Dig into exclusive interviews and insights from some of the UK’s brightest business minds where they’ll share their highs and lows on their path to becoming intrepid entrepreneurs.
For our latest Success Reflects, we sat down with Alex Shamash, property entrepreneur and co-developer of London’s newest lifestyle retreat, Hyde London City. Alex spoke with us about what got him into the hotel business in the first place and what makes his new hotel such an exciting stay for discerning travellers as well as corporate clients – plus much more!
By Tracey Storey, CEO of Melrose Education
My career journey has been a blend of human resources, training, education, and childcare. In the early stages, I focused on HR working for organisations such as Center Parcs, Mansfield Brewery, and Marston’s PLC, but in the late 1990s, I transitioned into the childcare sector with Leapfrog Day Nurseries where I was part of the management team of what was then a start-up.
David Gaffney is the Owner, Chairman & CEO of Ambassador Group, the privately owned, Scottish real estate company spanning three divisions, Development, Investment and Advisory. Headquartered in Glasgow, the Group has a successful track-record across all aspects of real estate and is well-respected as an innovative and trusted operating partner committed to adding value through an entrepreneurial and forward-thinking approach.
We recently sat down with David to chat about what initially got him into the real estate industry, his greatest success in business so far, his most important mentors, as well as hearing more about the group’s latest development project at the historic Bangour Village.
Dan is one of the co-founders of ASK Partners and has been originating and structuring real estate debt and equity transactions for the last 20 years. He has held senior roles at both Investec, where he worked for over 12 years and Capital A Finance plc, a boutique real estate lending business. Dan intricately understands real estate which means he can structure complex deals with unique funding packages which traditional lenders struggle to fund.
Dan recently sat down with us to reflect on how he got his start in property, operating throughout COVID-19 and what’s next for ASK Partners.
For our first coffee break of 2024, we sat down with Richard Ferrier, Heartwood’s new CEO. Richard joined the leading UK hospitality and pub group in 2011 and held the roles of Operations Director of Brasserie Blanc and Chief Commercial Officer before becoming Managing Director in February 2020 and most recently being named, CEO. Richard spoke with us about Heartwood’s growth journey to date, how it ensures its Inns are always full of charm and character, the exciting launch of its latest site – The White Horse, situated in the heart of Dorking’s medieval high street – plus much more!
For this week’s coffee break, we spoke to Dan Austin, Co-founder and CEO of ASK Partners. ASK Partners is a boutique, specialist property lender who provide bespoke funding solutions for the real estate sector. It’s funded an impressive range of high-value projects across residential, commercial and mixed-use units since its inception in 2016. ASK […]
What started as a meal kit delivery service over 10 years ago, Gousto is now a market leader in an industry packed with competitors. Focused on reducing food waste and carbon emissions, Gousto’s got big plans for improving the health of both the planet and its people.
For this week’s coffee break, we sat down with Julie Cuthbertson, Corporate Finance Manager at RMT Accountants. Founded over 70 years ago, RMT is one of the largest accountancy practices and business advisors in the North East. They offer the more intimate relationship you’d find with a local business alongside the high quality and breadth […]
Last month we hosted a breakfast rountable at the House of Lords in collaboration with The Entrepreneurs Network (TEN). Bill Esterson, Labour MP for Sefton Central and Shadow Business and Industry Minister joined an intimate group of business leaders to discuss the challenges of scaling successfully in the UK.
Mark Derry has been operating hospitality businesses for over 25 years, notably founding the Loch Fyne group of seafood restaurants in 1998 before selling to Greene King. He has held senior roles in major UK hospitality companies, including TGI Friday’s and Be At One, so he knows a thing or two about serving up dishes […]
We sat down with Rishi at his table in his floor-to-ceiling glass-encased office, giving a full view of the office floor. From the corner of the room, you see the vibrant Carnaby Street. We’re in the heart of Soho, hardly rubbing shoulders with the rest of the old guard of banking – closer to Ronnie […]
Chris Mitchell has built not only one but two successful care businesses and is making a difference in its senior residents’ lives across the North of England. From dementia-focused residential care homes to more independent retirement villages, Mitchell’s Park Lane Healthcare and Lavender Fields Care Village are tailoring senior living facilities to their residents’ needs. […]
In the first of our coffee break series, we sat down with Mike Afshar of AMA Homes. Their company name, AMA, is the marriage of Mike and his brother Ali’s initials and was brought into being over 40 years ago when the Afshars first launched. Over decades of operating, the two brothers and business partners […]
Kate explains how the UK’s leading science and tech property provider is meeting lab and coworking space demand across the country, fuelling growth in major cities like Birmingham, Glasgow and Liverpool.
As our co-founder Rishi Khosla says, great business leaders often have different ways of thinking, and we’re here to help making their next big plans a reality that much sooner.
