Robert Ashton

Robert Ashton is a social entrepreneur, enterprise advisor, and best-selling author. He founded Swarm Apprenticeships in 2013 to empower young people with enterprise qualifications. In addition to his role as a founder, Ashton created the Norfolk Community Foundation in 2005, which is now close to having a 4 million endowment. Over the past year, the Foundation has distributed more than 1 million in grants to voluntary and community groups.

Ashton has written a total of 20 books on business, entrepreneurship, and self-help, which are now sold in over 80 countries and have been translated into multiple languages. His work includes the notable book "I Know Someone Like That," half of the proceeds from which are donated to the 'Time to Change - let's end mental health discrimination' campaign, a project by Stuff Stigma, a think tank that Ashton founded. In his foreword to the book, actor Stephen Fry praised it as a significant contribution to discussions around mental health.

In addition to his writing and entrepreneurial endeavors, Ashton is a keynote speaker known as the "barefoot entrepreneur" for his preference to speak without shoes or socks. He is a Fellow of the RSA, a member of Mensa, and a charity Patron and Trustee. Moreover, he graduated in December 2020 with a creative writing MA, passed with distinction. Ashton is also a director of Ethecol, an ethical credit & debit card payments processing company, and a Patron of Hertfordshire Action on Disability. He tailors his keynote presentations to the specific needs of his audience, with topics including entrepreneurship, social enterprise, and mental health and wellbeing in business. His presentations often focus on sectors such as charity, social enterprise, community organizations, volunteers, housing, health (particularly mental health), education, and small business.