New Year Honours for Chief Dragon

08 January 2009

The 2009 New Year Honours list included an OBE awarded to John Caines of SWAIN for “services to entrepreneurship and business in the South West”.  John is author of ‘The Effective Entrepreneur’ and a Non Executive Director of SWAIN (South West Angel and Investor Network) having been its first Chairman from 2004 until March 2008.

John Caines founded his own software business aged 26 and built it to employ over 500 staff across 8 European countries before stepping down in 2001.  Since then he has devoted himself to helping other entrepreneurs though his personal coaching and investing activities in addition to supporting the School for Social Entrepreneurs and having been a board member at the Gloucestershire Innovation Centre and London Business School in addition to SWAIN.

SWAIN has become a notable success having already helped more than 60 young businesses raise the capital needed to fund their ambitions.  Given the rigour of SWAIN’s processes and the addition of mentorship that its investor members add to the funds they provide, there is every prospect that many of those ambitions will be achieved.  The collective result is a real fillip to the economy of the South West. 

Asked for his reaction to being awarded an OBE, John said “I am delighted to receive this honour on behalf of the team at SWAIN who have so brilliantly created a thriving Business Angel Network in the South West.  Bringing aspiring entrepreneurs and investors together is a truly worthy mission for they jointly create the businesses of tomorrow and the employment opportunities that are so necessary for our economy.

 ‘Entrepreneurship’ being recognised in this way is a great example of the British honours system evolving to recognise the priorities of the twenty first century.”

Philip Tellwright, SWAIN Managing Director said “I am very thrilled to hear that John was awarded him OBE, and although SWAIN is only one of John’s activities, I’m sure that his massive contribution to our early development has been significant in the recognition of his contribution to entrepreneurship in the South West.”