Mike Greene
Areas of Interest
Honorary Award
Honorary Doctor of EducationBiography
Mike Greene is a self-made millionaire who grew up in Peterborough and attributes his success to starting work at the age of seven.
In 2011, he took part in the Channel 4 programme Secret Millionaire, returning to the council estate where he spent his childhood in Peterborough, volunteering at the New Ark Adventure Playground and the 'Time Stop' YMCA hostel. Through the process of being a 'secret millionaire', Mike says he has learned something rare and important: "It's more rewarding to give it than it is to earn it."
Although still very much involved in business, consultancy and behavioural profiling, Mike now works closely with another 'secret millionaire', Marcelle Speller OBE, founder of localgiving.com, which facilitates online fundraising for community groups and their supporters. Mike is also a 'business angel', mentoring young entrepreneurs (via the IGNITE Peterborough charity) and providing seed-funding investment to help new businesses to get started and to flourish.
Citation
"Vice Chancellor, it is my pleasure to read the citation for Mike Greene for the award of Doctor of Education, honoris causa.
Mike Greene is a self-made millionaire who grew up in Peterborough and attributes his success to starting work at the age of seven.
In 2011, he took part in the Channel 4 programme Secret Millionaire, returning to the council estate where he spent his childhood and where he had his first job - as a paperboy. As he went undercover and walked the streets of Bretton and Dogsthorpe in Peterborough, which are classed as areas of deprivation, Mike saw that a park where he once played was now closed, locked up and sprouting weeds. Recalling fond childhood memories of the park, Mike volunteered at a nearby play scheme, the New Ark Adventure Playground, to see if he could help. What he saw was that New Ark offered an invaluable resource for the community, particularly so as it also provided affordable after-school childcare, making it possible for single parents to go out to work. But he also saw that New Ark was running out of money fast, suffering its worst financial crisis in its 35-year history and facing the threat of imminent closure.
In addition to his new found role at New Ark, Mike also began volunteering at Time Stop, a YMCA hostel in the city. Here he found a group of young people in need of a permanent home - and in need of a job to pay for it. Mike felt that they just needed to be given the sort of opportunity and confidence boost he'd been given by the newsagent he'd worked for as a child.
When he revealed himself as a 'secret millionaire', Mike wrote out a cheque to New Ark which saved it from closure. With his help and advice, New Ark is now steadily building up its cash reserves. He also wrote a cheque for Time Stop to provide computer equipment that would help with job searches, CV writing and application letters. Two years down the line, both local charities are still going strong, thanks in part to Mike's donations, and he continues to give his time, energy and expertise to both.
But the story doesn't end there. Perhaps the greatest changes have been in Mike's own life as he subsequently sold his business to take his life in a new direction. Although still very much involved in business, consultancy and behavioural profiling, he now works closely with another 'secret millionaire', Marcelle Speller OBE, founder of localgiving.com, which facilitates online fundraising for community groups and their supporters. Mike is also a 'business angel', mentoring young entrepreneurs (via the IGNITE Peterborough charity) and providing seed-funding investment to help new businesses to get started and to flourish.
In 2012, Mike took a sabbatical from work to raise over £100,000 in just 100 days for 100 charities based in and around Peterborough. Among the causes he supports locally are Anna's Hope (for children with brain tumours), Phoenix School, and Family Voice. He continues to support these charities, in partnership with localgiving.com and Cambridge Community Foundation, as well as thousands of other organisations nationally. Through the process of being a 'secret millionaire', Mike says he has learned something rare and important: "It's more rewarding to give it than it is to earn it."
For his inspirational support for local charities and enterprises and the opportunities he continues to create for local people, we are delighted to welcome Mike Greene into our Anglia Ruskin community.
Vice Chancellor, it is my pleasure to present Mike Greene for the award of Doctor of Education, honoris causa."