James Benamor
Encyclopedia
James Benamor is a British businessman and millionaire of Tunisian origin.
after starting his loan brokerage company, the Richmond Group, in 1999 at the age of 21. Unable to afford advertising at the time he printed leaflets and delivered them on foot, walking 300 km and delivering 30,000 leaflets in the first month.
He was reportedly worth £77m in the Sunday Times 2008 Young Rich List
.
The growth of Benamor's Richmond Group has attracted media attention. In 2007 it was reported by the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 as 29th fastest growing company in terms of sales, in 2008 it was ranked 34th in the UK by the Profit Track 100
for profit growth, and in 2008, 2009 and 2010 it was rated as one of the 100 best companies in the Sunday Times '100 Best Companies to Work For'
. In 2010 Benamor and the Richmond Group won an Ernst & Young
Entrepreneur of the year Award.
for the Richmond Group's ownership of Advantage Loans, a credit broker
which ceased trading in 2008.
, aired on 5 August 2008, a show where wealthy business people go undercover to look for deserving people to give money to. The programme was set in Moss Side in Manchester
and revealed that Benamor had dabbled in drugs and turned to petty crime as a teenager. A follow up show broadcast on Christmas Day 2008 showed that Benamor had continued to work with The Settlement, a Manchester
charity which appeared on the original show. This included setting up a work experience scheme which had paid for a number of disadvantaged teenagers from Manchester to visit Bournemouth and undergo training and work experience at his company. The scheme was also covered by the BBC.
Business activities
James Benamor became one of the wealthiest young people in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
after starting his loan brokerage company, the Richmond Group, in 1999 at the age of 21. Unable to afford advertising at the time he printed leaflets and delivered them on foot, walking 300 km and delivering 30,000 leaflets in the first month.
He was reportedly worth £77m in the Sunday Times 2008 Young Rich List
Sunday Times 2008 Young Rich List
The Rich List is published each year by the British newspaper the Sunday Times to highlight the richest people in the United Kingdom.The Young Rich List is an extension of this for the 100 richest people aged 30 or younger.- The list :...
.
The growth of Benamor's Richmond Group has attracted media attention. In 2007 it was reported by the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 as 29th fastest growing company in terms of sales, in 2008 it was ranked 34th in the UK by the Profit Track 100
Profit Track 100
The Profit Track 100 is a list published by British newspaper The Sunday Times each year ranking Britain's fastest growing private companies by their average profit growth over the previous three years....
for profit growth, and in 2008, 2009 and 2010 it was rated as one of the 100 best companies in the Sunday Times '100 Best Companies to Work For'
The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For
Since 2001, the Sunday Times newspaper has published annual lists of the best companies to work for in the UK. The award is highly valued by its winners.The list ranks Britain's best companies to work for based a number of criteria...
. In 2010 Benamor and the Richmond Group won an Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young is one of the largest professional services networks in the world and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms, along with Deloitte, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers ....
Entrepreneur of the year Award.
Criticism
Benamor has been criticised by the Daily Mirror and the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
for the Richmond Group's ownership of Advantage Loans, a credit broker
Credit broker
In business and law, a credit broker is a company or individual that deals in brokerage of consumer credit. Essentially a credit broker links somebody looking for consumer credit, a debtor with a company or individual willing to provide it, a creditor, normally for a commission. Credit brokers...
which ceased trading in 2008.
Television appearances
Benamor was featured in an edition of the Channel 4 documentary series Secret MillionaireSecret Millionaire
The Secret Millionaire is a reality television show which originated in the UK, in which millionaires go incognito into impoverished communities and agree to give away tens of thousands of pounds . Members of the community are told the cameras are present to film a documentary...
, aired on 5 August 2008, a show where wealthy business people go undercover to look for deserving people to give money to. The programme was set in Moss Side in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and revealed that Benamor had dabbled in drugs and turned to petty crime as a teenager. A follow up show broadcast on Christmas Day 2008 showed that Benamor had continued to work with The Settlement, a Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
charity which appeared on the original show. This included setting up a work experience scheme which had paid for a number of disadvantaged teenagers from Manchester to visit Bournemouth and undergo training and work experience at his company. The scheme was also covered by the BBC.