Josh Littlejohn

Josh Littlejohn MBE is one of the UK’s most prominent social entrepreneurs, campaigners and advocates for using business as a force for social change. Best known as the co founder of Social Bite, Josh has built a career around developing practical and ambitious responses to homelessness and inequality. His work has combined entrepreneurship, philanthropy and high-profile campaigning, bringing together businesses, public figures and communities to tackle some of society’s most persistent challenges. His achievements have earned national recognition, while his experience of turning bold ideas into movements with international reach gives him a compelling perspective on leadership, purpose and positive social impact.

Josh began his career in social enterprise by founding and organising the Scottish Business Awards in 2011. The following year, he co-founded Social Bite, a social enterprise that developed a chain of sandwich and coffee shops while creating employment opportunities and support for people experiencing homelessness. In 2014, Josh delivered the TEDx talk ‘Food for Thought‘, sharing his thinking on enterprise and social responsibility. He went on to co-found Brewgooder in 2016, further demonstrating how commercial ventures can be designed around social purpose. His ambitions subsequently expanded internationally when he launched The World’s Big Sleep Out with Will Smith and Dame Helen Mirren in 2019, mobilising people around the world to raise awareness and funds to address homelessness.

Josh’s contribution to entrepreneurship and humanitarian causes has attracted significant recognition. He was named Ernst & Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year in 2015 and appointed MBE in the New Year Honours in 2017. That same year, he was included in Debrett’s 500 Most Influential People in the UK. His campaigning earned him Special Recognition at the Pride of Britain Awards in 2019, followed by the Robert Burns Humanitarian Award in 2020. Josh is also the author of ‘Paying It Forward’, which became a Sunday Times bestseller in 2023 and documents lessons from his journey as an entrepreneur and campaigner.

Josh is hired as a speaker because he combines first-hand entrepreneurial experience with a proven ability to transform socially conscious ideas into action at scale. From building Social Bite and Brewgooder to creating a worldwide campaign featuring internationally recognised figures, he demonstrates how purpose, leadership and commercial thinking can work together. His TEDx experience, humanitarian recognition and bestselling authorship strengthen his ability to communicate those lessons with authority. Audiences gain practical insight into social entrepreneurship, responsible leadership, resilience and mobilising people behind ambitious goals, delivered by someone whose career provides concrete examples of turning conviction into measurable action.