I graduated from The University of Sussex in 2000 with a degree in Development Studies that I wanted to put to some use in ethical business. I became involved in alternative fuels and eco-transport and by chance I met Martin Kunz at a biofuel conference in Wales. Martin is a long established Fair Trade expert and a global authority on Fairtrade footballs, so together we moved from biofuels to Fairtrade footballs and in 2004 formed Fair Deal Trading with the import of 500 Fairtrade certified footballs.
After two years I decided that with our manufacturing capabilities and Martin’s Fair Trade expertise it was high time we developed a range of Fair Trade footwear. This led to the birth of the ETHLETIC brand, one of the most ethical fashion products in the world, and the first footwear brand to receive Fairtrade mark and the FSC label.
Before graduating I worked in a plurality of fields from being manager of a Sushi shop to a Caribbean chef and a brief stint as en election monitor for the United Nations in Kosovo. In 1998 he took part in an aid convey from Brighton to the former Yugoslavia which bought supplies direct to Women’s refugees in Bosnia. I am active member of the Green Party, a keen and dedicated cyclist and occasional canoeist.
I have now set up an ethical fashion and sports retail website Fair Corp and I am about to launch the world's first Fair Trade and eco-friendly cyclewear brand VELECO. Hence why I am filling out this form!
