Sir Keith Mills GBE DL
A leading British entrepreneur, Sir Keith Mills was creator and founder of the Air Miles and Nectar Card customer loyalty programmes. He has also established several other businesses, both in the UK and overseas.
He is widely acclaimed for his role in bringing the Olympic and Paralympic Games to London in 2012, as international president and CEO of London 2012, and subsequently overseeing the games as part of the organising committee, the LOCOG. Sir Keith has won numerous awards for his business activities over the years, and in 2006 was knighted for his services to sport. He was appointed chairman of the Royal Foundation in 2016.
I do think that opportunities come along all the time for all of us, and you have got to be ready to seize them when they do. If you want to become successful at something, you must be prepared to have a go, be brave and sometimes take a risk.
To be successful in anything you do, it definitely requires hard work. I know very few successful people that have reached the top without a huge amount of effort. So the need to work hard is a really important principle for young people to understand.
Money isn’t everything. You can have a successful, fulfilling life doing something that you really enjoy without needing to earn a fortune.
I think it’s very important for parents to give their children the permission to dream, to give them the confidence to pursue their passions and help them tangibly where you can.
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