Strategy into Practice: Yoganathan Ratheesan, founder of Lebara Group

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Time: 6.00pm - 7.00pm
Venue: Room 0026, Business School, Kingston Hill campus, Kingston Hill, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey KT2 7LB
Price: free

Kingston Business School's premium Strategy into Practice seminar series is designed to give you the opportunity to gain insights of strategy within business and not-for-profit corporations. The series is kindly sponsored by Santander. 

You will hear first-hand accounts from top executives on strategic challenges in their industry and how they strategically steer their organisation to compete successfully and deal with complex issues such as international growth, innovation and corporate social responsibilities. 

You will have the opportunity to ask questions and network after each session with the speaker, other local business leaders and academic staff from Kingston Business School.

The hour-long session will be followed by networking in the Business School Atrium.

Guest speaker

Yoganathan Ratheesan (Ratheesh), a British entrepreneur, co-founded the Lebara Group in 2001 when he was 25, after drafting a quintessential back-of-a-napkin business plan on the way home from Norway. Lebara became one of Europe's fastest growing communication companies with 5 million active customers, over 1,000 employees and operations in eight countries. Lebara Group was sold in September 2017.

Ratheesh is an aeronautical engineer by education. A strong believer in supporting young entrepreneurial talent, he officially launched "The Entrepreneurial Way" at Cass Business School, London, in December 2012. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Kingston Business School in 2012 and in 2014, was nominated to join the World Economic Forum of Young Global Leaders. 

 Ratheesh and his co-founders are committed to giving back to communities through the LBR Foundation. Established in 2008, the Foundation has donated over US$15 million to help protect and educate more than 200,000 disadvantaged children in 11 countries. The LBR Foundation supported UNHCR to help aid efforts in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines and acquired 30 acres of land to build a school for 1,000 disadvantaged children in Tamil Nadu, India. 

Following the sale of Lebara, Ratheesh now leads LBR Investments which manages a diversified range of interests with a mixed portfolio of direct and co-investments. 

Sponsor: Santander Universities

For further information about this event:

Contact: Kent Springdal
Email: K.Springdal@kingston.ac.uk