On the evening of Thursday 23rd May, Green & Fortune Chief Executive John Nugent was crowned the UK Philanthropist of the Year at the Vision Ireland Awards.
The award was given at the Vision Ireland Tower of London Dinner, which is held to honour and celebrate those who give so generously to Vision Ireland and support other charities.
Vision Ireland is Ireland’s leading charity working for the rising number of people affected by sight loss. Its mission is to enable people who are blind and vision impaired to overcome the barriers that impede their independence and participation in society.
John is well-known in London’s hospitality industry for his charity and community commitments, raising funds for both hospitality and Irish charities and supporting initiatives in his local area. The Green & Fortune annual St. Patrick’s Day lunch, lead by John has now raised nearly £190,000 to date for charities such as the London Irish Centre, Hospitality Action and The Clink. During the 2020 Covid lockdown John also initiated a partnership with the Copenhagen Street Foodbank, since then, Green & Fortune have donated over 13,000 meals.
John has been a governor and deputy chair of an inner-city school and recently chair of trustees of the educational charity Global Generation. Alongside other Kings Cross stakeholders, he was a founding director of the Kings Cross Business Partnership. He has worked with the developers of Kings Cross, Argent and Islington Council on employment initiatives to provide support and opportunities to get local people into well-paid and meaningful employment.
Originally from Dublin, John started his hospitality career in London in 1989. In the intervening years, he has worked across many industry sectors, including hotels, restaurants, bars, cafes, corporate hospitality, and commercial events. As CEO of Searcy’s, John was involved in operations including The Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the National Portrait Gallery, and 30 St. Mary Axe. Formally MD of Richard Corrigan’s restaurant company, John, Richard and fellow Dubliner Tony Gibney now own a successful London bar and restaurant. In 2008, John launched Green & Fortune, an award-winning hospitality company based in London.
Green & Fortune Chief Executive John Nugent comments “A huge thank you to Vision Ireland for considering me for this award. I arrived in London almost 35 years ago from Dublin, never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that after all these years I would be recognised in this manner. Recognition like this only happens because of other people, people who I have worked with in charities, schools and non-profit organisations, the great people within Green & Fortune, and also family and friends who end up being inadvertently pulled in to support and live with fundraising activities and charitable endeavours. I am hugely humbled by this recognition and thank all the people involved with Vision Ireland for this very generous gesture.”