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Career history
I am CEO of private equity firm Hamilton Bradshaw and have been building and selling businesses since 1985. I founded the Alexander Mann Group in 1985, an executive headhunting firm with a turnover of £300m and operations in 50 countries, and sold the company in 2002.
I also co-founded executive headhunting firm Humana International with my partner Doug Bugie and grew the business to over 147 offices across 30 countries.
In 2001, I was thrilled to be awarded the BT Enterprise of the Year award for outstanding success in business. I was also named PricewaterhouseCoopers Entrepreneur of the Year 2003, having initially been a finalist in 2000. That same year, I graduated from the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School and won the Entrepreneur category in the Asian Jewel Awards.
I set up London-based Hamilton Bradshaw in 2004. The firm specialises in buyouts, venture capital, turnarounds and real estate investments and development opportunities in both the UK and Europe, by investing up to £10 million in each individual transaction.
1985: Founded executive headhunting firm Alexander Mann 1992: Appointed Jonathan Wright to run the business and stepped back to develop other business interests 1993: Co-founded executive headhunting firm Humana International with Doug Bugie, eventually growing the business to over 147 offices in 30 countries Launched trade magazine Recruitment International – sold business in 2000 1996: Set up business process outsourcing company AMS with Rosaleen Blair -sold in 2002 1999: Sold Humana International to CDI International, a New York listed company. Later in 1999, sold a minority stake in Alexander Mann Group for £25m. Valued the business at £60m to private equity with Advent International 2000: Shortlisted for PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Entrepreneur of the Year award 2001: Awarded BT Enterprise of the Year award for outstanding success in business 2002: Sold Alexander Mann, which at the time had a turnover of £130m and operations in Australia, Europe and Asia 2003: Graduated from the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School Named PricewaterhouseCoopers Entrepreneur of the Year Won Entrepreneur of the Year at the Asian Jewel Awards 2004: Established London-based private equity firm Hamilton Bradshaw Invested in managed office provider Avanta - sold three years later to private equity company Kenmore 2005: Named one of the 100 most influential Asian people in the UK by Asian Power 100, a list compiled by the Institute of Asian Professionals 2006: Acquired failing sandwich chain Benjys from administrators Deloitte but soon realised the business couldn’t survive in a flooded market. Handed the company to fellow administrators KPMG in February 2007 but gained from the company’s business locations 2007: Hamilton Bradshaw bought public and private sector recruitment specialist Eden Brown with revenues at over £180m. The company has already increased profits by 70% through a combination of investment and greater efficiency in the fist 6 months of ownership Sold final economic interest in Alexander Mann Group to Graphite Private Equity in a management buy-out led by Rosaleen Blair – one of the young entrepreneurs who I backed as a start-up - in a £93m buyout Joined the panel of Dragons’ Den judges for the fifth series of the show.
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