The Bronze Wolf Award, World Organisation of the Scout Movement
Early Life and Education
John C.C. May was born in the United Kingdom, and was educated at Beaudesert Park School[1] and Wycliffe College, in Gloucestershire. He pursued higher education at Bristol University, where he achieved a Joint Honours degree in Drama and English, and then at Westminster College, Oxford, where he was awarded a postgraduate certificate in education.
Professional career
Teaching
From 1986 – 1998, May taught in Staffordshire, West Sussex and Buckinghamshire, eventually becoming Headteacher of Manor Farm School in High Wycombe. In the early part of his career, May was achieved a Master’s Degree in Education from the Open University. During this time, he worked on a number of business education partnerships, culminating in his school being awarded the National Schools Curriculum Award in recognition of community links.
Business in the Community
May left teaching in 1998 to become the Director of Education and Community Campaigns at Business in the Community, where he ran Partners in Leadership, a mentoring programme for headteachers in partnership with the National College of School Leadership; Time to Read, a national scheme to encourage employee volunteers to support literacy in primary schools; and commissioned the work to create the educational charity Teach First, becoming one of its founding directors and trustees.
Career Ready / Career Academies UK
In 2002, May took on the role of founding CEO of the charity Career Academies UK, now known as Career Ready. Career Ready aims to bridge the gap between education and the workplace by providing young people with the skills, confidence, and networks needed to succeed in their careers. The charity partners with schools and colleges to offer a structured program of mentoring, masterclasses, workplace visits, and internships. During his tenure, the charity grew from working with an initial three schools to managing a network of more than 150 schools throughout the United Kingdom.
In 2008, May was honoured by being one of nine people nationally to receive The Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion, a prestigious UK honour that recognises individuals who have made outstanding contributions to promoting enterprise skills and encouraging entrepreneurial attitudes. The award celebrates those who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to fostering business acumen and enterprise in others, often through education, mentoring, and support services
Young Enterprise / Junior Achievement
May joined Young Enterprise as its CEO in 2008[2], leading its work on equipping young people with the practical skills, knowledge, and confidence to succeed in the world of work and business. The charity's efforts focus on empowering young individuals from diverse backgrounds to achieve their full potential and make a positive impact on their communities and the economy. May worked with the boards of the charity’s ten autonomous regional charities in England and Wales, many facing unsustainable budgets, to merge into one single national charity. He rebranded and relaunched the charity, re-establishing it as a business-led (rather than public sector dependent) organisation, eventually gaining ‘model nation status’ for the charity within the Junior Achievement global family of organisations, of which Young Enterprise is a member.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award
May moved on to take on the role of Secretary General of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award in 2011. He was responsible for overseeing the implementation and expansion of the Award across more than 130 countries, ensuring its principles and standards were upheld worldwide – and oversaw a growth in global participation from 750,000 to more than 1.3 million. He was particularly active in building relationships with education ministries in individual countries, using work he commissioned from PwC on the value of non-formal education and learning to put youth work at the heart of national education strategies. During the global COVID pandemic he worked with the United Nations and the World Health Organization to create opportunities for young Award participants to contribute to their communities. Through the Commonwealth Secretariat and at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali, Rwanda in 2011, May led discussions with delegations about the importance on non-formal education and learning.
Cats Protection
May's passion for charitable work also extends to animal welfare. He became Chief Executive of the UK’s leading feline welfare charity, Cats Protection, in 2022. This shift in sector leadership highlights May’s diverse interests and commitment to making a positive impact in various sectors. As Chief Executive, May has led the charity’s strategic planning and governance, helping the organisation to enhance its services and advocacy efforts for the well-being of cats across the country.[3]
Voluntary Career
Scouting
May is widely recognised for his extensive involvement as a volunteer in the Scout movement. His journey with the Scouts began in his youth with the Stroud Valley and Wycliffe College Scout Groups and evolved into various leadership roles, including International Commissioner of The Scout Association in the UK. In this role, May was instrumental in modernising the organization's approach to international youth engagement, focusing on inclusivity, diversity, and preparing young people with essential life skills. He served as a trustee of The Scout Association, chairing its programme and development committee, and was a member of the organizing committee of the 21st World Scout Jamboree in the United Kingdom in 2007. May was awarded The Scout Association’s Silver Wolf (the highest adult honour in UK Scouting) in 2015. He became Honorary President of British Scouting Overseas in 2017[4] and continues to support local Scouting in his home county of Oxfordshire.
