Author: adm_f_club

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Quisque vitae lacinia dolor. Suspendisse purus ante, finibus id lacus et, imperdiet viverra felis. Quisque eleifend consectetur lacus sit amet accumsan. Morbi ornare libero risus, vitae vehicula lacus aliquam in. Suspendisse ultricies non augue commodo mattis. Sed ut dolor ex. Aenean magna augue, vestibulum id dictum quis, gravida et tortor. Vivamus id interdum orci, feugiat malesuada mi. Phasellus mauris metus, auctor eu velit a, volutpat rutrum nisl. Etiam eu enim non ligula sagittis volutpat.

As far as whisky tastings go, we’re pretty sure they don’t get better than this. Invited by Tomintoul Speyside Single Malt, 8 members made their way to Inverness the home of the gentle dram. After an hour’s drive the members were settling into the Tomintoul House, a 16-bedroom Scottish mansion previously owned by non-other than legendary musician Bob Dylan.

Hosted by Foundxrs Club and Tomintoul Single Malt, the two-day event included a few whisky tastings including 40 and 50 year olds, cigar sampling, distillery tour, lunches by the River Annan, curated dinners, having bottles signed by Master Distiller Robert Fleming and not to mention the bond building between the members and everything that happens between including playing Bob Dylan’s piano and dancing until the early hours of the morning.

A very special THANK YOU to Jordan, Cody, Michael and the rest of the Tomintoul family for showing what Scottish hospitality really feels like.

 

 

Established in 1965, Tomintoul Distillery is located near to the village of Tomintoul, the highest village in the Highlands of Scotland and in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park. Master Distiller, Robert Fleming, who is a fourth generation Speyside distiller, has been the custodian of Tomintoul for more than 30 years. It's Robert and his dedicated team who are responsible for handcrafting every drop of Tomintoul Single Malt. They use traditional production techniques that stretch back hundreds of years, to handcraft a wide range of award-winning Tomintoul Single Malt Scotch Whiskies.

 

 

www.tomintoulwhisky.com

Our HERstory 2025 event at Fortnum & Mason was a truly special celebration of women in business, bringing together inspiring female founders, entrepreneurs, and leaders for an afternoon of meaningful conversations and connection.

Set against the elegant backdrop of one of London’s most iconic venues, the event was a powerful reminder of the strength, ambition, and impact of women in business today. From shared stories of resilience to forging new collaborations, it was an unforgettable gathering of like-minded women determined to elevate and empower one another.

 

 

Photographs by Jai Shah for Foundxrs Club

To launch the Clubs HERstory 2025 campaign we had the pleasure of bringing together 50 Foundxrs at Pavilion Fulham to host an incredible woman. Raising triplets as a single mother, a world record holder, one of the first women to conquer both North and South Poles and described by The Telegraph as one of the ‘Top 20 Great British Explorers of All Time’ – Ann Daniels. 

An open and candid Q&A curated by the Club's very own Ruchi, Ann talked about changing mindsets, overcoming adversity, staring death in the face and coming out the other side and on top.

A HUGE THANK YOU to Ann for joining us, Pavilion for teaming up with us and never forgetting our fearless Foundxrs for making the evening electric.

 

 

Photographs by Jai Shah for Foundxrs Club

Late Feb 2025 played host to the clubs first father and daughter duo as part of our ‘Audience with’ series.

Nick Bassi, founder of Childsplay Clothing, one of the world’s largest online retail fashion platforms for children’s designer fashion was joined by daughter Serena Bassi, Lead Buyer for the business who joined the company in 2019. What started as a modest boutique in Essex 35 years ago is now a global empire with bases in London and Miami and a client base including the Kardashian to DJ Khaled, from Beyonce to Lionel Messi.

Nick has always been at the forefront and ahead of the curve being able to see value in opportunities before most do. In 2014 he secured a TV show deal with ITV focussed around the business and over the years has become a seasoned investor in numerous businesses including being one of the first and early investors in Velocity Black which sold for just shy of $300M in 2023.

Bringing 50+ Club members together in Mayfair, the evening included candid conversations on business, life, family and inspiration.

 

 

Photographs by Jai Shah Photography

It’s safe to say ‘JIMMY CHOO’ is probably one of the most notable and recognised names when it comes to luxury footwear and fashion. 

As we closed off 2024, we had the honour of welcoming and hosting world renowned Professor Jimmy Choo and niece Lucy Choi for our final ‘Audience with’ of the year.

Amongst being a global icon. Jimmy founded ‘JCA’ (Jimmy Choo Academy), a fashion academy operating from Mayfair in the heart of London. The academy is spearheaded and run by Jimmy’s niece Lucy Choi, a luxury shoe designer in her own right.

