The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ is a unique global programme that recognises entrepreneurial achievement among individuals and companies that demonstrate vision, leadership and success — and work to improve the quality of life in their communities, countries and around the world.
In 2020, Jamil and his partner Co-Founder of National Care Group, Faisal Lalani, were awarded the prestigious accolade thanks to their continued efforts to grow the organisation and remain focused on providing quality person-centred support to adults with additional needs.
Ahead of this year's judging process, Jamil was interviewed about his experience of both being a previous Entrepreneur of the Year and the opportunity to contribute to this year's programme.
What did it mean to you when you won the Entrepreneur of the Year title in 2020, and why is it important to you to be representing Entrepreneur of the Year as a judge now?
"Faisal and I won the North regional EY Entrepreneur for the Year and were finalists for the UK Nationals. I was a judge last year for the UK Nationals and they asked me to come back to Chair this year’s judging panel for the UK finals. Entrepreneurs are one of the engines of a functioning economy and participate in supporting society’s goals. Faisal and I started NCG with the ambition of building a long-term business that not only participated in the economy but had a strong purpose to support those we support, our colleagues, and the wider community.
Our ambitions for NCG are to embody the values of the organisation and to be the most trusted provider in the UK. An entrepreneurial spirit is not just about starting a new business, but is part of our daily lives where we individuals can strive to try something new, to do something that makes a difference to others and themselves, or to learn something new - it’s all about one's attitude towards living."
What attributes will you be looking for from this year's Entrepreneur of the Year?
"Passion for building a long-term business that has an impact to their customers but also on society. I will be looking for those individuals who took a risk and were able to build a team around them that also believed in the vision. Business plans change based on market forces and it will be interesting to see how these entrepreneurs were able to navigate, change direction, and address all the issues of building a sustainable company."
Can you share any advice you would give to future entrepreneurs?
"Hire the right people for the role, provide them with the tools and the authority to make decisions, and treat each problem as just another hurdle to address. Most importantly, focus on the customer/client/service users needs and requirements otherwise it’s not a sustainable business."
Jamil added:
"I’m truly excited to serve as the UK chair of judges for this year’s EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2023 UK finals. It has been an incredible experience meeting some of the UK's best minds; there are so many deserving winners. It's also been an absolute pleasure working alongside my fellow judges, including Sam Smith, Steve Rigby, Kim Morrish, and Timo Boldt."
The winner will be revealed at a dinner on Thursday 9 November 2023. You can learn more about the UK programme here.