Date published: 01.09.08 - not release date

Success in the face of adversity: the rags to riches journey of an award-winning CIO

After three years in the making, the much awaiting biography ‘2 Much 2 Young’ by Phil Young, the award wining former CIO of Amtrak has been released today. Providing a fascinating insight into the ups and downs of a successful entrepreneur, business angel and family man, the autobiographical account shows how one man has succeeded in the face of adversity, from his birth in the front room of council house in a poor suburb of Birmingham in 1965, to battling parental divorce, kidnap and poor academic qualifications to being awarded the CIO Innovator of the Year for the UK.

Whilst Young never intended the book to be a ‘how to’ guide, it does illustrate how courage, perseverance and a desire to succeed can carry people through the darkest of times, both in personal and professional life.

After his parents split when he was just five years old, he experienced the pain of separation from his siblings as his mother took him and his sister to Kidderminster to live with her new partner, leaving three others with his father.

Being academically poor, Young has had to work hard and has been self taught in everything he has done and achieved in life. Having also battled through adversities such as; being kidnapped as a teenager, depression and his own divorce, Young is a true testament to a man who has refused to let life’s challenges get him down and provides hope to those whose next break could be just around the corner.

The book also provides a valuable insight into Phil's professional expertise in a number of areas including innovation, change management, business troubleshooting, interim management and other areas which Phil has excelled in despite the challenges he has faced.

"The book is essentially a self-taught lesson on how far I've come and what I have learnt along the way. It has been very therapeutic for me in terms of helping me to see how I have become the person I am today and I hope that it will help others to see that the only barriers to happiness and success are within themselves and how they can overcome any obstacles to take charge of their own destiny' says Young.

Young is now happily remarried to his childhood sweetheart whom he met up with via Friends Reunited and lives with his two step children. And last year, he reached the pinnacle of his career after setting up his own consultancy Johnson-Young Associates Ltd and being awarded the CIO Innovator of the Year award for the UK.

“When you know what it is like to have nothing, you aren't scared of taking risks that might leave you with nothing”, adds Young.

‘2 Much 2 Young’ is available from global publishing house Trafford. To find out more visit Trafford at http://www.trafford.com/08-0184 and all good leading book stores in 8-10 weeks.

Notes to Editors:

2 Much 2 Young
‘Simplicity’
By Phillip A Young

RRP: £12.75

ISBN: 978-1-4251-7093-6

Available at all good bookstores and to order from www.trafford.com

For further images or to arrange an interview please contact Jenna Gould or Rebecca King on 01603 283 503 or e-mail rebecca@mediajems.co.uk