John Caudwell: the self-made billionaire devoting his life to transforming children’s lives
John Caudwell is changing lives, one childhood at a time © Caudwell Children
In the heart of an October 2025 evening at the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo, a long-time friend raises his hand. Three hundred and ten thousand euros for a week on a yacht. Then he bids again. “People’s generosity is always the highlight of the evening for me,” confides the British philanthropist. That evening, the Butterfly Ball Monaco celebrates its tenth anniversary and raises over one million euros for disabled and autistic children.
For a quarter of a century, John Caudwell, self-made billionaire turned one of Britain’s richest men, has devoted most of his time and colossal fortune — $2.8 billion according to Forbes — to changing lives, one childhood at a time.
From Stoke-on-Trent to telecommunications empire
Born on 7 October 1952 in Birmingham, John Caudwell grew up in modest circumstances in Stoke-on-Trent, north Staffordshire. His father, a mechanic, died when John was eighteen, following a stroke four years earlier. The young entrepreneur revealed his commercial spirit early — selling earthworms to fishermen from a box under his mother’s bed, trading motorcycle clothing so successfully the manufacturer blocked his supplies under pressure from competitors.
After abandoning his A-levels for an engineering apprenticeship at Michelin, Caudwell eventually ran a car dealership. In 1987, he identified an opportunity: mobile phones. He invested his savings in twenty-six Motorola phones at £1,350 each. “The company made a loss every month for the first two years of operations,” he recalls in Forbes. But perseverance paid off.
With his brother Brian, he founded Phones 4U, which became the UK’s largest independent mobile phone retailer with over 600 stores. Turnover exploded from £13 million in 1991 to over £1 billion in 2000. In 2006, he sold the entire Caudwell Group for £1.46 billion. The business was then selling twenty-six phones a minute.
Finding purpose beyond profit
“When I became financially stable, I realised there’s more to life than the materialistic things or being wealthy in its own right,” he explains. “Having a substantial amount of wealth like I have now does enable me to do very significant things, to change people’s lives, and that gives me a huge satisfaction.”
In 2000, after supporting the NSPCC for years, Caudwell founded Caudwell Children. “I then decided I was going to set up my own charity and I just purely looked out with an open, clean sheet of paper which what cause is the most compelling cause on the planet? For me it’s giving children a life, giving them a life that they wouldn’t otherwise have — ill children.”
Since its creation, Caudwell Children has supported over 100,000 children and young people, provided over £45 million worth of services, and helped children with over 650 different medical conditions, funding equipment, treatments and therapies the NHS cannot always provide.
Among those stories, Tilly’s stands out. One of the first children helped, she’s now in her twenties, working in Los Angeles, and serves as the charity’s ambassador — her drawing of a butterfly adorns the logo. “I’ve watched her prosper over the years,” Caudwell recalls. When she studied at Stanford, he’d cycle alongside her powered wheelchair to Starbucks for coffee. Without that wheelchair, she would have had “no life at all.”
“The thing that always really strikes me about these kids is they’ve been dealt a terrible, terrible luck in life because of their ill bodies,” he reflects. “And the thing that really strikes me is how spiritually strong they are, how they deal with the consequences of these illnesses with good spirit, good humour and positivity. And I find that breathtaking. A lot of these kids are an absolute inspiration.”
Monaco, Modesta and the Butterfly Ball
This inspiration unites Caudwell with his partner, Modesta Vžesniauskaitė, a former Lithuanian Olympic cyclist. Since 2015, the couple has shared a deeply rooted philanthropic mission. Together with their two children, William and Bella, they primarily reside in the UK but spend considerable time in Monaco.
The Butterfly Ball Monaco began modestly ten years ago when Modesta organised a charity cycling event. “I just suggested that we sell one or two tables,” John recounts. That first dinner raised €18,000. For six years, Modesta ran it “almost single-handed.” “She worked herself to death,” he says proudly. “Organising a three-day charity cycle ride and putting the ball on is a colossal feat for one person.”
“We’re very common, goal-minded,” explains Caudwell. “We want to change people’s lives; we want the charity to raise the most amount of money to change the most amount of children’s lives.” Sharing this purpose provides “a different, totally different level of satisfaction” than material possessions. “We don’t value those anywhere near as much as changing people’s lives, which gives a real spiritualism.”
Beyond the Ball, Caudwell created the Life-Changers Circle in 2019 — members pledge £100,000 annually for ten years. “As a result of their generosity, they become friends,” he notes. But philanthropy extends beyond cheques. “It’s not always about money, actually. I just help people wherever I can. It’s being supportive of people, being fundamentally kind to people and trying to just make the world a better place than it is.”
Expanding the mission
Caudwell Youth, founded later, tackles vulnerability among young people aged 11 to 24 from disadvantaged backgrounds. With 400 volunteer mentors trained to support one young person each, meeting weekly for activities, the results are striking: “We reduce repeat criminality by 93%–93% reduction, which is just unbelievable. We improve mental health by 80%.” For just seven pounds per week per young person, the charity offers teenagers a chance to avoid “the wrong pathway.”
In 2013, Caudwell became one of the first Britons to sign the Giving Pledge, committing to give at least 70% of his wealth to charitable causes. “I do believe in kindness, and I do really want the world to be a lot better place than it is now,” he affirms. “I brought my children up to understand that. All I really wanted from my children was them to be happy and leave the world a better place than they found it.”
Why Monaco? Modesta lived for ten years in Cap d’Ail, next door to the Principality. The couple owns an apartment there, their boat is often based there, and “we’ve got a lot of friends in Monaco.” But what really appeals is cycling. “I love the cycling. So, for me, Monaco is a very special place.” Asked about living anywhere else outside the UK, he replies: “if it was going to be anywhere, it could only probably be Monaco.”
A mission far from complete
Despite millions raised and thousands of lives transformed, Caudwell remains aware of the work ahead. “There’s just more and more work to be done. We’re barely scratching the surface,” he admits. While Caudwell personally finances a third of the charity’s budget, he estimates “the job to be done would cost hundreds of millions.”
“The job of growing these charities is huge, every bit as big as what I achieved within my business,” he affirms. “We’re helping 400 young people this year. I estimate there’s 100,000 need help.”
As the Butterfly Ball ended, Caudwell’s message was simple: “Just a big thank you to those that donated, but a big thank you to everybody that came to support us. Just really think about the difference that your contribution to these charities is making to give young people a much better life.”
In a world where billionaires are often criticised for their disconnection from reality, John Caudwell embodies another path: an entrepreneur who transformed commercial success into a force for social change. A man who understands that true wealth isn’t measured in bank accounts, but in lives transformed, smiles restored, futures made possible.
And in Monaco, every October, beneath the gilded splendour of the Hôtel de Paris, butterflies continue to take flight.