Wiji Singh Gorwara arrived in the UK in 2002 with no English, no friends, and no certainty. His family had fled Afghanistan, sought asylum in Holland, and uprooted again to start from nothing in Britain. Today, Wiji runs Phone Surgery across 14 stores and holds the UK and European licence for Vertu, one of the world's most exclusive luxury smartphone brands, with both brands now trading inside Harrods. In this episode of Runway to Excellence, host Stephanie sits down with Wiji to trace the full arc of his journey: from working in his father's off-licence and selling phones at Wembley Market, to being sacked multiple times, losing his mother to cancer, navigating lockdown, and ultimately landing two brands in the most famous department store on earth. This podcast is brought to you by SJR London, trusted talent partner for Luxury Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle recruitment - for more on how they deliver talent that defines luxury, visit https://www.sjrlondon.com/ This episode covers: • Fleeing Afghanistan, seeking asylum in Holland, and relocating to the UK in 2002 with limited English and no established network • The reality of growing up as an immigrant in British schools, including bullying, cultural barriers, and finding resilience through adversity • Working in his father's off-licence and Wembley Market before landing a Christmas temp role at Phones4U that launched his retail career • Career progression through Phones4U, T-Mobile, Three, Barclays, Ernst and Young, and Audi, including being sacked multiple times and what he learnt from each setback • The decision to leave employment for good after experiencing racial discrimination and never looking back • How Phone Surgery was built from a single small unit in Brentford to a 14-store repair and retail brand • How Wiji generated more revenue during Covid lockdown than in normal trading by pivoting to a click and collect phone repair model • The story of discovering Vertu, the ultra-luxury smartphone brand, through a Facebook advert and turning that into a formal UK distribution partnership • How a relationship built at Selfridges eventually opened the door to Harrods, and why the buying director responded within 45 minutes • What it means to carry both Phone Surgery and Vertu into Harrods simultaneously, and the strategic thinking behind it This is an honest, unfiltered conversation about what it actually takes to build something real when the odds are stacked against you. Key moments: 00:00 Welcome and Introduction 00:27 Fleeing Afghanistan, Asylum in Holland, Moving to the UK 02:00 Starting School Mid-Year Nine With No English 03:04 Bullying, Resilience and Parental Sacrifice 05:24 The Sacrifices That Built the Foundation 06:37 First Jobs: Off-Licence, Wembley Market, and Phones4U 09:55 Getting Sacked: What Really Happened 12:08 Barclays, Ernst and Young, and the Tea Incident 14:42 Audi, Great Leaders, and the Final Corporate Job 17:47 The Decision to Go Into Business 19:44 Learning to Repair Phones From Scratch 21:00 Building Phone Surgery Into a 14-Store Brand 22:42 Covid, the Reading Flagship, and Losing His Mother 26:22 Making More Money in Lockdown Than in Normal Trading 28:15 Marriage, Sacrifice and Emotional Suppression 33:24 Recognising the Business Had Real Legs 34:35 Discovering Vertu on Facebook and Pursuing Harrods 38:31 What Vertu Is: History, Ownership, and Revival 40:00 Getting Both Brands Into Harrods 46:15 Why Vertu Trusted Wiji 50:45 What Makes a Vertu Phone Worth It 54:34 Hopes for Vertu at Harrods and What Clients Can Expect 55:26 Seeing Phone Surgery and Vertu in Harrods for the First Time 57:06 What People Misunderstand About Wiji 58:35 Defining Excellence: Customer Experience and Team Prosperity 59:22 Final Advice for Anyone Who Feels the Odds Are Against Them 1:01:08 Why Normal People Make the Best Podcast Guests
