Paul Barry-Walsh

Paul Barry-Walsh has devoted enormous time, money, drive and inspiration to establish Fredericks Foundation, developing it into a highly respected and effective charity. Since 2001, Fredericks Foundation has enabled some 500 disadvantaged people to transform their lives, rebuilding their self respect and personal satisfaction, and becoming economically independent through self-employment.

Paul Barry-Walsh is a very successful entrepreneur who has been involved in many successful start ups in the IT sector. He sold Safetynet, the disaster recovery business he started in 1988, for £170M in 2000. Netstore, which he started in 1996, now employs several hundred people and turns over more than £40M. Paul believes the leaders of commerce have a responsibility to help people who are disadvantaged within our system. He lives up to this belief by devoting time, money and expertise to helping others.

His sense of responsibility and concern for others led him to use the proceeds of his success to give opportunities to others who have had a less fortunate background. Having identified the social need for this work, Paul went into action to make it happen. He set up Fredericks Foundation in 2001, investing significant amounts of his own money and time to establish the charity, with a longer term aim of enabling it to become self sustaining, just as with his commercial ventures.

The core work of the Foundation is to help those who are disadvantaged to take control of their lives and start their own businesses - the Foundation's strap line is "unlock your future". The approach is to provide start up advice and loan finance, together with ongoing mentor support plus networking and marketing opportunities, enabling clients to build their own business success.

Paul currently devotes in excess of 2 days a week on a purely voluntary basis to the Foundation, doing a wide range of work far beyond the requirements of his role as Chairman. His outstanding business acumen is one of the unquantified contributions which he gives freely to both the Fredericks Foundation itself and its clients, making a huge difference in their ability to survive, flourish and develop.

All Fredericks' clients have been in financial hardship, unemployed, single parents, ex-offenders, and/or disabled, with many having a number of these disadvantages. Paul has also ensured that Fredericks continues to work with clients, supporting them with advice and mentoring in running their businesses. As a result, 69% of the businesses started with Fredericks Foundation’s help are still trading - a particularly impressive result given the barriers and disadvantages that all the entrepreneurs have faced.

Fredericks Foundation also achieves very significant soft outcomes, with almost every Client achieving progress in their lives whether they actually go into self employment or not. These soft outcomes can relate to self-knowledge, learning to set realistic goals, developing self-discipline, getting out of the house, and many, many more.

“Paul Barry-Walsh is a ‘mover and a shaker’. I really admire that quality. I managed to shake off my depression, and with Paul’s help through the support that Fredericks have given me, I have moved my life to a place I would not have thought possible two years ago.”

Richard Lamplough, Client

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