| James Caan | |
|---|---|
| Born | Nazim Khan[1][2] Urdu: جيمس خان 28 December 1960 Lahore, Punjab, West Pakistan |
| Residence | London, United Kingdom |
| Ethnicity | British Pakistani |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
| Known for | Business, Recruitment, Dragons' Den |
| Net worth | £70 million[3] |
| Spouse | Aisha Caan |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | |
| www.james-caan.com | |
James Caan (born 28 December 1960 in Lahore, Pakistan as Nazim Khan (Urdu: جيمس خان)) is a British-Pakistani entrepreneur and television personality. Caan has been building and selling businesses since 1985, including Alexander Mann Group, Humana International, and the private equity firm Hamilton Bradshaw.
Caan initially achieved success in the recruitment industry, having founded the Alexander Mann Group, which he sold in 2002. Caan subsequently co-founded the executive head-hunting firm Humana International. He is also the founder and currently CEO of the UK-based private equity firm Hamilton Bradshaw, and in 2010 Caan launched HB Real Estate.
Caan is best-known as a presenter of the BBC television programme Dragons’ Den, in which he was one of the panel of judges from 2007 to 2010.
Caan graduated from the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. In 2005 Caan was voted one of the 100 most influential Asian people in the UK by Asian Power 100. Caan has been involved in a number of charitable activities. He founded the James Caan Foundation in 2006 and in December 2009 was appointed as the Chairman of The Big Issue Company.
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Caan's family emigrated to the United Kingdom when he was 2 years old. His father subsequently established a clothing company in Brick Lane, East London. Caan's father had intended him to join the family business once his formal education was completed, but Caan decided he wanted to find his own way in the world. At 16, before he had begun his O-Levels, he left home and moved to a flat in Kensington. This led to Caan's being estranged from his father for many years.
Other than a Saturday job at Mr Buyright, Caan had no formal experience of work and so went to a recruitment agency to find some. His first job was door to door sales, which he found tiring. At this point, he knew he wanted to work in an office. He went back to the recruitment agency and asked for something that was indoors and saw a job working for Grand Metropolitan. He worked for several recruitment companies and started a fashion boutique with his wife before deciding he wanted to start his own company.[4]
Caan started his own recruitment company in the early 1980s. His first office was in Pall Mall but was so small that the door could not be fully opened as it was blocked by his desk.[5] He purposely chose the prestigious address to convey an image that the company was bigger than it actually was to attract clients. As he had no meeting rooms, client meetings would often take place in coffee shops, and he would tell them that they were so busy that all the rooms were full. At this time he also changed his name from Nazim Khan to James Caan after seeing a film by the famous actor and an alternative way to spell “Khan”; this also helped him in his recruitment company, as the name was more easily recognisable.
Caan did not excel at school but graduated from the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School in 2003.
Caan founded the recruitment company Alexander Mann in 1985. In 1993 Caan co-founded the executive headhunting firm Humana International with Doug Bugie, eventually growing the business to over 147 offices in 30 countries. In the same year Caan launched the trade magazine Recruitment International, which he later sold in 2000. In 1996 Caan co-founded the business process outsourcing company AMS with Rosaleen Blair. Caan subsequently sold his interests in AMS in 2002. Caan sold Humana International to CDI International, a New York listed company, in 1999. Later in that year Caan sold a minority stake in Alexander Mann Group to private equity firm Advent International.
In 2002 Caan sold his interests in Alexander Mann, which by that time had a turnover of around £130m. In 2004 Caan established the London-based private equity firm Hamilton Bradshaw. In the same year he invested in the managed office provider Avanta, which he sold three years later to the private equity company Kenmore. In 2007 Hamilton Bradshaw acquired the recruitment specialist Eden Brown and Caan sold his remaining interest in Alexander Mann Group to Graphite Private Equity in a management buy-out lead by Rosaleen Blair.
In 2009 Caan was appointed chairman of The Big Issue Company. In 2010 Caan launched The Entrepreneurs Business Academy and became a non–Executive Director of McCaan London. In 2011 Caan founded Hamilton Bradshaw Venture Partners
In 2007 Caan joined the panel of Dragons’ Den judges for the fifth series of the show.
