The Entrepreneurs’ Chat Kleinwort Hambros

Swingers started life in 2014 as а five-month pop-up in a leaky warehouse in London, when founders Matt Grech-Smith and Jeremy Simmonds wanted to test out the success of a venue combining crazy golf with cocktails and street food. “The idea behind Swingers was to create the most ridiculously fun venue possible. That’s why we teamed crazy golf with delicious street food, sensational cocktails and top-notch service in a totally unique, theatrical space.”- Matt Grech-Smith.

News of the pop-up went viral and the tickets sold out instantly, convincing Matt and Jeremy that Swingers needed to find a permanent home! Today, Matt will talk us through the journey to grow the business and the learnings they took each step of the way.
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Determined to reduce the volume of plastic bottles going to waste each year, Vivek Tandon, CEO and Founder of revalyu Resources, set out to find an alternative use for bottles that ended up in landfill. Since 2015, Vivek and his team have processed more than 6.5 billion used PET plastic bottles to create high quality products using innovative technology designed in-house.

In this episode Vivek sits down with host James Hurley, Assistant Business Editor at The Times, to discuss his entrepreneurial journey and what he believes to be the most important change needed in the recycling industry to make a real sustainable impact.
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The PensionBee story began when CEO, Romi Savova, tried to move her own workplace pension and faced great difficulty switching providers. Using traditional platforms and financial advisers, encountering archaic systems, excessive fees and complex paperwork, Romi decided it was time to do it herself. Thus, PensionBee was created.

In this episode James Hurley, Assistant Business Editor at The Times, sits down with Romi Savova and Jonathan Lister Parsons, CEO and CTO of PensionBee, to discuss the challenges and opportunities they encountered while navigating their new career paths.
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From start up to sale, the course of building a business never did run smooth...

Welcome to The Entrepreneurs’ Chat, a podcast brought to you by SG Kleinwort Hambros.

In this series, host James Hurley, Assistant Business Editor at The Times, is joined by entrepreneurs to delve behind the scenes of ambitious and fast growing companies. Meet the people behind the businesses, as our guests share the challenges they've faced throughout their entrepreneurial journeys – and the lessons they have learnt along the way.

 
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What do Kate Middleton, Shakira and Angelina Jolie all have in common?

In this episode, host James Hurley, Enterprise Editor at The Times, is joined by Cécile Reinaud, founder of Séraphine - the international maternity fashion brand which has caught the eyes of celebrities across the world.

Having started her career in the world of advertising, Cécile was quick to identify a gap in the market for stylish maternity wear – and so Séraphine was born.

Drawing on her PR & marketing expertise, Cécile grew the brand from a shop in Kensington to a world-famous maternity fashion label, exporting to customers across the world. No stranger to royal endorsement, in 2020 Séraphine was awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise, the UK’s highest official accolade for business.

Having sold Séraphine in 2020, what came next for Cécile?
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In this episode, host James Hurley, Enterprise Editor at The Times, is joined by Giles English of Bremont Watches.

Instilled with a keen sense of adventure from a young age, Giles inherited a passion for both aviation and engineering from his father – an ex-RAF pilot with a PhD in Aeronautical Engineering.

Inspired by family tragedy, Giles, together with his brother and Co-Founder Nick, has pioneered the reinvigoration of British watchmaking. A number of plane crashes have been pivotal in the company’s story, and Bremont is fittingly known for its famous “Tested beyond endurance” motto.

Time began for Bremont in 2002, when the English brothers embarked on a journey to make beautifully crafted pilot’s watches of exceptional quality. It has since grown to become one of the largest manufacturers of chronometers in the world.
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