Tom Simpson is founder of Starting Point, an award-winning platform reimagining how young people showcase their skills beyond traditional CVs. A values-led entrepreneur and advocate for inclusive hiring, Tom has spent his career challenging outdated systems and creating practical tools that give people – especially those who don’t thrive academically – the chance to show their real potential.
In this ImpactExpert QT, Tom shares his reflections on purpose, resilience, building at scale, and why confidence, identity and belonging sit at the heart of true impact.
Key takeaways from this ImpactExpert QT:
- Talent is broader than academia: real capability shows up in creativity, character, resilience and lived experience, not just grades on a page.
- Value alignment beats prestige: long-term impact comes from choosing work that fits your values, not just status or salary.
- Scale through structure and flexibility: consistent foundations matter, but people will experience your work differently, so make sure you plan for that.
- Confidence changes outcomes: when people see their own strengths clearly, their performance naturally follows.
What’s one of the best roles you’ve ever had and why?
I’ve had jobs where the rewards financially have been good, and I’ve had jobs that were just genuinely fun – like working in a cinema when I was younger. I made great friends there and it was a really good time.
But my current role is the only one I’ve had where I feel I can make a really positive impact on a large number of people, in a commercial environment. That’s rarer than people think.
It’s nice to do something where I don’t have to hold my nose. I don’t feel like I’m compromising. I feel like what we’re building is positive and that matters. For me, that makes this the best role I’ve had.
What’s one decision you’ve made that helped you align your work with your own values?
Leaving my first company. I realised early on that I didn’t align with the people I was working with or their approach to business. The company’s done well, and I’m pleased for them, but staying would have meant selling out my own values.
Not chasing the money and walking away from that was the best decision I made – it led directly to Starting Point and a way of working I actually believe in.
Can you share some key milestones or proudest moments in your career to date?
Creating Starting Point is probably the biggest milestone for me. Taking something that started as an idea and building it into something real, something that actually works in the way we wanted it to.
I’m proud of the journey of sticking to that vision – not taking shortcuts, not taking cheap funding, and not trying to make the data say what we wanted it to say. We tested things properly, we ran trials, and we let the results prove whether we were right or wrong. Being proved right through that process was a big moment.
Another moment that stands out was earlier in my career when I was rejected for a job, knowing the interview hadn’t represented me, and pushing back. I paid to go to the next stage myself, got the face-to-face, and proved my worth. That resilience changed how I see rejection.
What’s one project that taught you a big lesson about impact?
It would be the birth of StartingPoint. I’d known for years that CVs weren’t a good way of showing someone’s real talent, but I’d never thought it was my responsibility to fix that.
I realised that systems like education and traditional CVs can actually marginalise people who aren’t academic, and that if we could evidence skills like resilience, value, and character through things people already use, like their phones, it would allow them to showcase themselves much more authentically.
The biggest lesson for me was seeing the impact that had on people. When someone can show their true self, it builds self-worth and confidence. A lot of young people who aren’t academic have spent years being told they’re not quite good enough. Then they hit 18 and wonder why they have no confidence.
What surprised me most was the impact on organisations. When employers saw people as whole humans, not just grades on a page, they saw emotional intelligence, kindness, creativity and potential that a CV can never show. That taught me that real impact happens when you give people permission and tools to be themselves.
What’s a piece of strategic advice you’ve found yourself giving more than once?
Be unapologetically yourself. Don’t apologise for who you are. Don’t apologise for what you believe in. Being true to yourself makes the hard moments easier to get through, the challenges easier to face, and the pressure easier to handle.
If people don’t like you for being you, that isn’t your problem.
What’s one learning from delivering work at scale that you think others should know?
Be inconsistently consistent… The biggest learning for me is that you can have the same systems and the same frameworks, but people will never experience them in the same way. You do need structure – consistent processes, automations, and clear delivery models – because people rely on that. But at the same time, you have to accept that the same information will be interpreted differently by different people depending on their background, experience, and mindset.
What works at scale is having strong foundations, but allowing flexibility in how things are understood and applied. You can’t assume that just because you’ve delivered something clearly, it’s been received in the same way. Scale only really works when you design for that reality.
Who or what inspires your approach to impact through your work?
My children, without a doubt. I’ve got two neurodiverse kids who are very different. One’s more academic, one’s more artistic, but both experience the world differently.
Reuben really shaped this for me. He’s intelligent, talented and sees the world in a unique way, and I just kept thinking: how could someone like him ever be captured on two sides of A4? The same is true for my other son, Isaac.
I want them, and others like them, to live in a world where they don’t have to hide who they are. Difference isn’t a weakness, it’s value. That’s what drives the work I do: creating space for people to be proud of who they are and to show up as themselves.
What brings you the most work joy?
Seeing confidence grow in young people. I love watching people move away from writing what they think they should say, and instead show what they’re actually passionate about – music, cooking, Lego, travelling, creating.
A CV gives no joy. But seeing yourself properly, for the first time? That builds pride and self-worth. That moment when someone realises they’re not useless,and that they have value is bigger than any job offer.
Finally, what’s your favourite quote?
Real joy comes when you realise how unimportant you are.
For me, it’s about understanding that most people don’t really care about your job, your status, or your title, and that’s actually freeing. When you accept you’re not the centre of the world, you can focus on what matters: being happy, looking after your people, and not hurting others. That’s where real peace comes from.
