Banks was born in 1966 in Jersey. He has an older brother and two younger sisters and was raised by his mother, who was an amateur naturalist. At age 14, Banks developed an interest in computing and learned how to code. He worked on a Commodore PET and developed some early computer-aided-learning programs. Banks attended Hautlieu and Highlands College.
Career
Banks worked at a local bank where he gained experience in commercial computing, working initially on Burroughs B1700 mainframe computers. In 1995, Banks began studying social anthropology and development studies at the University of Sussex, from which he graduated in 1999. Banks worked at Cable & Wireless plc helping roll out cable television across the UK before the company sold its cable assets to NTL in 2000. In 2001, Banks worked as a project manager at CERCOPAN, a primate sanctuary in Nigeria, helping rescue and rehabilitate a range of primate species. He suffered a broken leg in a bike accident in Calabar in September 2002 and was forced to return to Jersey to recover. In December 2002, he began working on one of the earliest mobiles for development initiatives with Fauna and Flora International, a global conservation organisation based in Cambridge, UK. His work resulted in the launch of the wildlive! mobile portal in December 2003, which provided images, animal sounds, conservation-themed games, and live news to subscribers. In 2003, he established kiwanja.net, an NGO focused on applying mobile technology for social and environmental change in the developing world, especially in Africa. In a special report on the use of mobile phones in development, World Watch Magazine described Banks as "probably the world's leading voice in promoting mobile phones as an appropriate technology".
FrontlineSMS
In 2004, Banks was approached by Kruger National Park officials asking for a solution to update Bushbuckridge community members on changes and developments in the park using their mobile phones. After research it turned out that all solutions at the time required Internet access which, back in 2004, was a problem in the area. In early 2005, Banks realized that a simple piece of software could be developed to send and receive multiple text messages Banks started to develop FrontlineSMS in summer 2005 and completed it within 5 weeks. The software was officially launched in October 2005. In 2006, he was invited to Stanford University as a Visiting Fellow on the Reuters Digital Vision Program, mentoring and supporting other social entrepreneurs working on technology-driven social change initiatives. Almost two years after its launch, FrontlineSMS was used by a Nigerian organization called Humanitarian Emancipation Lead Project to assist Nigerians in reporting on their 2007 national elections. The BBC ran a story, Texts monitor Nigerian elections, mentioning FrontlineSMS and user downloads and global interest accelerated. Shortly after, Banks received his first grant from the MacArthur Foundation and stayed in Silicon Valley for an additional year developing the software and teaching at Stanford. Banks later received further funding from the Hewlett Foundation, Open Society Initiative, Rockefeller Foundation and Omidyar Network. In 2009, Banks started a two-year FrontlineSMS Ambassadors Programme with the Clinton Foundation. His work led to several awards including The Tech Awards, The Antonio Pizzigati Prize for Software in the Public Interest and the Curry Stone Design Prize. His work was recognised through a PopTech Social Innovation Fellowship, National Geographic Emerging Explorer, Ashoka Fellowship and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. In 2011, Banks was invited to join the UK Prime Minister’s delegation to Africa. In March 2012, Banks won the Cambridge News Business Excellence Award due to a special "Corporate & Social Responsibility" nomination. Later that year he launched his new startup, Means of Exchange, which focused on using technology to rebuild local communities. One of the project’s first initiatives was a "cash mob" during the London Olympics. In May 2012, Banks announced a management change at FrontlineSMS. Laura Walker Hudson took over the running of The kiwanja Foundation and Sean McDonald took over the running of FrontlineSMS. Banks took on a new role as Chair of the Board.
After FrontlineSMS
In 2015, Banks became the first entrepreneur in residence at CARE International, and took the position of Visiting Fellow at RMIT University. In 2016, Banks received the ACM Eugene L. Lawler Award for Humanitarian Contributions within Computer Science for his work with mobile technology and community empowerment. In March 2018, Banks was appointed Visiting Fellow at Cambridge Judge Business School and in April 2018 he closed down his consultancy, kiwanja.net, and took on a full-time role at Yoti as their Head of Social Impact.
Publications
Banks' first edited book, The Rise of the Reluctant Innovator, was self-published in late 2013 and came with a foreword from Archbishop Desmond Tutu. His second book, Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation, was published by Kogan Page and released in March 2016 with forewords by British musician Peter Gabriel and the founder of Ashoka, Bill Drayton.
