Duncan Bannatyne OBE

About

Duncan Bannatyne is an entrepreneur who has created a portfolio of respected leisure businesses and carved out a high profile media career.

His business interests include hotels, health clubs, spas, media, TV, stage schools, property and transport.

He has written five books; Anyone Can Do It, which sold more than 250,000 copies. Then came Wake Up and Change Your Life, How to be Smart With Your Money, How to be Smart With Your Time, then 43 Mistakes Businesses Make.

He got an OBE for his contribution to charity. Duncan took his OBE partly in recognition for his work with charities such as Mary’s meals. In Romania over a ten year period he has funded several projects, notably Casa Bannatyne in Târgu-Mureş, a hospice for orphans with HIV and AIDS in which he invested £80,000. In March 2008 he established the Bannatyne Charitable Foundation with a personal injection of £1,000,000.

Duncan has an honorary Doctorate of Science (D.Sc.) from Glasgow Caledonian University for services to business and charity. He was also awarded an honorary Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA) from the Teesside University, on 6 February 2009.

Bannatyne supported the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher, but switched to support New Labour under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.