Barclays Wealth and Investment Management is to sponsor an Isle of Man Institute of Directors’ event which will feature an address by author and inspirational speaker Neil Francis.
The lunch, held at The Sefton hotel on April 10th, will be attended by around 100 Institute members and guests. In addition to the talk by Mr Francis, there will be a raffle to raise money for Hospice Isle of Man, one of Barclays Wealth and Investment Management’s nominated charities in 2014.
Mr Francis will talk about how a stroke at 41 forced him to rethink his life and take a new direction from the CEO post he had held for 11 years. In 1996, Mr Francis co-founded and led one of the early internet development companies in the UK, working with some of the biggest global brands. After his stroke, to aid his recovery, he took a job as a caddie at one of Scotland’s top golf courses.
The stroke initially destroyed his confidence and left him battling to come to terms with his loss of status when he was forced to resign as a CEO. In his talk, Mr Francis will explain how becoming a caddie gave him the ideas, inspiration, insights and opportunities he needed to change his life.
Today he is a published author, speaker and non-executive director of three software companies. He is also the founder of social enterprise, The Together Partnership, which creates partnerships between Scottish and Rwandan individuals and businesses.
Mr Francis is, of course, also still a caddie at the North Berwick Golf Club.
Stuart Nelson, Head of Corporate and Intermediary Banking at Barclays Wealth and Investment Management in the Isle of Man said: ‘I am very pleased that this event will enable us to raise further funds for Hospice Isle of Man, one of our Charities of the Year in 2014 and would like to thank Neil for taking the time to speak to us.’
Clive Parrish, Chairman of the Institute of Directors in the Isle of Man, added: ‘Neil Francis is a fascinating individual and his inspirational story will explain how he has coped with massive changes in his life, and turned what happened to him into a positive.
‘It’s great to once again be thanking Barclays for supporting one of our events. I also expect will we raise a significant amount for the charity nominated by Barclays, Hospice Isle of Man.’
