Tej Lalvani, CEO of Vitabiotics and investor on the popular BBC programme Dragon’s Den, was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Westminster during a graduation ceremony held at London’s Royal Festival Hall on 22 November 2021.
The prestigious Doctor of Letters award marks Tej Lalvani’s exemplary contributions to business and entrepreneurship, and to the field of health and wellbeing.
Growing up in Bangalore, Southern India, Tej spent his childhood between India and the UK before settling in London at the age of 16. At 18, Tej began his 4-year Business Studies undergraduate degree at Westminster Business School.
Tej’s 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, Tej has overseen the phenomenal growth of Vitabiotics, driving the company’s expansion to sell its products in over 100 countries. With Tej’s father remaining as Chairman, the family business run by Tej now turns over £300 million annually and is renowned for producing many of the UK’s number one selling vitamins including Wellwoman, Perfectil and Pregnacare.
Tej’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 2013. Most recently, Tej 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 Tej as one of the investors on the BBC hit show Dragon’s 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.
Speaking about Tej’s appointment, Professor Malcolm Kirkup, Pro-Vice Chancellor and Head of College, Westminster Business School, said: “To say we are ‘proud’ that Tej is one of our alumni, is something of an understatement. His global contribution and commitment to transforming the health and wellbeing of our society, through his impressive business achievements, has been incredible.”
Learn more about the University of Westminster’s Honorary Awards.
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