Reuben Singh

Reuben Singh (born 20 September 1976, Poynton, Cheshire, England) is a British entrepreneur and CEO of contact center company alldayPA and private equity firm Isher Capital.[1][2] He rose to prominence in the mid-1990s for his Miss Attitude retail chain. He has held many public appointments and was invited by the then Prime Minister Tony Blair to serve on a government advisory panel on small businesses and on the Competitiveness Council.[3] He served on the seven-man government task force which was asked to review and then report on the Department of Culture, Media, and Sport.[4] He was appointed to the DTIs Competitiveness Council and the Small Business Council by the government.[5][6] He is also an advocate for the National Living Wage.[7][8]

Education

Singh studied English, Business Studies, Politics and General Studies A-levels after doing his GCSEs.[9]

In 2004, he was honored with the degree of Doctor of Philosophy for his contribution to entrepreneurship.[10]

Career

Reuben Singh was born into a wealthy family who ran a large importing business, Sabco, and had business interests in Canada. They came to England in the 1970s and had a family home in Poynton, a village in Cheshire.

His first business, Miss Attitude, was a retail chain which sold girls' accessories and opened in 1995 in the Manchester Arndale Centre. Within a few years, there were more than 100 Miss Attitude shops across the UK. He sold the business in 1999 for an undisclosed price while at university.[11] Reports in the British press initially suggested a sum that ranged wildly between £1 and £22m.[12][13] Due to the deal being subject to a confidentiality agreement, the actual sum remains unknown.[14][15]

In early 2005 he was sued for a £1.2m debt and newspapers reported on investigations into his business interests.[16]

alldayPA

Singh launched alldayPA, a contact centre company, in 2000. The company's financial statements recorded increased profits year on year (between 2004–2011) and Singh began to build up partnerships with multinational companies such as T-Mobile and MBNA credit card.[17] Singh remained on the management team of the company until he was declared bankrupt in October 2007 on the petition of Bank of Scotland, in a dispute over a loan he had personally guaranteed (a case that lasted from 2004 till 2007). He was automatically discharged from bankruptcy after one year, as is standard procedure in the UK, in October 2008.[18]

Singh has since overseen a £15m investment in new technology at the company, and in 2017 saw the largest number of calls answered for its clients in a 12 month period - over 20 million.[19] In 2015 alldayPA moved into a 300-seat call centre in Salford Quays, promising the creation of a further 200 jobs.[20]

Isher Capital

Singh is CEO of Isher Capital, a 'boutique' private equity firm launched in 2014 and based in London and Manchester.[21][22]

Financial controversy

In 2002, an article in the Manchester Evening News – followed a few days later by an article in the Financial Mail – contained damning information regarding his business ventures.[23] The articles called him little more than a fantasist and that his wealth and business success was considerably less than he claimed. It also revealed that the buyer of Miss Attitude, American financier Gary Klesch, claimed to have bought the debt-laden business for £1.[14]

Singh himself told Sathnam Sanghera of the Financial Times that, "these stories are just rumours based on jealousy and are a total misrepresentation", adding that a confidentiality clause prohibited him from discussing the matter.[24]

He then, suffered somewhat of a backlash from the media. The Manchester Evening News, which had previously printed positive stories about Singh, began to run negative pieces and sought to expose any discrepancies in his affairs.[25][26] The paper alleged that he had used the press to his advantage, using inaccurate reports about his business prowess to further inflate his reputation as a successful entrepreneur.[27]

MP Graham Stringer called for tighter regulations after Singh was able to gain a position on a Government advisory panel without any prior checks.[28]

Another company set up by Reuben Singh, a health food company called Robson & Steinberg, folded after less than a year of trading, with debts of £250,000.[29]

