Louis Hurst

A UK first: an industry-led sixth form providing STEM education in direct partnership with businesses at Discovery Park, Sandwich. Company formed 2025, in active dialogue with the Department for Education, targeting first enrolment September 2026 subject to numbers. Designed to connect young people in Kent to the industries of the future through traditional STEM pathways, degree apprenticeships and university partnerships.

Boards of two joint ventures at Discovery Park focused on skills development and commercial opportunities for park tenants and the wider regional economy

Founded and chairs the board of trustees of the HatHats Foundation, a grant-giving registered charity. The Foundation has distributed over £120,000 in grants to small community groups across Kent through an open application process, funding community projects and mental health initiatives across the region.

– Planted 15,000 coffee trees in Ugandan schools and built a closed-loop commercial model: HatHats buys the harvest, supplies it as house coffee to every business on Discovery Park including Pfizer, and the income flows directly back to the schools funding teachers and feeding children.

– July 2026: leading 14 HatHats staff to Kampala to build a barista and hospitality academy in the city's poorest communities, in partnership with ERA92, British Chamber of Commerce Uganda, and with British High Commission support.

– Advisor to the Uganda Coffee Commissioner.

Based at Canterbury Academy. Triple Level 3 BTEC. A first for East Kent. Uses e-sports as a vehicle for developing teamwork, strategy, communication and digital skills across a wide range of post-16 young people, with established links into the multi-billion pound e-sports industry.

Based at Canterbury Academy. Post-16 programme offering a Triple Level 3 BTEC. A first of its kind: students leave with an actual registered business and a formal qualification. Wide range of abilities welcomed. Programme also delivered inside Swaleside Prison (Category B) and shortly Belmarsh.

Board-level advisory work on post-acquisition integration and organisational change. Brought in to provide independent challenge and new perspectives during periods of transition.

Multi-site independent hospitality group across Kent and the South East. Over 100 employees. Coffee shops, a vending network and a Barista Academy. Built without external investment.

– Sites include Discovery Park Sandwich, Bluewater Hangloose, South Quay Shed Whitstable, Herne Bay, Folkestone Radnor Park and Reculver.

– HatHats To Go: revenue-share vending network delivering scale without proportional overhead.

– Technology-first operator: Lightspeed POS, Supy inventory management, customer app in development.

– Finalist, SME of the Year, British Business Awards 2026. Named on The British Business Leaders List, The Times and Sunday Times.

– Awards include Apprenticeship Provider of the Year, Startup of the Year, Medium Business of the Year and Employer of the Year finalist across various programmes.

Seed capital fund investing in early stage businesses across all sectors. Acquisition advisory services to three private equity houses on deal structure and due diligence.

Built one of the largest telecoms businesses supplying the education sector in the UK, growing to become one of the biggest data and cloud-based providers in the sector. Exited to Radius, a multi-billion pound organisation, in 2020. Significant experience in financial oversight, due diligence and corporate governance at scale.

Bought a travel company, chartered jets for the sports and entertainment industry, and built a marketing and communications agency, and organised several pop concerts all before the age of twenty-six.

Trustee through the merger and rebrand of Connexions Kent into CXK, a not-for-profit supporting young people across Kent and the South East into education, employment and training. Board-level governance through significant structural change and sector-wide funding reform.

Started on air at sixteen. By nineteen had the largest evening show in the UK outside London. Raised money with partners to buy a radio station at twenty-four. Youngest breakfast presenter in Liverpool, taking the station from thirteenth in the market to number two and from loss to profit. Moved into directorship roles alongside the presenting career.

– Gold Sony Award for Radio.

– New York Radio Award.

Non-executive director of the Greater Merseyside Connexions Partnership. Multi-stakeholder governance through structural reorganisation of careers services across Merseyside.