A Dragon enters the Dragon’s Den – Theo Paphitis
Theo Paphitis is a British immigrant from Greece. He was born on the 24th of September, 1959 in Limassol, Cyprus. He immigrated to England when he was six years of age along with his parents and brother. His millionaire story gradually got crafted in the retail sector and his popularity has its origin in his appearances for the BBC business program “Dragon’s Den”.
His name features in the Sunday Times Rich List, 2008 and currently his assets are worth an estimated 165 million pounds. Theo discovered his passion for retailing and sales when he was working at City of London Insurance broker as a tea boy. He sold commercial mortgages and learned to read the business balance sheets while he was working for Legal & General. At the age of 23, Theo set up his property finance company with his friend and associate, Mark Moran.
He got involved with the NAG Telecom when he noticed the rise of the mobile telephones and also negotiated deals with Ryman stationary stores. He eventually bought the company and his other ventures include Partners and Contessa. Theo is a co-owner of Red Letter Days and is looking forward to buy La Senza, a global lingerie brand. This immigrant millionaire believes in ‘common sense’ and states “There are three reasons to be in business. To make money, to have fun – and to make money”.
Written by srini on September 10th, 2009 with
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