Andrew Thornton Keynote Speaker

Andrew Thornton is a consultant, entrepreneur and sustainability expert. He ties these into what he sees as His life purpose, being putting the Heart back into Business.

He works to encourage the shift from an obsession with profit towards a business world where the focus is on ‘growing people, growing business to full potential for a better society’. He has applied these principles to his North London Supermarket, Thornton’s Budgens, where he is seeking to prove that looking after the environment is financially viable.

His aim is to build a network of heartful businesses, where people can authentically be themselves and do what they love and are good at. He has spearheaded Thornton’s Budgens becoming the first UK supermarket (and the second in the world) to launch Plastic Free Zones.

Andrew began his career at Mars, was a founder director of social enterprises “The People’s Supermarket” and “Food from the Sky”, founded and ran the retail consultancy SRCG and is a fellow of the Royal Society for Arts, Commerce and Industry. Andrew grew up in Dublin and is a graduate of University College Dublin, doing both a B.Comm and an MBS.

Andrew Thornton speaks passionately about how he runs Thornton’s Budgens and his journey from being a profit focused entrepreneur to a heartful business leader. He talks about running a business with a Purpose and how this approach can allow businesses to be a force for good and improve their profitability at the same time. His story is insightful and entertaining, a real life practical example of how a leader and a business can change.

Andrew and has now turned his attention to the topic of the role of business in society. He has formed Heart in Business Limited to share his personal experience with others.