20 March 2023 , 09:13
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Dean Forbes missed out on a career as a professional footballer having once been on Crystal Palace's books, but has thrived in the business world.
The future CEO was struggling at 17 - homeless whilst also being the primary carer to his mum, who had lost her job. Forbes himself had also amassed notable debts as he attempted to keep up with his free-spending pals who had made it as footballers.
His need for an income led to him taking a job in a Motorola call centre, but 20 years of graft has seen him rise considerably up the ladder. Forbes would go on to lead a major software firm and last year, Forterro was bought out for a mammoth $1bn (£823million), taking his own net worth to around £40m.
He told Business Chief : "I describe the start of my career journey as a twice-homeless failed footballer who found himself doing telesales to service a mountain of debt that he'd accumulated to keep up with football friends. I’m really grateful for that debt because it meant I had to fail at football quickly in order to get into the professional working environment.”
Forbes was introduced to the dark side of life in his early teens. At 14, he became homeless for the first time. When he was 17, his mum lost their family home, which forced them into hostels. Now a millionaire, he never bemoaned his situation and, after taking on the real world, was quickly able to purchase a house.
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He added: “Both times were very difficult for our family. We went into hostel accommodation and the second time, we came out of it by breaking up the family. I was of age so I left home and had to go and make my own way.
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Dean Forbes is worth around £40million (Instagram)"That was around the Motorola time, so I left home which meant my mother needed a smaller place which we were able to find more easily. Four years later, I was actually able to buy her a home."
Forbes was able to rise through the ranks at Motorola and took up his first CEO role for Paris-based technology firm KDS. Such as the success of the companies he was involved with, they were often bought out by industry leaders.
He reflects on his time in Palace's academy - where he turned out as a centre-back until the age of 17 - as one he loved, but the thrill of playing with his mates trumped the dedication required to make it at the top level. "I look back now and realise I can't say I dedicated my life to it because my friends who went on to have great careers, there's a complete contrast in the way we approached football," he admits.
"I enjoyed it. I loved it so much and the part that wasn't helpful to me is that it was just a group of my friends from similar estates, so I just laughed six days a week and messed around, played football when it was time to play football, but I wasn't dedicated to it."