paul began setting up Ella's Kitchen and almost 2 years later products were sold in UK supermarkets for the first time. Ella's Kitchen now has a presence in 35 territories and a 28% share making it the biggest baby food brand by value in the UK and with a global turnover of more than $100m.

In 2009 Paul co-founded the Consumer Forum, with a number of other entrepreneurs with high growth businesses, who believe that their success is due to the way they approach customer engagement. From 2011, in conjunction with the Consumer Forum, Paul has developed a tax relief proposal to encourage more small businesses to better understand their customers’ needs, maximise their trademark asset and build more world class British brands. He continues to lobby the UK Government to adopt the relief as part of its economy growth strategies.

In November 2011 Paul was guest editor of The Grocer, the UK's leading food industry publication, the issue encouraged the British Government to better support small food businesses and to better address the UK's obesity issues, especially in regards to children.

In January 2012, Paul was part of “Business in You” a partnership between private enterprise and Government to highlight support for start-ups and growing businesses and encourage entrepreneurship. In April 2012, Paul was appointed an Ambassador to the Family and Parenting Institute, a charity dedicated to making Britain a more family friendly nation.

In November 2012 Paul wrote an article for The Daily Telegraph regarding policy idea for flexible working and addressing the concern of one million 16- to 24-year-olds in the UK not in employment, education or training, through social entrepreneurship.

In February 2013 Paul led the Averting A Recipe For Disaster report, a long term, cross political party plan sponsored by Ella's Kitchen to improve nutrition for the under fives. The report included comments and support from representatives of the food and health industries, charity sector and media. The report has formed the basis of a campaign led by Ella's Kitchen, with Paul taking a key role to effect meaningful, co-ordinated changes in the way young children are introduced to a healthier lifestyle that can last their lifetime, by pressuring and persuading Government, business and individuals to collaborate in a long term commitment.

In September 2013, Leicester City Council announced that it would be a year-long pilot city to trial ideas and themes emerging from the report. This resulted in the Start Smart initiative launching in Leicester in March 2014 which promotes collaboration between businesses, government + communities to raise awareness of healthy eating for the under fives.

In the lead up to the 2015 UK General Election, Paul lobbied the main political parties to commit, in their election manifestoes, to appointing an independent Government advisor to review the health, nutrition and food education policies for the under fives with a view to establishing a more co-ordinated long term policy to improve their welfare. The campaign was brought to the public's attention by Ella's Kitchen, and culminated in young children bringing a Peter Pan statue to Parliament to highlight this issue. The argument received strong support from parliamentarians across the parties and a commitment regarding young children's health policy was given by the Liberal Democrats, Labour and Conservatives in their respective manifestos.

The Hain Celestial Group (NASDAQ: HAIN), a NASDAQ listed Health and Wellness focused FMCG company, acquired Ella’s Kitchen in May 2013.

Paul also sits on the Santander SME advisory board and an ambassador for the Family and Childcare Trust. In September 2013, Paul became a Counsellor at One Young World, a London-based charity, and will be at One Young World Dublin as a counsellor again in 2014.

Paul has achieved several awards for his role in Ella’s Kitchen, including Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2011 National Business Awards, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2011 in the London and South Region, Business Person of the Year at the 2011 Oxfordshire Business Awards., Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2012 City AM Awards, Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2012 Pride of Reading Awards. In 2012 Paul was awarded the South East Director of the Year for Small and Medium Businesses Award at IoD Director of the Year Awards. In October 2013, Paul won the Institute of Directors Director of the Year award for SME businesses.

In July 2013 Paul received an honorary doctorate degree from the University of Reading for his contribution to improving children’s health and his work as an entrepreneur.

In 2012 Management Today referenced Paul as one of the 'Top 50 entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter'.

In September 2014 Paul - in partnership with renowned South Sudanese musician, former child soldier and political activist, Emmanuel Jal - launched a social enterprise, The Key is E.