PROFILE
Shredding the Rulebook Philip Bain, Director and Co-founder of ShredBank, is the fourth of the alumni to be profiled in our “Ulster Business School – Leaders In Business” series.
Philip Bain, Director and Co-founder of ShredBank, BA Honours Business Studies Alumnus, Ulster Business School
What is your current role and why does it appeal to you? I am Director and Co-founder of ShredBank. My business partner James Carson and I set the company up in 2007 and we are now Northern Ireland’s largest on-site shredding company. ShredBank shreds confidential documents for clients at their premises using mobile shredding trucks. The business appeals to me because we provide a vital service in ensuring that all businesses are legally and environmentally compliant when it comes to the disposal of their confidential documents. Beyond that, the business is very community focused. Last year ShredBank raised over £20,000 for The Prince’s Trust in Northern Ireland by delivering 30 business growth seminars. The money raised went to help disadvantaged young people get into employment, education or training. We also provide a free shredding event between
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12.00am-2.00pm on the last Friday of every month at Forestside Shopping Centre. Voluntary donations go to The Alzheimer’s Society which is very close to our hearts. What is your own educational background? I did a business degree at the Ulster Business School and, after a serious amount of work, graduated with a First Class Honours in Business Studies. My time in University was a great grounding for my career and I learned a lot, particularly about Marketing from Professor Mark Durkin who was my lecturer then and my good friend now. Mark would ask me to speak to his students on many occasions and I have always maintained good links with the University. I am also a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute and Fellow of the Institute of Consulting. How did you choose this career field and what has been your path? I have always loved business, which is great because I was useless at everything else! My father got me interested in it. When I was in my teens, my father brought the Pizza Hut franchise to Northern Ireland even though he had just gone into a period of remission from leukaemia. Before he died, he had set up four Pizza Huts in Northern Ireland within two years. After graduating, I became a Marketing Manager at the age of 22 and the rest of my career was in developing and growing small businesses. However, I always wanted to set up my own business. Providentially, I bumped into a lifelong
“MY TIME IN UNIVERSITY WAS A GREAT GROUNDING FOR MY CAREER AND I LEARNED A LOT.” friend of mine that I hadn’t seen in ten years, we met for coffee and by the time the cups were set down ShredBank was born! What is the most rewarding part of your job? The most rewarding part of my job has been to see ShredBank develop and grow over the years. We are now a multi award-winning business and we recently were awarded the Nectar Business Award by Karren Brady from The Apprentice! To see what ShredBank can do to make a difference in the community is very rewarding. As well as raising money for The Prince’s Trust and Alzheimer’s Society we are also interested in promoting entrepreneurship amongst young people. I deliver seminars on entrepreneurship at University of Ulster and Queen’s University and recently we delivered a business idea generation workshop to Newtownbreda High School in conjunction with Castlereagh Borough Council. In terms of our future plans for community and charitable activities... watch this space!