On April 11th, 600 students and 200 business leaders from across the UK will gather at the ExCel, London, as part of the global Enactus Award for student social enterprise. Our Founder and Director, Mark Corbett, a veteran of the ESG and profit with purpose landscape, has been invited to host this year’s award, which also marks the 20th anniversary of the competition in Great Britain.
Thrust Carbon Founders, Mark Corbett and Kit Brennan, are frequently asked how they found their way into the world of carbon intelligence. We believe it was the perfect collision of Brennan’s 15 years in tech, payments, and travel, clashing with Corbett’s unshakeable determination to create a business model designed for the next 50 years, rather than the 50 prior. A determination that was born as an 18 year old, building his first business, inside the Enactus community and under the tutelage of remarkable entrepreneurs, technologists, and global business leaders.
“Without the extraordinary support, guidance, and genuine care from the people I met through Enactus, I would be on a very different path" says Mark Corbett. "There is no experience that prepares you for building a business, like building a business. I did that. Aged 18. With friends, with limited risk, and in a safe, supportive environment. Together, we won consulting contracts, government funding, and our first five figure investment from Taylor Wessing LLP - an unparalleled show of faith in our work. Within six months I was deep in London’s emergent tech scene, attending social enterprise events, and with just about as much experience as my considerably older peers. Everything was new. Everything was exciting. The sky was the limit."
Having won the competition as a student (some years ago I might add...) Mark knows first-hand just how hard the students work to build a better future, and to achieve hard commercial results on top. To win a trophy and the recognition of your peers is the cherry on top.
Recent Enactus UK Nationals Winners, University of Nottingham
In 2019 Mark won the Global Enactus Alumni of the Year Award in Silicon Valley as recognition of his "embodiment of what it means to be a member of the Enactus Community of change-makers and contribution to the continued growth of the network." Mark is delighted to be able to share his progress with a new generation of socially conscious and hyper-ambitious young entrepreneurs.
“To come back and host the 20th Anniversary Enactus UK National Expo is such an honour. People think I’m always very composed and it all comes naturally on stage. What they don't see is the years of hard lessons as a woefully unprepared yet bright-eyed, willing to learn, and push myself, student that honed my skills. And as for being composed on Monday, don’t be surprised to hear my voice break once or twice. Not only am I incredibly grateful to Enactus, I draw a huge amount of inspiration looking into the eyes of the hundreds of young, innovative, and potentially world-changing entrepreneurs in front of me. If I can be the match that lights the same fire in them that burns in me, then that is something truly priceless.”
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Thrust Carbon has a vision of a world where our actions don’t have to cost the earth. As the leading carbon intelligence platform in travel, they report, reduce, and remove emissions. Their IATA & BTN award-winning products are easy to integrate, deliver market leading accuracy, and total transparency.
Enactus UK is a global network of 70,000 young people, detained to turn problems into opportunities. Challenging the status quo, students create projects that change the fabric of society, whilst building the skills required to lead a life of purpose.
For Thrust Carbon press enquiries, please contact Ed Hopkins, CEO of Dark Green PR.
