As Scottish entrepreneur and philanthropist Sir Tom Hunter launches a new competition, Michael Alexander hears why he is challenging ambitious young people to ‘positively disrupt’ Scotland by having the courage to take that ambition on.
When the Hunter Foundation organised a charity dinner in Edinburgh last year which was attended by former US president Barack Obama, entrepreneur and philanthropist Sir Tom Hunter challenged Scottish school pupils to write an essay on what their school would do if it ran the country.
In return they could win a table at the former president’s lecture at Edinburgh International Conference Centre.
The winner was Glasgow teenager Mila Stricevic, 13, of Hyndland Secondary School who read her winning poem, If I Ruled Scotland, to a standing ovation from Mr Obama, Sir Tom and other VIP guests.
In the weeks that followed, Sir Tom, and Ewan Hunter (no relation) who helps run the Hunter Foundation, went to visit Mila and her classmates at their school.
“We just sat and listened to them and their ideas on education, what was missing – to be honest we were blown away,” said Sir Tom, who added that the quality of the debate would have “put the Scottish Parliament to shame”.
Now, following an idea generated by Ewan in the wake of that school visit, Sir Tom is launching a competition to give a platform to young people in Scotland’s Year of Young People 2018.
Called 100 Disrupters, it is open to 100 young people or groups up to the age of 26 who are “positively disrupting” Scotland.
Those chosen will receive a grant of £1000 from the Hunter Foundation.
“We are looking to back young people with massive ambition and the courage to take that ambition on,” said Sir Tom in an interview with The Courier.
“Whether that’s one mighty sporting challenge, changing their communities, building the next Facebook, a nascent Rabbie Burns or promoting a charity or cause that can change the face of Scotland, we want to support their ambition.
“Young people don’t always get listened to and what the Hunter Foundation can do is give them a platform and a microphone to let them be heard.
“We’ve got this saying in our business and in the Hunter Foundation where the pace of change is the quickest it’s ever been but it’s the slowest it’ll ever be.
“The best people to take on that change are young people because they are more adept to it, they understand it better and I think as a nation there has never been a more important time to be listening to our young people and what it is they see, what it is they want to do and actually involve them in the conversation about education.
“If it was a business we’d be listening to our customers and the customers of education are the young people – but does anybody ever listen to them?
“So we just thought – 100 Disrupters: Don’t limit those ideas at all – as long as it’s legal we’ll look at it!”
Sports and property tycoon Sir Tom, 56, started selling trainers from the back of a van in the mid-1980s before building Sports Division into Europe’s largest independent retailer.
In 1998 he sold the business to JJB Sports for £290 million – and in 2007 was reported in the Sunday Times Rich List as the first ever home-grown billionaire in Scotland with an estimated wealth of £1.05 billion.
The financial crisis of 2007-2010 sliced an estimated £250 million from his fortune – reportedly bringing him back down to humble multi-millionaire status!
But inspired by his Dunfermline-born hero Andrew Carnegie, it’s his philanthropic activities for which New Cumnock-born Sir Tom is often now best known – and his desire to give young people a launch pad for success is a strong one that goes back to his own “grounded” roots, and a desire “not to be the richest guy in the graveyard”.
“I think technology is the big change for young people today,” he said.
“Kids now have got information they’ve got connection at their fingertips.
“So if something’s happening anywhere in the world they get to know about it very quickly whereas in my youth in New Cumnock you could wait a while until you knew what was going on!
“Technology has of course also brought the challenges of personality contests. ‘How many ‘likes’ did you get? Or are you included in that ‘group’? These are challenges that we didn’t have.
“We are hoping that young people have the answers to a lot of this.
“They are the ones most comfortable with technological change, the ones who understand it a lot better than certainly my generation.
“Therefore what we are looking for is this sort of ‘disruptive’ nature to positively disrupt Scotland and make it a better place.”
Sir Tom says ambition is “taking on a challenge you may not fulfil but giving it a go anyway.”
“As John Wayne said,” he added, “‘courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway’ We hope 100 Disrupters will!”
The foundation has joined forces with a range of organisations to encourage young people to apply.
They include Young Scot, Prince’s Trust, Young Enterprise Scotland, StreetSoccer, Who Cares Scotland and the Children’s Parliament who will all be invited to judge the winning entries.
How to enter
*Open to any young person or group up to the age of 26 who is resident in Scotland, applications – either via a one page of script or a one minute video message – outlining a group or individual’s ambition should be emailed by April 30 to disrupters@thehunterfoundation.co.uk
The Hunter Foundation will let all winners know directly by the end of May 30 and will publish the winners.
