 LSE alumnus Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou (BSc Economics 1987), serial entrepreneur and founder of easyJet and its parent company easyGroup, has recently launched a number of philanthropic initiatives which share the common aim of encouraging and rewarding entrepreneurship. The programmes are handled through the recently established Stelios Philanthropic Foundation, which seeks to make a difference to society around the three pillars of activity: education, entrepreneurship and the environment. Sir Stelios made a gift of £2 million to LSE in 2005 to fund three-year scholarships for 100 undergraduates studying business related disciplines, reflecting his belief in the important role that education plays in empowering and inspiring young people. Since that time, up to ten scholarships have been awarded each academic year, to applicants specifically from the UK, Greece and Cyprus, and also to applicants from other EU countries. The first cohort of Stelios Scholars graduated from LSE in 2008, with a second group following in 2009. One of the newly launched initiatives is the Stelios Disabled Entrepreneur of the Year Award, which gives £50,000 to a disabled business-person in the UK who has demonstrated business excellence. This year’s winner, John Pickup, runs Amputees in Action, an agency for amputee extras, including action scene specialists, for the film and TV industries. Past Award winners include Amar Latif a blind entrepreneur and founder of Travel-eyes, an innovative travel service for both sighted and blind travelers. Last year’s winner Andrew Thomson – who is profoundly deaf – developed Sign-Now.com which offers software for on-line translation services and Sign-Tube – a You Tube-like service – targeted at the deaf community. The award scheme has enabled a small group of current and former LSE Stelios Scholars – to get involved in entrepreneurship and outreach, by volunteering in the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation’s Scholar Reach-Out programme. Each of the LSE Stelios Scholars participating in the programme will team up with a Stelios Scholar at Cass Business School, where a similar scholarship scheme is in operation, and assist the one of three finalists from the Award for Disabled Entrepreneur with anything from developing promotions and marketing plans to doing research and defining strategy. The teams will be supervised by LSE’s Professor Linda Hickman and Professor Julie Logan of Cass, and following 10 hours of volunteering with the awards finalists, will write up a report on their work with the nominated entrepreneurs early in 2010. In the spirit of philanthropy-with-a-multiplier-effect, the Stelios Scholar Reach-Out program adds another dimension to Stelios' giving. If any LSE alumni in the Derby, Cambridge or Newbury areas are interested in learning more about the program and lending a hand – or an ear – please contact Marie-Louise Bang (mlb@stelios.com) or Tracy Ghori (tg@stelios.com). To find out more about the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation, visit www.stelios.com. | 
