Entrepreneurship Speaker Series

For more than 60 years, Paul Daniels has been doing what most people only talk about: building real companies from nothing. He has started 21 businesses from scratch, made 24 start-up investments, and sold or exited 15, including six sold for up to 26 times net profit before tax. His ventures spanned Traffic Management, Outdoor Advertising, Self-Storage, Modular Housing, Food Importing and Online Grocery.

Through his advisory firm, Involved Investors, Paul supported more than 200 founders in raising capital, helping secure around £14 million for early-stage businesses. He also served for several years as a Resident Dragon at the Institute of Directors’ annual event.

Paul is the author of How To Start a Business, an eight-chapter guide with no theory and no jargon, just six decades of hard-won lessons for anyone bold enough to build something of their own. His memoir, The Business Wizard, tells the story behind the method. He is also a podcaster and TEDx speaker.

Paul believes small businesses are the growth engine of every economy. They create jobs and enrich lives in countless ways. When business serves people, protects the planet, invests in fairness and puts dignity ahead of short-term gain, he believes it can be one of the greatest forces for good there is. His message is simple: opportunities are everywhere, and the future belongs to those bold enough to seize them.

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International CEO

Ms. Thelma Ekiyor is the author of Women Entrepreneurs as Catalysts in Post-Conflict Africa and an award-winning global leader in women’s economic empowerment, philanthropy, impact investing, and international development, with over 27 years of experience across Africa, Europe, and the UK.

Pioneering leader across international development, impact investing, and philanthropy, Thelma has founded several institutions, including SME.NG, Afrigrants, and is a co-founder of Women in Philanthropy & Impact Africa (WIPIA) . Her leadership and expertise in impact investing and philanthropy are reflected in her roles as Honorary Chairperson of the Nigeria Office for Philanthropy and Impact Investing in the Office of the Vice President; Senior Adviser to the African Diaspora Network’s African Women in Diaspora platform; and Member of the Gender Advisory Board of the African Venture Philanthropy Alliance.

Recognized among Africa’s 50 Most Influential Women in Development, she has received multiple international awards for her contributions to philanthropy, social entrepreneurship, and women’s empowerment. Thelma is a Doctoral Researcher at Cranfield University, holds an MBA from Imperial College London and an LLB from the University of Buckingham, and serves on various boards and investment committees across Africa and Europe.

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Managing Director, Wells & Co

Peter Wells is the CEO of Wells & Co, a family-run business that has been successfully operating for 150 years, over five generations.  The company runs a brewery in Bedford called Brewpoint and currently operates 180 pubs in England and in France. Peter has been with the company for 29 years and recently played an instrumental role in overseeing a transition of the family business model from large industrial brewing producer to progressive craft brewer and pub retailer. Peter holds a history degree from Nottingham University and an MSc in Marketing from Cranfield University. His background has been in the commercial arm of the business.

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