Anthony Charles Robinson

Anthony Charles Robinson (Tony Robinson), OBE (born 7 September 1952) is a business speaker, author and micro-enterprise campaigner.

Anthony Charles Robinson was born in 1952 in North Ferriby, East Yorkshire. He lived in Hessle until the age of 19.

Robinson attended Beverley Grammar School in Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire, from 1964 to 1971.

In January 1986, Robinson founded the Business Advisory Bureau (BAB) Limited. which specialises in helping large organisations (both in the private and public sectors) engage with and supply SMEs.

In 1998, Robinson co-founded the Small Firms Enterprise Development Initiative (SFEDI) Group, which despite being independent is the government recognised UK Standards Setting Body for Business Support and Business Enterprise. The Group received £1.2 million of government funding in 2011 to help boost its Get Mentoring scheme.

Robinson co-founded and developed the Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurship (IOEE), an entrepreneurs learning institute dedicated to recognising individuals who choose enterprise and entrepreneurship as a professional career.

Enterprise Rockers CIC was founded in 2001 by Robinson and Tina Boden. The pair held the first MicroBizMattersDay on January 8, 2015.

Since September 2004, Robinson has served as a non-executive director for Yorkshire Coast Enterprise (YCE) Limited, a non-profit organisation promoting enterprise in Scarborough, North Yorkshire since 1985.

Ahead of the 2015 UK general election, Real Business featured Robinson as part of a five British entrepreneur and executive line-up focussing on the government’s support of small companies and the improvements a new government could make.

Freedom from Bosses Forever: how to take control of your own destiny by going it alone is a satirical book written by Robinson with Leonora Soculitherz which was self-published in July 2014. According to WorldCat, the book is held in 3 libraries

In 2001, Robinson was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours List in recognition of his service to small firms and training.

He also received the Lifetime Contribution to Enterprise award from the International Association of Book-keepers (IAB) in 2012 (the first of its kind)The Start Your Business magazine awarded Robinson with a Life Time Achievement Award in 2013.