Reuben Singh

Some Lesser Known Facts About Reuben Singh

• When he was 13 years old, he used to go with his mother to East Asia to purchase fabrics. By the time he was 16, his father started paying him a salary to manage the sales department at Sabco, their family business.

• While he was studying for his A-levels, Reuben Singh started his first business using the money he saved from his pocket money and salary during his teenage years.

• Reuben Singh comes from an Indian Sikh family who moved to England as immigrants in the 1970s.

• When he was 19 years old, in 1995, Reuben Singh started a retail store called Miss Attitude with an initial investment of 4,000 pounds. His stores were unique because they sold both makeup products and fashion accessories, which was uncommon in the UK at that time.

• In 1995, a British newspaper calculated his net worth to be £45 million.

• In July 1999, he was chosen to be a Member of the Government Competitiveness Council by the Secretary of State for Trade & Industry in the UK.

• By 1999, there were several Miss Attitude stores across the UK. In February 1999, he sold the company to Klesch Capital Partners for a reported price of 22 million pounds. ^[2]The Guardian

• In 1999, Reuben Singh started a new business called AllDayPA, which was a contact centre company.

• In December 1999, Chancellor Gordon Brown, the former prime minister of the UK, appointed him as a British Ambassador for Entrepreneurship under Her Majesty’s Treasury.

• Within two years, the company secured T-Mobile and MBNA as clients.

• In 2002, Forbes Magazine estimated the value of AllDayPA to be more than 90 million pounds. Later, a private equity fund valued the company at over 150 million dollars.

• In 2002, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair asked Reuben Singh to join a Government Advisory Panel and a Government Task Force. He was one of the first members of the Government’s Small Business Council and was chosen by the Prime Minister to be an Ambassador for Entrepreneurship.

• In 2002, some British magazines and newspapers described Reuben Singh as “little more than a fantasist.” The Financial Mail, a South African business publication, stated that his wealth and business success were not as significant as he claimed.

• According to the rumours, American financier Gary Klesch, who bought Miss Attitude, did not pay the reported price but only 1 Euro.

• As a result, Guinness World Records removed Mr Singh’s entry as the world’s youngest self-made millionaire, and he was no longer included in the rich list. In an interview, Gary Klesch talked about the Miss Attitude deal with Singh and said
  

  He had a very fancy Mercedes but it turned out it was leased by the company and not owned by him at all. He ran around saying that I paid £55m for Miss Attitude. Although at the time I knew it was a lie, I couldn’t say anything. The deal was subject to a confidentiality clause so I could not say a word. But as he has abused the confidentiality clause, I feel I should tell the truth. If he denies that I bought the company for a pound, let him sue me for libel and a judge can decide who’s right.”

• In May 2005, He addressed an audience of more than 1000 business leaders and entrepreneurs in Dubai. He was invited by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the crown prince of Dubai.

• In October 2007, Singh was declared bankrupt following a dispute over his failure to repay a £900,000 loan to the Bank of Scotland. The bankruptcy case lasted for three years, from 2004 to 2007. Despite this, he remained on the management board of AllDayPA.

• On 30 October 2017, a spokesperson for Reuben Singh stated on his behalf,
  

  We believe that [from] 1995 to February 1999, Miss Attitude was a highly successful company which invested heavily in the UK, created hundreds of UK jobs and had a national presence. Unfortunately, we feel it would be inappropriate to comment on events after February 1999.”

• He was discharged from bankruptcy after one year, as per UK standard procedure, in October 2008. Later, he was reinstated as the CEO of the company.

• In 2010, Reuben Singh started Isher Capital, a small private equity firm, with offices in London and Manchester. Four years later, in 2014, Singh used Isher Capital to acquire his first business park. This led to the opening of Isher Business Park in Manchester, which also helped in expanding AllDayPA.

  

• In 2015, AllDayPA moved to a larger call centre in Salford Quays with 300 seats.

• In 2016, Singh expanded the company digitally by launching a mobile app for AllDayPA. Under Singh’s leadership, the company merged with CallCare in a 300 million pound deal in 2021.

  

• In 2017, Reuben Singh gained worldwide attention by starting a trend on Instagram. He began matching the colour of his turban to his cars, calling it the “turban challenge,” to raise money for charity. This initiative came about after he experienced racism due to wearing a turban.

  

• In 2018, Reuben launched the Rolls Royce SUV Cullinan alongside Rolls Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös.

  

• In 2018, Isher Capital began a trial of acquisitions using a 20 million pound fund. Their goal was to acquire UK contact centres or similar businesses, aiming to improve management and back-office operations. While announcing the acquisition trial, Singh also said,
  

  As part of our business plan, we want to invest regionally to build our existing portfolio of four contact centres into a national network, rather than two or three supersized operations. This network across the UK will satisfy demand for locally served, knowledgeable, support services, which we believe is key to the success of the sector. Our aim is to bring regional businesses into the fold, to provide them with extra skills and systems to become profitable, whilst preserving and sustaining them for many years to come.”

   

• Reuben Singh is closely connected with HM King Charles and has met him several times. In November 2019, he went with Prince Charles on his visit to India.

• In August 2020, Reuben Singh was featured on the list of “20 Inspiring Sikhs Worldwide” by the Urban Mélange Magazine.

• Singh also started a health food company named Robson & Steinberg. However, the company closed in less than a year because of a debt of £250,000.