Event details
Serial Entrepreneurs - one business is not enough
| Time: | 5.30pm for a 6.00pm start |
| Date: | Thursday 18 September 2008 |
| Venue: | Ruddington Grange Golf Club |
We heard from two business leaders with successful track records as serial entrepreneurs with lessons for anyone wishing to run just one company in their lifetime.
Derek Mapp combines entrepreneurial flair alongside high profile business and private sector appointments. He founded Tom Cobleigh plc in 1992, a business which grew to 78 pubs and was floated on the LSE in 1995 for £60m. It was acquired by Rank plc in 1996 for £124m. He founded Leapfrog Day Nurseries in 1998, the fastest growing chain of purpose built children’s nurseries with 40 established by 2004. He sold the business to Nord Anglia for £60m the same year. Also in 1998 he became the principal investor in newly formed Imagesound plc, a music technology business that sends music and AV to retail and leisure sites.
In addition to four PLC directorships, he advises and mentors a growing Padstow restaurant business. In public life, his recent appointments include his role as Chairman of East Midlands Development Agency and Chairman of Sport England.
Bob Pynegar once proudly boasted, "the last time I drew a pay cheque I didn’t write out myself was in 1969". Bob’s entrepreneurial spark was first ignited in the 60’s, and by 1970 he was in business on his own account. That self-employed status has continued ever since, and according to Bob there have been many ups and downs.
Over nearly 40 years, Bob has been involved in owning all or part of 33 businesses, most of which were complete start-ups. He has been involved in computing, publishing, composite materials, and particularly biotechnology and electronics businesses. Although not all of these businesses were successful, enough of them were to justify a move to the Isle of Man where Bob has been domiciled and resident since 1988.
He has endeavoured to ‘pay back’ into the community with many public service activities. On the business front he was a Board Director of Nottinghamshire Business Venture for a decade and Chairman of the organisation for three years.