His contributions extended internationally through his work with the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM), promoting global citizenship and cross-cultural understanding. He was elected to the World Scout Committee in 2008 and served as Vice Chair of the World Scout Committee from 2011 – 2014. [5] In 2014 May was awarded the Gustaf Adolfs-märket, an award given by Scouterna (Sweden). He was awarded The Bronze Wolf, World Scouting’s highest honour, in 2016.
Breakout Children’s Holidays
With a group of former volunteers with the holiday organisation Colony Holidays (predecessor to ATE Superweeks), May founded Breakout Children’s Holidays in 1988 – a charity providing summer breaks for children in the West Midlands. Its aim was to provide a week or so of stability and normality for those for whom a holiday was a necessity.
The Marine Society & Sea Cadets
The Marine Society & Sea Cadets, a national youth charity offering nautical adventure and training, has also benefited from May's leadership as a trustee, where he served from 2015 until 2024. His role in the organisation underscores his dedication to youth development through maritime experiences. By supporting the Sea Cadets, May has helped provide young people with opportunities to develop nautical skills, leadership qualities, and a sense of discipline and community service.[6]
Charity Mentors
Since 2017, May has volunteered for the organisation, Charity Mentors, providing leaders of the voluntary sector with effective mentoring and support to facilitate strategic thinking and skilful leadership.[7]
Oxfordshire Youth
May became Chair of Trustees of the charity Oxfordshire Youth, in 2023, recognised as the leading youth organisation for the youth sector in Oxfordshire. The charity’s vision is for all young people to be empowered, feel respected and know that they are valued. They achieve this with, and through, their local network of youth sector organisations, together reaching more than 26,000 young people.[8]
Civic Appointments
May was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Oxfordshire in 2017. In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is a Crown appointment and one of several deputies to the lord-lieutenant of a lieutenancy area. Deputy Lieutenants are appointed by the Lord-Lieutenant and come from all walks of life, from across their County. They come from all walks of life and serve until attaining the age of 75. Deputy Lieutenants assist the Lord-Lieutenant in carrying out their role as The King's representative.
He is currently High Sheriff in Nomination for Oxfordshire, for the year 2025/6. The Office of High Sheriff is an independent non-political Royal appointment for a single year. Whilst the duties of the role have evolved over time, supporting the Crown and the judiciary remain central elements of the role today. In addition, High Sheriffs actively lend support and encouragement to crime prevention agencies, the emergency services and to the voluntary sector.[9]
Honours and Awards
HM The Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion, 2008[citation needed]
The Scout Association, which also uses the name Scouts UK, is the largest Scout organisation in the United Kingdom. It's the World Organization of the Scout Movement's recognised member for the United Kingdom. Following the origins of the Scout movement in 1907, The Scout Association was formed in 1910 and incorporated in 1912 by a royal charter under its previous name of The Boy Scouts Association.
Victor Olufemi Adebowale, Baron Adebowale, is the former Chief Executive of the social care enterprise Turning Point and the current Chair of the NHS Confederation, and was one of the first individuals to become a People's Peer.
The Prince's Trust is a United Kingdom-based charity founded in 1976 by King Charles III to help vulnerable young people get their lives on track. It supports 11-to-30-year-olds who are unemployed or struggling at school and at risk of exclusion. Many of the young people helped by the trust face issues such as homelessness, disability, mental health problems, or trouble with the law.
OYAP Trust, formerly the Oxfordshire Youth Arts Partnership, is a UK-based charity involved in the education of young people through participation in the arts. The trust aims to develop skills, confidence and self-esteem and give vulnerable young people access to mainstream education, arts and training opportunities.
UK Youth is a Hampshire based Charitable organization, which was founded in year 1911 to youth work.
The Jewish Leadership Council is an organisation in the United Kingdom, founded in 2003, whose declared aim is to forward the interests of the organised Jewish community in Britain. The council was founded by its first chairman, then president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, Henry Grunwald, and a number of other senior UK Jewish leaders. The council acts as an umbrella group for various Jewish community organizations, charities, Zionist and pro-Israel advocacy groups.
