Tej Lalvani, alumnus of the Business Studies BA course, Honorary Doctor of Letters, Visiting Professor at the Westminster Business School, previous ‘dragon’ of BBC’s Dragons' Den and CEO of Vitabiotics, has been inducted into the Great British Entrepreneur Awards Hall of Fame.
The Great British Entrepreneur Awards Hall of Fame recognises individuals with a long-term record of combining their outstanding entrepreneurial achievements with a sustained commitment to supporting entrepreneurial talent throughout the Great British Entrepreneur Awards and other partner programmes. The title has been previously awarded to the founders of Grenade, Poundland, The MOBO Awards & King of Shaves, and is sponsored by UBS Wealth Management.
Tej Lalvani is a successful entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist who has made a name for himself in the business world. He is the CEO of the UK-based health and wellness company, Vitabiotics, and has been instrumental in growing the business into one of the largest and most successful companies in its industry.
He also joined the University of Westminster as a Visiting Professor at Westminster Business School in 2022, which has allowed Westminster students to benefit from his experience and influence in the business sector. Earlier this year, he shared advice with business-orientated students and graduates at the What it Takes to Succeed in Business event.
Lalvani spent his childhood between India and the UK before settling in London at the age of 16. At 18, Lalvani began his four-year Business Studies undergraduate degree at Westminster Business School.
His first role at Vitabiotics was as a forklift truck driver in the warehouse. He then took a rotational role in each department to understand every functionality of the company in depth, building a wealth of knowledge and experience which would eventually equip him to take over from his father as CEO.
Over the past 20 years, Lalvani has overseen the phenomenal growth of Vitabiotics, driving the company’s expansion to sell its products in over 100 countries. With Lalvani’s father remaining as Chairman, the family business run by the Westminster alumnus is renowned for producing many of the UK’s number one selling vitamins including Wellwoman, Perfectil and Pregnacare.
Lalvani’s dedication and perseverance working his way up the ladder saw him crowned Young Entrepreneur of the Year twice – first at the Asian Business Awards in 2012 and then at the TiE UK Awards in 2013. Most recently, Lalvani ranked at number 48 on the GG2 Power List of the most Influential Asian people in Britain and was also featured on India Gazette London’s The India-UK Power List 2017.
Many people will also recognise Lalvani as one of the previous investors on the BBC hit show Dragons’ Den, in which budding entrepreneurs pitch to a panel of successful investors to secure funds and expert advice in exchange for a stake in their business.
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