Sir Jack Petchey CBE has been inducted into the inaugural class of the Charity Hall of Fame. The Charity Hall of Fame, the first in the world to celebrate social pioneers and leading philanthropists, launched on Monday 31^st March 2025.

The inaugural inductees consist of twenty-two names from historical trailblazers like Mary Seacole, Olaudah Equiano, Jospeh Rowntree, to modern-day changemakers such as Alex Winstanley, Yvonne Field OBE and more. The Charity Hall of Fame was created to celebrate those who have shaped communities, changed lives and transformed society through their positive work.

Sir Jack is being inducted into the Hall of Changemakers as a key philanthropist in recognition of his incredible work championing and giving opportunities to over 1.3 million young people across London and Essex.

Sir Jack was born in 1925 to poor working-class parents in Plaistow, East London. Despite leaving school at the age of 13 with no qualifications, he had already begun to demonstrate his entrepreneurial skills working for a local greengrocer. In 1943, Sir Jack volunteered for service during the Second World War. When he left the Royal Navy, he became a clerk and applied for a management position but was told he was “not management material”. Sir Jack refused to give up. He used his £60 life savings to start his own business to prove his doubters wrong.

After numerous successful business ventures, including taxi driving and property management, Sir Jack set up the Jack Petchey Foundation to inspire and motivate young people, and to celebrate their achievements. His motto to them was to believe that, “if you think you can, you can!” Since 1999, the Foundation has invested over £180m in young people and youth organisations across London and Essex. (You can learn more about the Foundation’s 25 years of history here.)

In 2004, Sir Jack was awarded an OBE for services to young people. He was further honoured with a CBE in 2011 in a ceremony attended by hundreds of young people and youth workers. Sir Jack passed away in June 2024 aged 98 or, as he would have said, almost 99! The Foundation will continue Sir Jack’s legacy by making a positive contribution to young people long into the future.

Gemma Juma, Chief Executive Officer of the Jack Petchey Foundation, said of the occasion: “Sir Jack believed that society benefitted when young people felt valued and were given opportunities to realise their potential. Even before the Jack Petchey Foundation was officially formed in 1999, Sir Jack had been giving donations to charities and organising events to celebrate the achievements of young people in the East End of London for many years. Giving back was part of his DNA and from an early age and he wanted others to experience the joy that he experienced from his giving.

“It was with great sadness that we said goodbye to him last year, yet his family and all at the Foundation are comforted by what he left behind and how fondly he is remembered by so many. His induction into this Charity Hall of Fame is a celebration of his impact. His legacy will continue to live on. The Foundation’s mission will remain to give those young people across London and Essex the chance to build their skills and confidence to make a positive impact on society. Sir Jack’s family and I hope Sir Jack’s story will inspire and motivate young people to be the best version of themselves, and to perhaps one day join him as an inductee to this Charity Hall of Fame.”

The Charity Hall of Fame was created by Jamie Ward-Smith MBE. Commenting on the class of 2025, he said: “Now more than ever we need pioneers like the 22 that I’m proud the Charity Hall of Fame is honouring this year. It’s a chance to celebrate extraordinary individuals past and present whose passion, commitment, and innovative spirit transformed society. They represent the profound impact of community founders and campaigners and I really hope elevating them will inspire future generations to follow in their footsteps.”

The Class of 2025 was selected by an Independent Panel of charity and community leaders, chaired by Malcolm John, Founder of Board Racial Diversity UK. More information can be found at the Charity Hall of Fame website.

Sir Jack’s legacy will continue through the Jack Petchey Foundation. We recently unveiled our 2025 Impact Report outlining how we directly benefitted 172,822 young people in the last academic year through our grants and programmes. More information can be found here.

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