Questions were raised about what Singh called the 'Reuben Singh Group of Companies.' According to Singh, these were 12 trading entities dealing in currency trading, property, retail and construction. However a search in the Britain, Companies House listed only two British companies with any net assets of £1000 and £100. The other five British companies that Singh was listed as director had never filed any accounts but concern was raised on a £2.64m payment that Singh paid overseas from one of the companies.[30]

Further problems arose in relation to a multimillion pound overdraft which Singh had guaranteed. In 2004 he was sued by the Royal Bank of Scotland, with judge Michael Kershaw QC ordering Singh to pay the bank £1,229,966 for an overdraft and their legal costs. The judge commented, "(The banker) was, I think, to some extent a victim of Mr Singh's personality as well as Mr Singh's lies."[31]

Philanthropy

His charitable work has included supporting the Prince's Trust working with young entrepreneurs and supporting interfaith partnerships in the UK.[32][33][34][35]

In 2015, he launched the Reuben Singh Scholarship to support young people in higher education to work on their business ideas whilst studying.[36] It was made open to any UK undergraduate who showed business endeavors or entrepreneurial spirit.[37][38][39]

Honors and awards

On 26 January 2003 The World Economic Forum honoured him as one of the "Global Leaders of Tomorrow" (GLT) in Davos.[40][41] On 13 October 2003 his portrait was included in the UK National Portrait Gallery in a photograph taken by Trevor Ray Hart in December 1999.[42] In 2003 the MIT Boston Technology Review Magazine voted him one of the World's top Innovators in their prestigious review.[43] In May 2005 he was invited to Dubai by His Royal Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum the Dubai Crown Prince to address an audience of over 1000 business leaders and entrepreneurs.[44]

He was entered into the 1998 Guinness Book of Records as the world's youngest self-made millionaire and also featured at joint 7th in the 2002 Sunday Times 'Rich List'.[45]

The Turban-Rolls Royce Challenge

In Early 2018, Singh encountered a racist remark by an Englishman who called his turban a "bandage".[46] Singh challenged the man that he would wear turbans with his Rolls Royces for a week.[47] A bet was laid between both for charity. Reuben Singh won the bet by taking it to Twitter and posting pictures with his matching turbans and Rolls Royce that later went viral.[48][49][50]

