LDC Top 50 2022

Barinder Hothi started training company The Knowledge Academy with her husband Dilshad in 2009, just as the global economy crashed. “Everyone thought we were mad but there was a huge pool of unemployed people who were looking to retrain and get professional certifications,” she says.

Based in Bracknell, it’s now the world’s largest provider of training courses. Barinder’s work ethic is inspired by her Indian migrant parents: “I watched them go from entry-level catering jobs to owning their own restaurant. Hard work and perseverance run in my veins. I believe The Knowledge Academy could be the UK’s first unicorn edtech business.”

Q&A

What’s it like running a business with your husband?

We’ve never set any rules or defined our roles. It all happened very naturally. I’d like to say that we don’t talk about the business when we’re at home but that’s not true. The Knowledge Academy is such a big part of our lives; it’s like a living, breathing thing of its own. We started the business when our daughter was three; she’d help us pack boxes of manuals on the kitchen table. We hope she’ll be part of it in the future.

How are you growing the business?

Our USP is our sales army. We’ve been on a big recruitment drive recently and currently have 800 employees, 70pc of whom are in sales. But we’re growing the business responsibly. Our mantra has always been: if you can’t afford it, don’t buy it. The business has no borrowings, not even an overdraft.

Who are your role models?

My parents. They moved from India to the UK in the 70s. They couldn’t speak English but they worked hard, persevered and never complained. They bought an Indian restaurant in Harrow when I was eight. I’d help out, peeling spuds and cleaning cutlery, as well as translating things like bank statements and prescriptions for them. I grew up fast. For inspiration, I just think about their remarkable achievements.