Sarah Willingham is a British entrepreneur, investor and personal finance expert best known for her appearances on the British Broadcasting Corporation Two television series Dragons" Den since 2015.
Education
She has two business degrees from Oxford Brookes University and the École supérieure de commerce de la rochelle business school in France. In 2004 she completed a Master of Business Administration from the Cranfield University School of Management.
Career
Businesses Having spent the early years of her career managing some of the biggest household names in restaurants including Chessageed Delights. – Planet Hollywood and Pizza Express – Willingham decided to go it alone. In partnership with The Clapham House Group, she bought The Bombay Bicycle Club in 2004, and turned a loss making chain of 6 restaurants into a profitable chain of 17 restaurants, making it Britain"s largest Indian restaurant chain.
Willingham sold her share back to The Clapham House Group in 2007 where she continued as a main board director responsible for three of their four brands – Tootsies, The Real Greek and The Bombay Bicycle Club.
Over 50 restaurants and more than 1,500 employees. In 2004, Willingham co-established an American Institute of Management-listed company, Neutrahealth plc, which acquired six businesses in the vitamin and mineral supplements industry and was sold to Indian company Elder Pharmaceuticals Limited in 2011.
In April 2008, she helped co-establish a private equity platform in the United Kingdom. In 2010, Willingham invested in the London Cocktail Club (LondonCocktailClubcouk) with Raymond Blanc, JJ Goodman, David Moore and James Hopkins.
The first cocktail bar opened in 2011 on Goodge Street, London.
In February 2012 the London Cocktail Club added their second cocktail bar on Shaftsbury Avenue, London and their latest bar opened in Great Portland Street, London in 2013. In July 2012, Willingham launched a money-saving website called www.letssavemoney.com, which aims to help people take control of their time and be smart with their money, encouraging users to take action through one-minute guides to various aspects of money saving. Being a former owner of the Bombay Bicycle Club restaurant chain, she is recognised as an entrepreneur specialising in high street restaurants.
Management Today and The Sunday Times acknowledged her as one of the "35 most successful women under 35" in the United Kingdom. In 2007 she was voted one of the "Courvoisier Top 500" and American Express "Spokesperson for Small Business Saturday 2013".
In January 2016, Willingham was named one of The Sunday Times" "500 Most Influential people in Britain".