Tej Lalvani, alumnus of the Business Studies BA course, Honorary Doctor of Letters, Visiting Professor at the Westminster Business School (WBS), previous ‘dragon’ of BBC’s Dragons' Den and CEO of Vitabiotics; along with the Founder and CEO of Beautifect, Dr Tara Lalvani, shared advice with business-orientated students and graduates at the What it Takes to Succeed in Business event.
The event took place on 9 February in Portland Hall with over 170 people attending, and was organised in partnership with the Westminster Enterprise Network (WeNetwork). The discussion was chaired by Professor Malcolm Kirkup, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Head of College at WBS.
Throughout the event, Tara and Tej explored their individual journeys, their experiences in business, and shared the lessons they have learnt, in addition to advice on working in business and setting up one’s own company.
During a Q&A and an informal after-event chat, the audience had a chance to ask questions from Tara and Tej, with refreshments provided during the networking session.
Talking about the event, Tej Lalvani said: “It was great to engage with the students and give an insight into my journey of challenges and successes over the last 20 years. I was very pleased with the excellent questions raised and the desire they had to learn more.”
Discussing the speakers’ impact on the audience, Professor Kirkup, said: “We were delighted to welcome Tej and Tara to the Business School. They are both amazing role models of what can be achieved in business with grit and determination. A really inspirational talk for our students.”
Reflecting on the event, one attendee said: “This was an amazing opportunity to learn from their expertise as they shared their experiences and advice. They both shared wonderful knowledge with us Westminster students on how to be the best in what you do as an entrepreneur.”
“Thank you for taking your time to share your experiences and giving us inspirations and motivation. It is highly valuable. Seeing a woman, and an alumnus of WBS, as well as of Indian origin succeeding in business is highly inspiring and great representation,” said another audience member.
The What it Takes event series feature exciting and innovative alumni speakers sharing their experience and advice on a range of topics, including employability, personal and professional development. For the 2022-23 academic year, a series of in-person and online events are being organised.
Watch the full recording of the What it Takes to Succeed in Business event.
