User:Christina O'Connor/Chris Arnold Entreperneur & Hillsborough Survivor

Chris Arnold - Entrepreneur & Hillsborough Survivor

Background
Christopher Arnold was born in Liverpool, England on the 4th of November 1972. The first of three children. His mother worked as a care worker and his father a truck driver. At the age of 13 his parents divorced.

As a young person, Chris Arnold represented the North West of England in competitive swimming. He attended Halewood Comprehensive School and was one of only 5 or 6 (out of 120) who got 5 GCSES or more, gaining 8 GCSE qualifications.

In 1989, at the age of 16 he survived the Hillsborough football stadium disaster in which 96 Liverpool football fans lost their lives.

Following a brief period of depresion one of his school teachers inspired him to make a success of his life. He studied architecture and quantity surveying at Liverpool John Moores University, but realised early on that he did not want to spend his life in the building trade.

He signed up for a summer camp in the U.S and then went backpacking around the world but returned to camp every summer. These journeys proved incredible for his life education, self development and growing confidence.

Career
His passion for travel and cultural exchange took over as he had always wanted to start his own business and provide people access to the same amazing experiences he had travelling.

In 1999 he started Camp Leaders in the back bedroom of his father’s house in Halewood, Liverpool with £500.

Today Camp Leaders recruits from 70 countries, has offices in 10 countries and employs up to 160 staff at peak times.

Achievements & Memberships
Chris is a member of the Institute of Directors and is affiliated to a number of trade organisations, from the World Youth Travel Confederation and the American Camp Association. He is also on a number of Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Boards, including the NWDA and the National Enterprise Academy. Camp Leaders have won a number of awards including the prestigious Eleanor Eels Award in the US. Chris’s most satisfying award was a Scholarship to the Kellogg School of Management in Chicago.

Your Big Year
In February this year (2010) at the Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Dubai, he was asked to run an official worldwide event for Global Entrepreneurship Week. He developed a global competition called “Your Big Year”. It has three big themes – enterprise, social responsibility and global citizenship and offers a prize of a lifetime – an expenses paid trip around the world. This would not be a holiday but an opportunity to work on education and conservation projects. Currently the competition has 28000 registrations from 145 countries Chris intends to have a positive impact with Your Big Year, as even those that do not win will have the chance to hone their skills and enhance their CVs. The competition is also an opportunity to make a difference, as it’s “not for profit” and fundraising is a core part, with 24 charities benefiting. This global fundraising event was the subject of a feature Article in the Liverpool Echo.