Sahar Hashemi
Co-Founder of Coffee Republic

In 1995 Sahar Hashemi, together with her brother Bobby, founded Coffee Republic and built it into one of the UK's most recognised high street brands with a turnover of £30m. Giving up highly professional jobs, she a lawyer in London and he an investment banker in New York, they staked everything on a dream - and made Coffee Republic one of the main players in the 'coffee revolution' that transformed a nation of tea drinkers into one obsessed with 'triple decaf half-caf lattes'.

Neither had any previous knowledge about retail or indeed coffee. But Sahar had developed a passion for the skinny lattes and fat free muffins she had seen in New York. How they came to build a nationwide coffee chain is a fascinating and inspirational tale of the ups and downs of following your dream. From the first conversation when the seed of the idea was planted, to getting a DTI Small Firms Loan Guarantee, finding a name and opening the first store, it's a personal story about two people who stopped 'thinking about it' and 'did it'.

Sahar left the day to day management of Coffee Republic in 2001 and has written a book called 'Anyone Can Do It - building Coffee Republic from our kitchen table' which tackles some of the fears and answers some of the elusive questions about what it really takes to become an entrepreneur. Published in January 2003, 'Anyone Can Do It' has reached No.1 on the Amazon business chart. It is 'suggested reading' for the London Business School entrepreneurship course and Chapter 1 has been included as part of the syllabus for the Entrepreneurship Summer School. The book has also been endorsed by the DTI, Prince's Trust and IoD and has received wide press coverage. It is now 1 of the top 10 bestselling business books in the UK.

In 2003 Sahar was named:
· by Her Majesty The Queen as a 'Pioneer to the life of the nation'
· by the Daily Mail as 1 of the 100 Most Influential Women in Britain
· by Management Today as 1 of the Top 35 Women in British Business Under 35
· by Independent on Sunday as 1 of the 20 most powerful women in Britain
· by the Shell liveWIRE survey of inspirational role models: 1) Richard Branson 2) friends/ family 3) Anita Roddick 4) James Dyson 5) Sahar HashemI

In 2004 Sahar was:
invited by the World Economic Forum to join the highly prestigious Forum of Young Global Leaders, 'a community of extraordinary leaders, under 40 years old, who are clearly exceptional on a global level' to have a significant impact on world affairs appointed the ambassador for the Skills for Business campaign appearing on billboards across the country and full page press adverts.

Sahar has appeared on the cover of Management Today, Director, Business 550, The Observer and the BMI inflight magazine. Her media appearances include CNN Business Breakfast, BBC2, Radio 4, LBC, Radio 5 and BBC London, amongst many others.

Sahar is a speaker ambassador for the Prince's Trust. Her presentations (which she is also able to deliver in French) include, 'The Entrepreneurial Mindset', 'Anyone Can Do It - The system of making it happen', 'Intrapreneurship - Sparking the entrepreneurial spirit within large organisations' and 'Brand Building & Marketing - the entrepreneurs way'.

'She connected with the audience at an emotional level and made a lasting
impression'
Microsoft

'It is always inspirational to hear the story from someone who has really pursued
their dream and made it come true, particularly in such a down to earth fashion' GlaxoSmithKline

'Your presentation hit the mark by encouraging people to push back the
boundaries, develop a more entrepreneurial approach and simply make things
happen!'
GIST

'Her strong message delivered in a natural way free of business psycho-babble' Jersey Business Awards 2004

'Her energy and "just do it" attitude go down very well at conferences'
RICS England & Wales

'She is totally inspirational, has laser sharp focus and provides real life strategies
for success. Sahar is a top speaker and audiences just adore her'
PWC

Would you like to talk to us about this speaker?

If you have an enquiry about this speaker, or would like to check availability for your event, please complete the form below and we will contact you as soon as possible...

Speaker :	Sahar Hashemi
Your Name :
Company Name :
Tel No. :
Email :
Date of your event:
Comments/Enquiry :
Best time to call :
Please enter number shown:

| back to top |    | back to category listings |