References

  1. ↑ Dawkins, David (2018-01-29). "'Brexit is not a disaster' UK business take advantage of pound's rise". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  2. ↑ "Our Competitive Future" (PDF).
  3. ↑ National Archives (UK)
  4. ↑ http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/publications/peerreview.pdf%5Bpermanent+dead+link%5D
  5. ↑ "Profile: Reuben Singh - Right Attitude. - Accountancy Age". Accountancy Age. 2001-04-03. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
  6. ↑ "Meet London-based Millionaire A.K.A British Bill Gates Who Matches The Colour Of His Rolls Royce To His Turban Everyday (Photos) - INFORMATION NIGERIA". INFORMATION NIGERIA. 2018-01-23. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
  7. ↑ "National Living Wage making SME jobs more fulfilling, study finds". The National. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
  8. ↑ "The art of starting a business". The Independent. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
  9. ↑ "FROM BRITCHES TO RICHES". The Independent. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
  10. ↑ "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Punjab". www.tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
  11. ↑ "Reuben Singh's Incredible Business Journey - Strat-Talking.com". strat-talking.com. Retrieved 2018-10-12.
  12. ↑ "Lessons from failure: How Reuben Singh blew it - Real Business". Real Business. 2010-07-05. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
  13. ↑ "The case of Reuben Singh | From the Observer | theguardian.com". 8 May 2014. Archived from the original on 8 May 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  14. 1 2 "Cosmetic success: The fallen business star". The Independent. 2007-10-31. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
  15. ↑ "'I was declared bankrupt and branded a liar' - Reuben Singh". Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  16. ↑ This Is Money (15 December 2002). "The truth about Britain's 'youngest self-made millionaire'". This is Money. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  17. ↑ http://www.brandrepublic.com/Revolution/News/149590/?DCMP=ILC-SEARCH
  18. ↑ Feddy, Kevin (31 October 2007). "Bogus millionaire bankrupt". men. Archived from the original on 9 February 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  19. ↑ Begum, Shelina (2016-12-30). "AlldayPA handled 20 million calls this year". men. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  20. ↑ Keeling, Neal (2015-04-13). "Salford jobs' boon: £2.5m investment by alldayPA promises 200 new positions". men. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  21. ↑ "ISHER CAPITAL | REUBEN SINGH". www.ishercapital.com. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  22. ↑ "Money tales: Reuben Singh - Covered mag, presented by Gocompare.com". www.gocompare.com. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  23. ↑ The truth about Britain's 'youngest self-made millionaire'
  24. ↑ Sathnam Sanghera interviews Reuben Singh Archived 8 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
  25. ↑ Truth behind schoolboy tycoon – News – Manchester Evening News
  26. ↑ M.E.N. Tycoon Image of Man With Attitude
  27. ↑ M.E.N. – Singh Used Press to his Advantage
  28. ↑ Manchester Evening News – Plea After Probe Into Firms Sale
  29. ↑ Cosmetic success: The fallen business star – Home News, UK – Independent.co.uk Archived 2 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
  30. ↑ Simon Donohoe (11 November 2003). "Auditors concerns are blow to AlldayPA chief | Manchester Evening News – menmedia.co.uk". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
  31. ↑ 'You Are A Liar, Reuben' Manchester Evening News 23 September 2005
  32. ↑ Archived 15 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
  33. ↑ "News. Reuben Singh put his faith in Timebank Initiative". Redhotcurry. 24 November 2003. Archived from the original on 24 August 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  34. ↑ http://www.wmin.ac.uk/wbs/PDF/westbus10.pdf
  35. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 1 December 2008. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  36. ↑ "2 Reuben Singh Scholarship scholarships 2018-19 [Updated] | WeMakeScholars". www.wemakescholars.com. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
  37. ↑ "Reuben Singh Scholarship - University of Kent". 2018-01-31. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
  38. ↑ "University of Edinburgh Reuben Singh Scholarship, UK". armacad.info. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
  39. ↑ "Reuben Singh Launches Scholarship for business leaders of tomorrow". Business Matters. 2015-10-08. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
  40. ↑
  41. ↑ Archived 28 February 2005 at the Wayback Machine.
  42. ↑ "Reuben Singh - Person - National Portrait Gallery". www.npg.org.uk. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  43. ↑ Manfred Stefener, 33 SFC Smart Fuel Cell. "TR35: Rueben Singh, 27". Technology Review. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  44. ↑ "Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed opens 'Entrepreneurs in Dubai' | Entrepreneurs in Dubai". AMEinfo.com. Archived from the original on 25 September 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  45. ↑ "Sunday Times - Rich List". 22 May 2011. Archived from the original on 22 May 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  46. ↑ "Meet billionaire, Reuben Singh, who matches color of his turban with a matching Rolls Royce - INFORMATION NIGERIA". INFORMATION NIGERIA. 2018-01-26. Retrieved 2018-09-28.
  47. ↑ ScoopWhoop (2018-01-26). "Someone Called This Sikh Man's Turban 'Bandage' So He Matched It To His Roll Royces For A Week!". ScoopWhoop. Retrieved 2018-09-28.
  48. ↑ "Sardar Style Brilliance - Sikh Billionaire Colour Matches His Turbans With His Rolls Royces". www.drivespark.com. 2018-01-25. Retrieved 2018-09-28.
  49. ↑ "Sikh Billionaire Matches His Turbans To His Rolls Royces For A Week To Win A Challenge In UK". www.mensxp.com. Retrieved 2018-09-28.
  50. ↑ "Sikh Man from UK matches his Turban with Rolls Royce for a day challenge - Laughingcolours English | DailyHunt". DailyHunt. Retrieved 2018-09-28.
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