PURPOSE | LEADERSHIP
Dean Forbes –
the CEO aiming for the moon from rock bottom
Dean Forbes went from a homeless , debt-ridden teenager to CEO of a billion-dollar business in 20 years . Here he shares his inspirational journey
WRITTEN BY : SCOTT BIRCH
It took just 20 years for Dean Forbes to transform his life . Twice homeless in London as a teenager , failing to make the grade as a professional footballer , and amassing a mountain of debt , it would have been easy to expect a tragic end to this story of a young man trying to find his place in the world . Yet Forbes was driven by his traumatic and tempestuous experiences to transition from a junior call centre sales executive to CEO of billiondollar businesses – recognised as one of Britain ’ s best leaders , mentors , and champions of social mobility .
“ I describe the start of my career journey as a twice homeless failed footballer who found himself doing telesales to service a mountain of debt that he ' d accumulated to keep up with football friends ,” says Forbes , speaking with an openness and candour that is refreshing from a CEO .
“ I ’ m really grateful for that debt because it meant I had to fail at football quickly in order to get into the professional working environment .” businesschief . com 77