Sarah Willingham
Encyclopedia
Sarah Louise Willingham and is the daughter of a maths teacher, Judith, and businessman, Rhondda. Willingham has a younger brother, Alex. Even though Willingham and her parents were born and raised in Stoke-on-Trent
, her paternal grandfather, James, originated from Willesden
.
She has two business degrees from Oxford Brookes University
and the Sup de Co business school in France. In 2004 she was awarded an MBA
from the Cranfield University
School of Management. She appears on ITV's This Morning
as their "Super Saver". She has also appeared as a restaurant inspector on all three series of Raymond Blanc
's The Restaurant
. She is also a "restaurant entrepreneur" specialising in fast food
restaurants and former owner of the Bombay Bicycle Club Restaurant chain.
'You're Fired' and the final 'You're Hired' as a panelist.
Management Today and The Times acknowledged her as one of the “35 most successful women under 35” in the UK. In 2007 she was voted Business Weekly’s “Young Entrepreneur of the Year”, one of the “Courvoisier Top 500”, “Who’s Who in British Business Leaders 2007”, British Telecom's “Spokesperson for Small Business Growth 2008” and “Press representative Unilever
Food Solutions brand launch 2011”.
Having spent the early years of her career managing some of the biggest household names in restaurants – Planet Hollywood
and Pizza Express
, Sarah decided to go it alone. She successfully raised the finance to buy The Bombay Bicycle Club in 2004, and turned a heavily loss-making business of six restaurants into a profitable group of seventeen, establishing the largest chain of Indian restaurants in the UK. The business was sold in 2007.
In 2004 Sarah co-established her own AIM listed company, Neutrahealth PLC, which acquired six businesses in the fast growing Nutraceutical
industry and was sold to Indian PLC Elder Pharmaceuticals in 2011.
Subsequently Sarah continued as a main board director of The Clapham House Group where she was 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 April 2008, she became FSA
approved and co-established a private equity platform in the UK. She is also working on a number of other business ventures including a consumer-facing website, promoting food from her home town as patron for ‘The Taste of Staffordshire’, and acting as Contributing Editor for Fine Foodies magazine.
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
, her paternal grandfather, James, originated from Willesden
Willesden
Willesden is an area in North West London which forms part of the London Borough of Brent. It is situated 5 miles north west of Charing Cross...
.
She has two business degrees from Oxford Brookes University
Oxford Brookes University
Oxford Brookes University is a new university in Oxford, England. It was named to honour the school's founding principal, John Brookes. It has been ranked as the best new university by the Sunday Times University Guide 10 years in a row...
and the Sup de Co business school in France. In 2004 she was awarded an MBA
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
from the Cranfield University
Cranfield University
Cranfield University is a British postgraduate university based on two campuses, with a research-oriented focus. The main campus is at Cranfield, Bedfordshire and the second is the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom based at Shrivenham, Oxfordshire. The main campus is unique in the United...
School of Management. She appears on ITV's This Morning
This Morning
This Morning may refer to:* This Morning , a British daytime television show* This Morning , a Canadian radio show* CBS This Morning and This Morning, former names of the American morning show The Early Show...
as their "Super Saver". She has also appeared as a restaurant inspector on all three series of Raymond Blanc
Raymond Blanc
Raymond Blanc OBE is a French chef, born in Besançon, France. Today he is one of the Britain's most respected chefs. Blanc is the owner and chef at Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, a hotel-restaurant in Great Milton, Oxfordshire, England. The restaurant has two Michelin stars and scored 9/10 in the...
's The Restaurant
The Restaurant (UK TV Series)
The Restaurant was a British reality television series in which a group of couples competed for the chance to set up a restaurant financially backed and personally supported by French chef Raymond Blanc. The winning couple were given their own restaurant to run...
. She is also a "restaurant entrepreneur" specialising in fast food
Fast food
Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a...
restaurants and former owner of the Bombay Bicycle Club Restaurant chain.
Career
Sarah Willingham is one of the youngest entrepreneurs in the high street food and leisure industry. She recently appeared on The ApprenticeThe Apprentice
The Apprentice is a television franchise which originated in 2004 in the United States. As originally conceived, the show depicted 16 contestants from around the country with various backgrounds competing in an elimination-style competition to become an apprentice to Donald Trump...
'You're Fired' and the final 'You're Hired' as a panelist.
Management Today and The Times acknowledged her as one of the “35 most successful women under 35” in the UK. In 2007 she was voted Business Weekly’s “Young Entrepreneur of the Year”, one of the “Courvoisier Top 500”, “Who’s Who in British Business Leaders 2007”, British Telecom's “Spokesperson for Small Business Growth 2008” and “Press representative Unilever
Unilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
Food Solutions brand launch 2011”.
Having spent the early years of her career managing some of the biggest household names in restaurants – Planet Hollywood
Planet Hollywood
Planet Hollywood, a restaurant inspired by the popular portrayal of Hollywood, was launched in New York on October 22, 1991, with the backing of Hollywood stars Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.-History:...
and Pizza Express
Pizza Express
PizzaExpress is a restaurant group with over 400 restaurants across the United Kingdom and 40 overseas in China, Europe, Hong Kong, Japan and the Middle East. It was founded in 1965 by Peter Boizot.In Ireland, PizzaExpress trades under the name Milano....
, Sarah decided to go it alone. She successfully raised the finance to buy The Bombay Bicycle Club in 2004, and turned a heavily loss-making business of six restaurants into a profitable group of seventeen, establishing the largest chain of Indian restaurants in the UK. The business was sold in 2007.
In 2004 Sarah co-established her own AIM listed company, Neutrahealth PLC, which acquired six businesses in the fast growing Nutraceutical
Nutraceutical
Nutraceutical, a portmanteau of the words “nutrition” and “pharmaceutical”, is a food or food product that reportedly provides health and medical benefits, including the prevention and treatment of disease. Health Canada defines the term as "a product isolated or purified from foods that is...
industry and was sold to Indian PLC Elder Pharmaceuticals in 2011.
Subsequently Sarah continued as a main board director of The Clapham House Group where she was 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 April 2008, she became FSA
Financial Services Authority
The Financial Services Authority is a quasi-judicial body responsible for the regulation of the financial services industry in the United Kingdom. Its board is appointed by the Treasury and the organisation is structured as a company limited by guarantee and owned by the UK government. Its main...
approved and co-established a private equity platform in the UK. She is also working on a number of other business ventures including a consumer-facing website, promoting food from her home town as patron for ‘The Taste of Staffordshire’, and acting as Contributing Editor for Fine Foodies magazine.
Personal life
Sarah lives in the countryside with her Danish husband, Michael, who she met whilst studying and they have four young children: Minnie, Monti, Nelly and Marly. She attended Newcastle-under-Lyme School..External links
- Official page on the BBC website
- She is represented by James Grant Management, her agent.