Over 24 hours we hosted 2 club events with the iconic designer and here’s a look back at the events with the official photos now live.

 

 

Photographs by ‘No Name Digital’

One of, if not the BEST party of 2024 but let’s be honest, we’re going to be a little bias.

As Foundxrs and entrepreneurs, we can very regularly get stuck in the operational process of the business and not taking stock of what we’ve achieved and very importantly not making the time to celebrate the wins. As a Club, we made a pact a few years back to say, we’re going to make sure we celebrate the year, each year and we’ll bring all our members along to ensure they do the same.

End of November 2024 played host to Foundxrs Club's grand END OF YEAR PARTY bringing together over 300 club members and guests. In partnership with Carter Bond Solicitors, Fortis Wealth, No Name Digital, Mistique Events, Musical Movements and Wealth Invest Consulting, the party was hosted in London and in support of global charity Sense International.

Here are the official photos from the night and we’d like to say a huge THANK YOU once again to all our event partners and of course our wonderful members and Foundxrs family for making it a night to remember.

 

 

Photographs by Jai Shah

Mid-September we had the pleasure to teaming up with Club member and brand expert Aarti Parmar to host a masterclass on "Effective Networking Strategies to Maximise Personal Brand and Business Growth."

Delivering an engaging session, Aarti shared practical strategies aimed at refining our members' networking skills and personal branding.

 

The session covered:

 

BOOSTED NETWORKING SKILLS:
Aarti shared valuable tips on how to confidently start, nurture, and strengthen business relationships through genuine, conscious conversations. This resonated strongly with our members, who left with actionable insights to enhance their interactions.

 

 

REFINED PERSONAL BRAND:
The importance of effectively communicating a personal brand was a key highlight. Aarti’s approach helped members understand how to differentiate themselves in the market and attract the right opportunities.

 

 

ENHANCED ONLINE PRESENCE:
Aarti provided practical advice on leveraging social media to grow networks and increase visibility, motivating attendees to amplify their digital presence with authenticity.

 

 

NEW GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES:
The masterclass wrapped up with guidance on identifying and pursuing business opportunities within existing networks, sparking fresh ideas for collaborations and partnerships.

 

 

Co-founder of the club Kalpesh Patel explained “When it comes to branding and brand positioning, it’s not a topic that everyone fully gets on day one, which is why it’s super important to have someone like Aarti come in, strip back details and help our members fully get a grasp on what branding is and why it’s so important. Aarti doesn’t just speak and present with conviction, she embodies her craft and helps her audience understand, relate and connect with their business, their brand and their outcome. As a membership club, our objective is to get world class speakers and educators in a room to add value to our members and this why we chose Aarti Parmar”

 

Credit images to: Sheena Sabharwal

A recent survey of business leaders by Investec highlighted the simple steps that entrepreneurs can take to make their work more sustainable.

 

In a recent survey of 500 mid-market companies by Investec, more than half of leaders polled (55%) said that having a sustainability strategy was critical. In the report, they shared some simple ways that entrepreneurs could embed ethical working practices into their businesses. Here are the highlights:

 

Create a collaborative environment

Dr Marc Kahn, Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer at Investec, emphasised that business leaders should share experiences by joining a likeminded community. As part of its corporate and private banking services, the bank provides networking opportunities for entrepreneurs and business leaders.

“At this time, joining forces with likeminded partners can help provide valuable support,” said Marc. “This is important for entrepreneurs who are already navigating the highs and lows of running a business and want to ensure they have a sustainable relationship with the communities in which they operate,” he explained.

 

Define your mission

Competing strategic priorities could make it difficult to identify where sustainability can make a difference to your business and its stakeholders. Therefore, 44% of business leaders suggested defining your company purpose ahead of implementing environmental, social or governance improvements.

Once you’ve identified your company’s mission, internal training and education was recommended to focus efforts.

 

Make everyone accountable

While a third of leaders felt that a company CEO must be ultimately responsible for its sustainability efforts, making all employees accountable for the strategy’s success is also beneficial. Thirty-nine per cent of business leaders told Investec that the most effective step they took was to embed sustainability targets into personal performance reviews.

This focus can have a positive impact on hiring too. Up to 70% of current jobseekers are said to be looking for environmentally friendly employers, according to separate research from Future Business.

 

Embrace measurement

Thirty-five per cent of leaders said a lack of data was a barrier to advancing their sustainability strategies. One way to overcome this is to go back to basics when defining your sustainability goals.

Alicia Forry, Head of ESG for Alternative Investments at Investec, said entrepreneurs should identify the most relevant metric for their business. “It’s rare that companies struggle to identify what is material for them,” she said. “For example, it makes sense for a very energy-intensive manufacturer to focus on reducing emissions, because it will lower their costs over time and make their processes more efficient.”

