Paul Dyer, co-founder of Europe’s largest privately owned insurance entity the Towergate Partnership, has become a Trustee of Veterans Aid.
He said “I have seen first hand the work that Veterans Aid carries out and can honestly say that of all the charities I know, they provide the clearest evidence of making beneficial change to people’s lives.
It is easy with Veterans Aid to see the output, measurable and discrete, of all the benefactors’ donations and the tireless work of the committed staff. It is moving and a delight to see the fundamental, even extraordinary, change in ex-servicemen, once they have made contact with Veterans Aid after perhaps years of “casualty” status at the bottom of society. It is a privilege to be able to contribute as a Trustee.”
CEO Dr Hugh Milroy said, “We are delighted to welcome Paul to our Board. He has long been a supporter of Veterans Aid. His experience and expertise will be much appreciated in these challenging economic times.”
Paul was Marketing Director throughout his career and Company Secretary for the first four years of Towergate’s life.
He retired from Executive duties in 2005 to become a Non Executive and Consultant to the Company and retired as a Non Executive of Towergate Underwriting Group in December 2011.
He is a founding Trustee of the Towergate Foundation, the charity arm of Towergate Group, which has provided its four key charity partners with a total of over £1 million per year. His wide charitable interests include Combat Stress and Help the Hospices. In 2007 Paul became President and Fellow of the British Institute of Professional Photographers and has organised a number of fund-raising exhibitions and auctions of UK fine art photography in London. In the same year he wrote Panic, Passion & Power with Dr Brian Thomas, a practical guide to entrepreneurial management.
The Paul Dyer Challenge annually provides 100 business students at the University of Greenwich and the University of Kent, with a “finishing” course on leadership designed to optimise the transition between the academic and business world.
Viola Dabrowska, a student of Human Resource Management at Greenwich in December 2010, recalls the Alumni Panel discussion at which Paul Dyer spoke. “He encouraged students to plan office-related internships that could be stepping stones in the process of pursuing a job after graduation. On a couple of other occasions he was invited by Dr Scott Johnson, programme leader of Organisational Behaviour at the University of Greenwich, to share his views on the future of students and the job market in a post-recession economy. Paul gave advice on how young people can distinguish themselves from the crowd and consequently increase their chance of getting into a competitive job market. Paul’s support and mentoring was crucial to us – my sister Natalia started an internship at Veterans Aid in October 2011 and I joined the Veterans Aid team in November 2012.”
Paul studied at the University of Kent from where he graduated with a BA in Politics and Government and an MA on the subject of War, Media & Modernity. He is married with two children.
