Simon Griffiths

Founder, Who Gives a Crap

Melbourne

Simon Griffiths is an engineer and economist turned social entrepreneur.

In 2007, after turning down his dream job offer as a corporate high-flyer, Simon moved from Australia to South Africa to immerse himself in his true passion: development aid. There he discovered that the biggest problem faced by NGOs and social entrepreneurs is a lack of funding. Since then he has launched three social businesses of his own, all focused on revolutionising the way society thinks about and engages in philanthropy.

Simon’s latest venture is an ethical home products company. Its flagship product is Who Gives A Crap, an environmentally friendly toilet paper that uses 50% of its profits to build toilets in the developing world. He is also well known for his work as co-founder of Shebeen, Australia's first non-profit bar. Shebeen sells exotic beer and wine from the developing world with the profit from each sale supporting a project in that particular drink’s country of origin.

Simon's work has been written up by The Standford Social Innovation Review and The New York Times. In 2010 he became Australia's first Fellow of The Unreasonable Institute, in 2011 he was recognised by The Age’s Melbourne Magazine as one of Melbourne’s Top 100 Most Influential People, and in 2013 he was shortlisted for Young Australian of the Year.