James Caan CBE CBE |
|
---|---|
Born |
Nazim Khan Urdu: جيمس خان 28 December 1960 Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan |
Residence | London, England |
Nationality | Pakistani-British |
Occupation | Entrepreneur |
Known for | Business, Recruitment, Dragons' Den |
Net worth | £95 million |
Children | Hannah Jemma |
Website | www |
James Caan CBE (born Nazim Khan, 28 December 1960) is a British-Pakistani entrepreneur and television personality.
He is best known as a former investor on the BBC television program Dragons’ Den, in which he was one of the Dragons from 2007 to 2010. More recently, he has hosted The Business Class on CNBC, a series which sees him joined by experts from a cross section of industries to analyse and advise innovative UK small and medium enterprises. He is also Chairman of the UK Government's Start Up Loans Scheme, which supports entrepreneurs with funding and mentoring to start their own business.
Caan initially achieved success in the recruitment industry. He founded the recruitment company Alexander Mann Group in 1985, and sold it in 2002. In 1993, Caan co-founded the executive head-hunting firm Humana International, in which he sold his stake in 1999. He is also the founder and currently CEO of the UK-based private equity firm Hamilton Bradshaw.
In 2013, he was named Chairman of the Year at the International Business Awards.
Caan has been involved in a number of charitable activities and founded the James Caan Foundation in 2006. Caan did not attend university as an undergraduate, but graduated from the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 2003.
Born in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, Caan's family emigrated to the United Kingdom when he was two years old. His father came to the UK without any money or knowing the language but was able to build a successful business from scratch. He 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.