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Imran Hakim

Entrepreneur and winner of investment from Dragons' Den series 4

Sponsored by Hilton Baird Financial Solutions

Thursday 4 Sept 

FREE to attend! Courtesy of Hilton Baird

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Young entrepreneur Imran Hakim is best known as one of the most successful individuals to win investment on BBC2’s Dragons’ Den with his innovative iTeddy product. However his business experience goes far beyond the realm of television. An optometrist by profession, he runs a successful group of independent practices in and around his home town of Manchester and has run his own business since he was 16.

Imran controls a diverse business portfolio which includes a lens laboratory, spectacle frame distribution, optical retailing, management, recruitment and most recently a toy company with the development of iTeddy. His business experience ranges from restructuring existing loss-making businesses out of administration to become successful and profitable operations and successfully negotiating licensing arrangements with global brands including Reebok, Longines and Revlon in order to secure distribution rights within given territories.
In 2007, after winning investment on Dragons’ Den, Imran worked with businessmen Theo Paphitis and Peter Jones to launch the award-winning iTeDDy and associated licence platform, www.iteddy.com. Billed as the Teddy Bear brand for the 21st century. This year Imran has put together a distribution deal with Vivid Imaginations UK’s biggest toy company, and the product is now retailing in more than 40 countries world-wide, including every major UK toy retailer (including Tesco, Asda, Argos, Woolworths, Costco, Makro, John Lewis, Littlewoods, Harrods, Hamleys etc) with an extensive TV campaign planned for later in the year.

Imran has won several business awards including Best Newcomer to Vision Express 2005, the North West Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2006, and Fusion Entrepreneur of the Year 2007. His work growing the iTeddy brand has earned him awards for Design, Innovation and Technology 07, Toy Inventor of the Year 07 and World Toy Innovation 08.

In his spare time, Imran works to encourage entrepreneurship, through speaking engagements and mentoring young entrepreneurs. He has recently teamed up with fellow entrepreneur Ben Way to look at investing seed capital in start-up companies.

There is also a Networking Breakfast on Day 1 of Ideal Business Show Wales. Featuring guest speaker Rachel Elnaugh, one of the UK's most well known female entrepreneurs.

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At the age of 24, Rachel Elnaugh created the market leading experiences brand Red Letter Days which generated over £100 million in turnover in the 16 years that she ran it and in doing so she had pioneered the UK's £250 million experiences sector.  

The award winning entrepreneur came to public prominence as an investor on the BAFTA award winning BBC Two TV series Dragons' Den. Calamity stuck upon the crash of Red Letter Days. Remaining assests were bought by fellow Dragons' Den judges Peter Jones and Theo Paphitis.  Now working as a venture capital advisor to entrepreneurs and small businesses, last year saw the launch of her unique entrepreneurial profiling system. Having given birrth to her 5th child just 10 months ago, she already has more business projects in the pipeline.  As one of Britain's highest profile entrepreneurs and a true female inspiration, she speaks honestly about her 'pull no punches' approach and bounce back to business.