Born in Glasgow and previously CEO and CVP at Sara Lee Courtaulds and Group President of Polo Ralph Lauren Europe and the Middle East, Brian Duffy has, through his long-standing responsible advocacy, enabled the Watches of Switzerland Group to strengthen and expand its support for The King’s Trust, contributing more than £2.5 million since 2013. His strategic leadership has played a pivotal role in enabling The King’s Trust to reach more young people than ever before – particularly those facing significant barriers to education, training and employment. This impact has been driven, in part, through a series of sponsorships and brand engagement initiatives, including:
- Headline Sponsorship of the 2025 Change A Girl’s Life Campaign: The Watches of Switzerland Group united clients and leading luxury brands to raise vital funds for young women experiencing challenges in accessing education, training, and employment pathways
- Sponsorship of the Global Young Achiever Award at the King’s Trust Awards: As sponsor, the Group helped shine a spotlight on exceptional young talent making an impact on a global scale
- Support of the 2025 Palace to Palaces: Building on several years of previous sponsorship, the Group served as Supporting Sponsor of the fundraising bike ride event, helping to generate essential support for youth programmes nationwide
- Twelve Years of Award Trophies: For over a decade, the Watches of Switzerland Group has proudly provided the trophies for The King’s Trust Awards
- Lead funder of Enterprise Challenge, supporting education delivery in both the UK and US
- Brian Duffy is personally a Silver Patron of the King’s Trust and has also led colleague fundraising of over £300K
"It is an immense privilege to support The King’s Trust and the incredible work it does for young people. This award is a reflection of the passion and dedication of everyone at the Watches of Switzerland Group who contributes to making meaningful change possible."
The Watches of Switzerland Group Foundation achieved its charitable status in November 2021 and brings most of the Group’s charitable activities under one umbrella. To date, the Watches of Switzerland Group has committed a total of £8.3 million in donations to support three pillars: the prevention or relief of poverty; the advancement of education; and the relief of those in need by reason of youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage.
Since its inception, The Foundation has donated £5.5 million to charity partners including The King’s Trust, the Trussell Trust, Crisis and the FuelBank Foundation. This includes a total of £986,646 in UK and $591,500 in US during FY25.
About The King’s Trust (formerly The Prince’s Trust)
The King’s Trust believes that every young person should have the chance to succeed, no matter what their background or the challenges they are facing. We help those from disadvantaged communities and those facing the greatest adversity by supporting them to build the confidence and skills to live, learn and earn.
The courses offered by The Trust help young people aged 11-30 to develop essential life skills, get ready for work and access job opportunities. We support them to find work because having a job or running a business can lead to a more stable, fulfilling life.
Since The Trust was founded by HM The King in 1976, when he was HRH The Prince of Wales, we have helped more than a million young people across the UK. Three in four of those we supported over the last five years have moved into work, education or training.
We are pleased to have changed our name to The King’s Trust, reflecting our Royal Founding President’s continued dedication to our work. We remain committed to working for young people and enabling them to create a better future for themselves. By helping them today, the benefits will be felt for years to come – not just for those we support, but for their communities and the wider economy.