Ray Arthur Lewis was a Guyanese-born British youth worker who was a Deputy Mayor of London.
The Mulberry Bush Charity was founded in 1948 as an independent residential special school in the village of Standlake in Oxfordshire, for children aged 5 to 12 years; nowadays it is a not-for-profit charity. It has now grown to include MB3 , The Mulberry Bush Outreach service, The Mulberry Bush Researchand The Mulberry Bush Consulting.
Bright Ideas Trust (BIT) was a registered charity founded in 2007 by Richard Morris as a social enterprise for Tim Campbell to help those not in education, employment or training (NEETs) aged 16 to 30 build their own businesses. It went on to be awarded $1,000,000 by the Bank of America - one of the largest single donations to be given to a UK charity. BIT was launched by David Cameron when he was Leader of the Opposition and later by Boris Johnson when he was Mayor of London.
The Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion is one of the Queen's Awards for Enterprise, and is awarded annually to people who play an outstanding role in promoting the growth of business enterprise and/or entrepreneurial skills in other people. It is bestowed by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Recipients receive an engraved crystal glass commemorative item, a Grant of Appointment and are invited to a reception at Buckingham Palace. Sometimes the award is presented by another member of the British Royal Family, and sometimes at another location.
For example, people who:
Paul John Lindley is a British entrepreneur and children's welfare campaigner. He founded organic baby and children's food brand Ella's Kitchen in 2006, naming it after his daughter, and later launched organic toddler toiletries brand Paddy's Bathroom, named after his son. He is an author of a best-selling book Little Wins: The Power of Thinking Like a Toddler and is a co-founder of a social enterprise called The Key is E with former child soldier and international hip-hop artist Emmanuel Jal. He was previously deputy managing director of Nickelodeon UK.
Robert John Allison DL is a British academic. Professor Allison has held senior leadership roles in a number of top UK universities. Currently a Non-Executive Director and Trustee of several organisations, Allison was previously the Vice-Chancellor and President of Loughborough University.
The Mosaic Network is a charitable initiative founded by Charles, Prince of Wales in 2007 as part of 'The Prince's Programmes' at his charity "Business in the Community". The catalyst was a memorandum from The Prince of Wales to Julia Cleverdon, who was the chief executive officer of BITC, and John O'Brien MBE, who was the director of personal programmes. Although it sat well outside the normal focus of BITC, Cleverdon gave O'Brien a free remit to see what he could create. The initiative very quickly became formed a multiple set of initiatives which included, The Mosaic Schools Network, chaired by Princess Badiya bint El Hassan of Jordon, The Mosaic Speakers Bureau with individuals including Pinky Lilani, Asad Ahmad and many others. It also consisted of a media network launched at Channel 4.
There are many national organisations in the United Kingdom and its overseas territories that have been established to provide services to people under the age of 18.
Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji is a Nigerian social entrepreneur and human development expert whose work cuts across entrepreneurship, education, youth development and public leadership. She is the founder and chief executive officer of Rise Networks, a Nigeria-based private and public sector funded Youth Interest social enterprise.
The Queen's Birthday Honours 2015 for Australia were announced on 8 June 2015 by the Governor-General, Sir Peter Cosgrove.
The Queen's Birthday Honours 2008 were appointments in the Australian honours system to recognise and reward good works by citizens of Australia and other nations that contribute to Australia. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of the Queen's Official Birthday celebrations and were announced on 8 June 2008 in Australia.
Wedu is a social enterprise based in Bangkok, Thailand. The organisation's mission is to provide "high potential young women" from Asian communities with access to long-term mentorship and financing options to complete higher education and develop leadership skills.
Dame Ann Geraldine Limb is a British educationalist, business leader, charity chair and philanthropist. In September 2015, she became the first woman Chair of The Scout Association since the organization was founded by Robert Baden Powell in 1907. Limb also serves as the 789th High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire, the first Quaker to hold this office.
Yvonne Field is a social justice advocate and social entrepreneur focusing on community wealth-building and is founder and CEO of The Ubele Initiative. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2023 Birthday Honours List for her services to the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector and social justice.
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