World Challenge 2010 In association with Shell Dialogues News Week BBC World News
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World Challenge: Down to business

In his blog, World Challenge's producer, Robert Lamb traces the origins of a new trouble-shooting programme on BBC World News.

Regular viewers of World Challenge will be familiar with our 'Catch up' endings where we revisit some of the 70 businesses and projects that have featured in the series. Riding out the global recession, many have gone from strength to strength and it's been gratifying to know that the publicity and attention generated by the coverage on the BBC has helped our World Challenge finalists.

However, this is the real world and we discovered that some were struggling. There are many reasons for this: dealing with corruption; departure of key personnel; cash flow crises & sometimes sheer bad luck (for example the Afghan Hands business losing a key consignment sent to New York that nearly bankrupted the all-women cooperative in Kabul).

Some while back in a series on British television a retired boss of a multinational, John Harvey Jones, was parachuted in to advise businesses on the brink on how to get back in the black. Inspired by that series, we decided to find our own trouble-shooter and get him to visit to visit past finalists who were enthusiastic about getting some professional advice.

Our chosen trouble-shooter is Leo Johnson, the telegenic sustainability advisor with PWC in London. In Down to Business, Leo visits Skylink in Kenya and the Green Gold miners in the Colombian jungle. In Leo's companion blog and in the television programme itself, an insight is given into the formidable obstacles both must overcome to thrive and grow. Our aim is now to stay in touch, carry on mentoring and direct both enterprises to possible sources of finance. So watch this space to see if our trouble-shooting initiative comes to anything!

Posted by Robert Lamb

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Bottom Brance

producers

Click on the project name to view the producer blogs

Robert Lamb

MYC4 Cyber Capital

OK Coral

Pass It On

Double Boiled

Growth cycle

A Class Apart

Burn After Eating

The Only Way Is Up

One Reef At A Time

Saving From A Rainy Day

Charge Of The Light Brigade

In A Nut Shell


down to business

World Challenge Down to Business visits previous World Challenge projects with Robert Lamb and sustainability expert Leo Johnson.

Leo Johnson

Robert Lamb


look back

We have looked back at some of the previous finalists to see how their projects are fairing. Click on the links below read about these projects.

She Hope Disability Centre, Kashmir

LEAKY Collection

Business Still Blooming

Children in the Wilderness

COMET-ME

Andaman discoveries, Thailand

Half Price Hygiene Catch Up