Please note that this title is currently out of stock but is available for pre-order. While we don’t have an exact publishing date yet, it is expected to be available within approximately 4 to 6 weeks.
£10.99
“We live in stories, they shape us and give our lives meaning and purpose. Ashley’s book is not only an unforgettable memoir of hard-won and insightful lessons mined from his own life, but it’s also an invitation to reflect on your identity story, to mine your own life lessons and craft your own blueprint in service of others. Highly recommended.” – STEVEN D’SOUZA, bestselling Author of Made in Britain and Shadows at Work.
“Built Without a Blueprint is more than a memoir – it’s an invitation to see adversity not as limitation, but as the foundation for leadership without borders. It showcases resilience as the ability to withstand, adapt, and bounce back from adversity through a positive attitude and strong social connections.” – JOHNY ZAKHEM, Group Chief Financial Officer and Business Officer, Raffles & Fairmont
“By facing the pain and shame of growing up without a father in an all-white world, Ashley has courageously transformed that pain into a strong, resilient leader personality who, I have no doubt, will become a unique role model for the many wounded individuals who, by reading this book, will now be given the chance to emulate him.” – GARY R. HAYES – Jungian Psychoanalyst, Faculty Member at the International School of Analytical Psychology, Zürich
“Ashley’s story touched me, inspired me, and taught me the meaning of true resilience – and how being different can be a superpower. His journey resonated with me on a deeply personal level. This memoir is a celebration of what’s possible when hardship is transformed into leadership, adversity into strength, and when absence of a blueprint becomes the very blueprint that breaks the cycle.” – MUSTAFA SHAMSELDIN, SVP PepsiCo, Forbes Top 50 Storyteller.
“Ashley’s story moved me deeply. Built Without a Blueprint is a testament to resilience, love and the power of breaking cycles. It reminds us that even in absence we can build strength, even in struggle we can find joy & even in difference we can create belonging. This is more than a book it’s a lifeline for anyone who has felt unseen. The book is a rare and powerful combination of raw emotion and vital business wisdom, a must read for business leaders who need to be reminded that their story is their greatest strength”. – RAKI PHILIPS, Regional President, Accor; CEO & Middle East Businessperson of the Year 2023.
Ashley Mills grew up in a Yorkshire mill town, a mixed-race boy raised by a single mother in a world of gangs, prejudice, and poverty – and didn’t meet his Jamaican father until he was thirty. On paper, the odds were against him. In reality, they were forging the resilience, focus, and drive that would take him all the way to the top. From the backstreets of Morley to elite boardrooms in Zurich and Dubai,
Built Without a Blueprint is part gripping memoir, part resilience playbook – revealing the mindsets, strategies, and hard truths that turn life’s toughest starting points into unstoppable momentum. Each chapter closes with a Blueprint -distilled lessons on resilience, identity, leadership, and legacy. If you’ve ever felt like an outsider, wondered how to turn absence into advantage, or wanted to lead on your own terms, this is your guide.
If you connected with Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, Brit(ish) by Afua Hirsch, or Maybe I Don’t Belong Here by David Harewood, this is your next unforgettable read.
ASHLEY MILLS is a Senior Partner at Korn Ferry, the world’s leading executive search and leadership advisory firm. Born to a single mother in a working-class Yorkshire town, he built a global career spanning London, Paris, Geneva, Zurich, and Dubai. Holding an Executive MBA with a specialisation in Occupational Psychology, Ashley combines behavioural insight with practical leadership experience. Through Built Without a Blueprint, he shares his journey of overcoming fatherlessness and breaking cycles, inspiring others to lead, live, and build legacy on their own terms.