Through his role on Dragons’ Den, Caan has worked with Children in Need for many years. In 2008, CiN filmed a ‘Youth Dragons Den’. ‘Look for Loneliness’ was his initiative to help reduce bullying and get children to understand what it is like to feel isolated. Caan went on to work with CiN in 2009, helping to renovate a Community Centre for young people to visit before and after school.
In 2008, in aid of Comic Relief, Caan teamed up with the other presenters of Dragons Den for a special edition of the programme titled ‘Victorians Dragons’ Den’.
In December 2009 Caan joined the Sport Relief team on a four-day trip to Kenya.
Hilary Devey replaced James Caan on Dragons Den in 2011
Caan has been involved with the British Government and their agencies on a number of initiatives related to UK business for many years. These include The Government Entrepreneur’s Forum and The Department for International Development (DFID) where he worked on the relief effort after the 2010 Pakistan flood
Caan founded the James Caan Foundation (JCF) in 2006. The JCF supports charities in the UK and seeks to promote greater awareness of issues facing the developing world, with a primary focus on children's access to education and healthcare.
The JCF has funded the construction of a new school in Lahore, northern Pakistan. Since first purchasing a barren plot of land and opening the state-of-the-art 16-classroom school in 2005, the TCF School, named after Caan’s father, has over 420 children aged from 5-11.
In July 2010, Caan flew out to Pakistan immediately after the worst flooding in the country's history. Whilst in Pakistan Caan personally purchased, prepared and delivered emergency food parcels to families in the village of Nowshera.[6]
On his return to the UK Caan partnered with UNICEF to provide urgent food, medical supplies and water and hygiene kits to 1,000 families in the affected area. Whilst UNICEF delivered on the ground, Caan undertook an extensive media outreach campaign, speaking on the BBC news, The One Show, CNBC, ITV news and GMTV. His trip was also documented in newspapers all around the country. After just two weeks, Caan had raised £100,000 for UNICEF.
In the aftermath of the destruction in Pakistan, Caan decided that he, as an individual, wanted to do more.[7] With the James Caan Foundation, he is now undertaking a reconstruction project, where he wants to rebuild an entire village in Pakistan, including schools, hospitals, homes and all infrastructure and water supplies. The project is being endorsed by Prince Charles and the prince’s charities and is supported by the UK government. Aid agencies including UNICEF, Oxfam, Islamic Relief, Muslim Hands and Mosaic amongst many others, are also heavily involved in delivering each facet of the project.
The reconstruction costs around £180,000-£250,000 and will be underwritten entirely by Caan’s Foundation. At present, Caan has committed £100,000 to this project and is also securing sponsorship from large donors and businesses around the country. Passionate media icons including Jemima Khan and Bob Geldof are also actively involved in supporting the project.[7]
In October 2010, Caan returned to Pakistan and met with emergency response agencies.
Caan is also involved with and supports other charities including the The Prince’s Trust, Marie Curie, Mosaic, Care Foundation and the NSPCC
Caan drew criticism when he was caught on camera offering to buy a baby from a family that was a victim of the 2010 Pakistan flood. He was filmed offering to buy a baby for 100,000 rupees (£725) from a poverty-stricken family in his native country. Although he insisted his impromptu offer was made with good intentions in the aftermath of the devastating floods which had engulfed Pakistan, Caan was criticised for poor judgment.
Many observers wondered at the time whether it would impact on his presence on Dragons’ Den. He later regretted making the offer, calling it "clearly not the right thing to do".[8]
Hamilton Bradshaw [Caan's UK private equity company] is owned by a Cayman Island company, which allows him to circumvent UK tax as a non-domiciled resident. Fellow Dragons' Den entrepreneur Duncan Bannatyne argues that UK-born entrepreneurs are at a disadvantage to non-domiciled residents who have made their fortune in Britain but can fund their lifestyles from monies held overseas that do not attract UK tax. Also that someone can come to the UK at two years-old and take advantage of the UK education system and health-care system, then turn 18 and take their money offshore. In his opinion they are saving tax on money earned in Britain. "The next Government needs much stronger rules for any new non-doms registered in the UK from the end of this year." said Duncan.[9]
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