Walpole member brand Graham Shapiro Design (GSD®) is a triumph of design and innovation and has been producing branding and websites for some of the world’s leading companies for over 25 years for clients including Bentley, Clive Christian, Rolex, Stephen Webster and the company is a Partner for the Duke of Edinburgh International Award, operating in 140 countries.
Now, Graham is taking that same sense of vision to exemplify a human dimension emanating from the world of luxury products & services. He said:
“Classical marketing philosophy expounds the ‘Hierarchy of Needs’ theory, remember that? It was Albert Maslow who first said that people are motivated by five basic categories of needs: physiological, safety, love, esteem and self-actualisation.”
Graham continued:
“I have always thought that Walpole echoes all these values and qualities, just by meeting peoples’ needs, in the highly distinctive way that it does. The products and services offered by all those whom together form the British Luxury Index meet these criteria in one way or another and I am so incredibly impressed by everything that I’ve seen.”
So impressed in fact that he founded the Graham Shapiro Foundation some years ago, to establish a way to support mental health and well-being. Seeking at the same time to inspire innovation and the spirit of endeavour that governs entrepreneurs in the United Kingdom.
His own record is inspiring. As a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, he is more than conversant with the work of Albert Maslow who propounded his ‘Hierarchy of Needs’ theory way back in 1943. Graham is also a Fellow of the Chartered Society of Designers and serves as an Ambassador of Innovation for the University of Cambridge. He is recognised as a notable British inventor and as Chairman of Arcet Global, his achievements are real, substantial and have attracted considerable acclaim but it hasn’t been easy.
“In life, there is such a fine dividing line between success and failure. Also our minds being okay, or not okay. Our brains I have considered are like the hard drive on a computer but when something goes wrong, it is not always possible to reinstall the software" explained Graham.
Graham Shapiro has seen members of his own family suffer from depression, debilitating anxiety and severe mental health problems. Some passed away, without ever finding comfort or relief from further suffering, in their own lifetime. After he also suffered a brain spasm with suspected bleed on the brain, Graham wanted to use his resources to make a difference and here we are. Over the years he has competed in extreme challenges to raise much needed funds for the Foundation. Funds raised go directly to MIND, the Mental Health Foundation and Help for Heroes.
At the same time, the Graham Shapiro Foundation is a leading charity to support young entrepreneurs and reflects a very personal story of endeavour and achievement, coming as he does from a non-privileged background. They seek to collaborate, initiate or manage entrepreneurial programmes and competitions within universities and colleges.
The aim is to support innovative entrepreneurs who have identified a commercial opportunity based upon their own research or intuition and have the drive and vision to convert that into solid enterprise.
He said:
"My work as an Ambassador for Innovation draws me toward young people who also want to make a difference. Also as Entrepreneur in Residence, my mission is nothing less than to engage with young entrepreneurs, the very same design talent that we at Walpole may need to turn to, in the foreseeable future. My aim is support future leaders to become who they want to be."
The Graham Shapiro Foundation aims to encourage, educate and empower all entrepreneurs to reach their potential by believing in their dreams. This fulfils the same sense of self-actualisation that Maslow spoke about with such conviction, a theory that would cascade right through one century and into the next.
Walpole is right behind Graham in supporting his endeavours:
