Biography

James Caan (born Nazim Khan, 28 December 1960) is a British-Pakistani entrepreneur and television personality.
Born in Lahore, Pakistan, Caan’s family emigrated to the United Kingdom when he was two years old. Caan initially achieved success in the recruitment industry. He founded the recruitment company Alexander Mann Group in 1985, and sold it in 2002. In 1993, Caan co-founded the executive head-hunting firm Humana International, in which he sold his stake in 1999. He is also the founder and currently CEO of the UK-based private equity firm Hamilton Bradshaw.

In 2013, he was named Chairman of the Year at the International Business Awards.

Profile

Caan founded the recruitment company Alexander Mann in 1987. In 1993 Caan co-founded the executive headhunting firm Humana International with Doug Bugie, eventually growing the business to over 147 offices in 30 countries. In the same year Caan launched the trade magazine Recruitment International, which he later sold in 2000. In 1996 Caan co-founded the business process outsourcing company AMS with Rosaleen Blair. Caan subsequently sold his interests in AMS in 2002. Caan sold Humana International to CDI International, a New York listed company, in 1999. Later in that year Caan sold a minority stake in Alexander Mann Group to private equity firm Advent International.

In 2002 Caan sold his interests in Alexander Mann, which by that time had a turnover of around £130m. In 2004 Caan established the London-based private equity firm Hamilton Bradshaw. Hamilton Bradshaw is an investment group that specializes in Seed Capital and Growth Capital for recruitment businesses. Hamilton Bradshaw has invested in more than 30 portfolio businesses across 46 offices in the UK, and in 2014 reported more than £300 million in turnover. Recruitment Entrepreneur is the Seed Capital arm of Hamilton Bradshaw which provides the seed funding and support for ambitious, experienced recruitment professionals to start, or scale, their own recruitment ventures. Hamilton Bradshaw is registered as a UK firm. In June 2013, Caan give an interview in which he criticized parents who aid their children with finding jobs and don’t let them ‘stand on their own two feet’, he was accused of hypocrisy when it emerged that he had employed his own daughter in one of his companies. Caan responded that his daughter’s recruitment process had been “rigorous”, and stated that the outburst around this revelation would not detract from his six-month effort to campaign for a breakdown of employment barriers.

In the same year he invested in the managed office provider Avanta, which he sold three years later to the private equity company Kenmore. In 2007 Hamilton Bradshaw acquired the recruitment specialist Eden Brown and Caan sold his remaining interest in Alexander Mann Group to Graphite Private Equity in a management buy-out led by Rosaleen Blair.

In 2009 Caan launched HBRIDA and worked with SME recruitment agencies to help them achieve growth and led them to an exit. Reynolds performed a management buyout of the business in March 2012. In 2010 Caan launched The Entrepreneurs Business Academy and became a non–Executive Director of McCaan London. In 2011 Caan founded Hamilton Bradshaw Venture Partners.

Caan, Chairman of Start-up Loans, which has supported thousands of people with funding and mentoring to start their own business was “delighted and privileged” to receive the accolade. This award is recognition for the 23,000 new businesses set up through the scheme as well as his philanthropic work which has helped thousands since the floods hit Pakistan in July 2010.