 

Identify what resources are available

If you want to understand more about sustainability, useful tools are available from several organisations. The Government has recently launched the UK Business Climate Hub, which includes various how-to guides for businesses looking to improve their own operations. The Federation of Small Businesses also provides case studies and practical information for self-employed individuals who are aiming to achieve net-zero emissions. Meanwhile, the Cambridge Institute for Sustainable Leadership offers courses on improving sustainability which are sector-specific.

 

If you’d like to discuss how Investec could help you support the growth of your business or provide banking and networking opportunities for entrepreneurs, please do get in touch with Investec Private Banker Eileen Redmond-Macken at Eileen.Redmond-Macken@investec.co.uk.

 

This article contains hyperlinks to other websites, which are hosted and maintained by third parties and which may not be regulated by financial services regulators. Investec has no control over the security or content of these sites and you access them at your own risk.

In a life before Covid, the month of Oct/Nov played host to an annual dinner hosted by KP of Foundxrs Club and Sunny of Capital36. After a four-year break, Foundxrs Club and Capital36 teamed up with partners Soneva, Investec, Fortis Wealth, Lawrence Stephens, Dial A Flight Concierge and supported by John Caudwell’s charity to host the inaugural ICON DINNER 2024.

In early Oct, The ICON Dinner 2024 was hosted at a Gordon Ramsay restaurant in the city bringing together an intimate group of 40 guests including some of the country’s business leaders, game changers and entrepreneurial icons from members of the Hinduja family to British fashion icon, Karen Millen to property tycoons who continue to change the skyline of our great city.

 

 

Dr Marc Kahn, Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer at Investec, shares why sustainability is a commercial decision all business founders need to embrace.

 

Running a business requires adapting to new challenges on an almost daily basis. One of the most prominent current issues is how best to address sustainability in their corporate strategy. This is not just a moral or regulatory challenge, but also a commercial one.

“Today's markets are being disrupted because the world faces existential challenges not previously encountered” says Dr Marc Kahn, Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer at Investec plc. “Governments across the globe have realised that rising inequality and climate change must be addressed, or human beings are soon going to find themselves in a dangerous and unstable world. As a result, they are introducing regulations and constraints into the economy that aim to redirect capital flows and resources toward combatting these challenges. For businesses this means commercial strategies need to be adjusted to manage new risks and take up new opportunities for growth. Can a business simply carry on what it’s been doing in the past in face of such a significantly disrupted market and still expect to grow into the future? It’s unlikely.”

 

Stakeholders demand businesses help tackle challenges

For over two decades, Investec has been exploring how to have a lasting positive impact on people and the planet. Its recent survey of 500 mid-market UK business leaders revealed how they are tackling sustainability. According to the research, the majority believe that a good sustainability strategy can contribute to revenue growth, improved relationships with partners and suppliers and access to finance.

Overall, 55% of leaders of companies with a turnover of more than £10m said a sustainability strategy was ‘business critical’. Forty-one per cent think customer buying decisions are influenced by environmental, social and governance (ESG) activities; while 45% believe ESG factors play a role in the procurement and tender process.

 

Commercial opportunities that address sustainability challenges

There are many opportunities for investment and development in vital sectors. The UN has identified 17 Sustainable Development Goals that it believes are needed to ensure peace and prosperity in 2030 and beyond. These include affordable and clean energy; clean water and sanitation; and industry, innovation and infrastructure.

Investec is currently helping a business with its aspiration to become the largest electric vehicle car charging network in the UK. “In line with government emissions targets, by 2030 it is estimated that there will be up to 11 million hybrid or electric vehicles in the UK. This upscaling will help to ensure that owning an electric vehicle is a positive experience for individuals and the environment,” explains Marc.

 

Capital flows directed to products and services with a positive impact

When it comes to seeking support for your own ambitions, you may find that your bank starts to make lending decisions based on its own sustainability targets. More than 140 global banks have joined the Net Zero Banking Alliance which aims to ensure the net greenhouse gas emissions from their lending and investment portfolios reaches net zero, by 2050 or sooner.

In addition, private equity firms have stated that ethical considerations heavily influence investment decisions in a portfolio company in this Private Equity Trends research.

“At this time, joining forces with likeminded financial partners can help provide valuable support,” says Marc. “This is important for entrepreneurs who are already navigating the highs and lows of running a business and want to ensure they have a sustainable relationship with the communities in which they operate.”

 

If you’d like to discuss how Investec could help you support the growth of your business or provide personal banking and networking opportunities for entrepreneurs, please do get in touch with Investec Private Banker Eileen Redmond-Macken at Eileen.Redmond-Macken@investec.co.uk.

LOGIN