Paul Lindley

Founder & Ella's dad
Ella's Kitchen

I love to explore, dream and discover…

I was born in Sheffield and grew up in Zambia where my explorations, dreams and discoveries truly began. Graduating from the University of Bristol, I trained and qualified as a Chartered Accountant at KPMG in London and Los Angeles. I then spent nine years at Nickelodeon – the premier kids’ television brand - where I rose from Financial Controller to Deputy Managing Director via the roles of Finance Director, Commercial Director, Communications Director and General Manager.

These career and character forming years gave me a passion for children’s issues, a deep understanding of how children think and a desire to work with them throughout my career. I thought I had the coolest job in the world until I came up with the idea for Ella’s Kitchen, and I realised that seed of an idea had to grow.

In 2004 I gave up my job to follow my dream. I explored the worlds of retail, of food manufacturing and of the FMCG industry and discovered a space in the market for Ella’s Kitchen to fill. Almost two years to the day after leaving Nickelodeon, I - together with my daughter Ella – proudly saw Ella’s Kitchen products on supermarket shelves for the very first time. In the subsequent three years the company has grown extremely quickly, catching the zeitgeist of our times and really connecting with parents and most importantly kids. Turnover this year will touch £10M.

My hero is Robert Kennedy whose quote that “Some men see things as they are and ask why, but I dream things that never were and ask why not” – defines the way I think.

I am married with two children and I live in Reading, Berkshire.

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