Mo Chaudry

Mo Chaudry was born in the Rawalpindi District of Pakistan.[3] He is the son of strongman and ex-soldier Iqbal Chaudry.[4] At the age of 8 he moved, with his family, to Luton, England, where he attended Denbigh Junior and then Beech Hill High School.[5] Upon first moving to England, Chaudry could not speak a word of English (only Punjabi)[3] and coped with negative attention by developing a combination of both fighting and communication skills. When his father began a mini-supermarket business, the family moved to a bigger home in Telford, Shropshire. Mo won a place at Wellington Grammar School and later attended New College, Telford, where he passed his O-levels and A-levels. Following this, he graduated with a degree in sports science from Madeley College of Physical Education, part of North Staffordshire Polytechnic.[6] After graduating, Chaudry started work in the financial services industry, firstly as an insurance canvasser for General Portfolio [7] and then setting up his own financial services business. He made his first million, as an independent financial adviser and property investor, by the age of 30.[8]

Whilst working as a bouncer at The Place nightclub in Staffordshire, Chaudry met his wife Ann. They got married on 5 March 1987 and have three daughters.[12]) Chaudry and his wife currently live in the Staffordshire countryside.

In 2008, Chaudry became the only person to have received honorary degrees from both Staffordshire universities in the same year[13] (namely Keele University and Staffordshire University).

Two years later, he was awarded the 'Star of Pakistan'[14] (the highest civil award) at the Pakistani Achievement Awards, which recognises individuals of Pakistani origin for excellence and positive contributions to the image of Pakistan, and who act as best example of Britishness.[14] In recent years, Chaudry has become a campaigner against injustice, taking a stand against forced marriage[15] and attempting to join the British National Party[16] to highlight their racist constitution.

In 2015, Chaudry was part of a team which rowed 500 nautical miles from Tower Bridge in London to the Eiffel Tower in Paris to raise money for the Donna Louise hospice.[17] Chaudry is also founder of the M Club Foundation, set up to help local good causes and youngsters realise their dreams. To raise funds for the National Deaf Children's Society, he participated in a desert bike ride in the Middle East.[18] Chaudry founded and supports the Al Amir Foundation School in his home village in Pakistan – a middle school for around 200 children.[19] Chaudry provided land for the school and financed its start-up.[20] Chaudry is an Ambassador for The Princes' Trust[21] and on the speaking Bureau for Mosaic[22] (one of Prince Charles' Charities). As part of Prince Charles's Seeing is Believing programme,[23] in 2010, Chaudry toured Pakistan and visited areas affected by floods.[24]