Peter Paduh

Infobox Celebrity
name = Peter Paduh


caption = Peter Paduh
birth_date = 1977
birth_place = Sarajevo
death_date =
death_place =
occupation = Maxitech
salary =
networth =
spouse =
website =
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Peter Paduh (born 1977, in Sarajevo) is a British businessman, best known as the Young Business Person of the Year at the London Business Awards 2005, and for his involvement with the Computers for Older People Initative with the Mayor of London and Age Concern and as a spokesperson for Refugees in the UK and for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Background

Paduh is the eldest son of Croatian and Serbian parents.

He came to the UK as a refugee at the age of 14 when war broke out in the Balkans. At the time he did not speak English but he already had a fierce desire to make a positive contribution to society and establish a successful business.

Paduh learnt English, lived in a children's home for refugees in London and attended school and university in the UK. He worked for companies such as Gateway and Microsoft, then started a series of businesses.

His past ventures include an online marketing and web hosting business, working in partnership with British Telecom’s Internet division and a successful IT/Internet consultancy. He started his first busienss at the age of 12 selling commodore 64 products.

In 2002, as a result of consultations with his clients, Paduh began researching the business potential of the electronic waste problem. His research took him to Canada, where he made a number of contacts, visited recycling plants and observed the thriving recycling industry there. From what he saw, Peter became convinced that there was an overlooked market in the UK for recycled and re-used technology.

The business was built on the principles of corporate social responsibility (CSR), providing training in IT hardware for young unemployed people and helping disadvantaged groups such as older people in the UK with refurbished PCs. Paduh demonstrated that it was possible to establish a successful business that is environmetally and socially sustainable.

Because of the emphasis on CSR and because of his background as a refugee, Paduh has received a number of awards in the UK of which one of the most prestigious was as the Young Business Person of the Year at the National Business Awards 2005 sponsored by ITV London and the London Chamber of Commerce. He is also a spokesperson for Refugee groups including the [http://www.loreca.org.uk/ London Refugee Economic Action (LORECA)] and the [http://www.naar.org.uk National Assembly Against Racism (NAAR)] .

Maxitech.biz

The IT reuse and recycling business takes redundant PCs and other IT from businesses and refurbishes them. In this process, training is provided to young people in IT hardware.

The company has recently refurbished hundreds of HaringeyCouncil’s old computers and put them back into use in thevoluntary sector, with schools, community centres and localcharities benefiting from Maxitech’s services.

In June 2006, the Mayor of London launched an initiative to raise thousands of computers for London's older people in conjunction with charity Age Concern.

Spokesperson for Refugees

Paduh's success despite being originally a refugee and the social benefits generated by his company has made him the ideal spokesperson for refugees in the UK.

He has been quoted in articles about refugees from, among others, The Guardian, the Financial Times and Newsweek, and was the subject of a two page spread in [http://www.thelondonpaper.com/ the London Paper] .

Paduh has also been featured on ITV news, BBC World and on the BBC's Working Lunch programme.

Awards and Commendations

*Institute of Directors - The Good Director Honour award winner
*Business in the Community (BITC) big tick award for positive contribution to society.
*Recycler of the month leading local government recycling magazine.
*Winner HSBC Startup Stars - London region.
*Microsoft Authorised Refurbisher.
*National Business Awards – Chairman Award for Innovation.
*The Edge Employers Awards – London Region Winner.
*Young Business Person of the Year award winner London Business Awards.
*London Mayor’s Award for Outstanding contribution to life in London
*Best Corporate Social Responsibility firms Haringey City Growth Award winner

External links

* [http://society.guardian.co.uk/asylumseekers/story/0,,1956357,00.html False Starts and Fresh Beginnings] , article in The Guardian, November 25, 2006
* [http://www.loreca.org.uk London Refugee Economic Action (LORECA)]
* [http://www.naar.org.uk National Assembly against Racism]
* [http://www.naar.org.uk/resources/PDFs/ASYLUMfact%20sheet.pdf Myth-busting facts and figures about refugees and asylum seekers] NAAR Article
* [http://www.maxitech.biz Maxitech Computer Recycling]
* [http://news.ft.com/cms/s/4c905ea0-5d8b-11da-be9c-0000779e2340.html Hard Drive Pays] , article in the Financial Times, November 25, 2006