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Jasper Reid

Founder IMM & MD Dolomite Restaurants

Help others. Live life. Don't complain
Journey so far

My Father is a soldier and we followed him around the world from the UK to the US to Cyprus and beyond. Today I have lived in six countries and visited sixty.

As a child I had so many hobbies, adventures and projects from sports to acting to photography, stamp-collecting to crafts and more. I love to be busy. I was well read and earned a First Class degree in English Literature from the University of Oxford.

As a man, I continued in much the same way but with my family - Megan my beloved wife and Cecilia and Elsa our twin girls. We lived in London, ran away to the countryside, restored a large old house then moved to India where we've lived for eight years.

In India we are surrounded by animals - two cats, a dog, two parrots and various street hounds whom we adopt. We live opposite the zoo but some people say we live in a zoo.

We do so many interesting and soulful things in India as a family. All of us are involved in social enterprises - Megan in local charities and with her American family, education projects in Sikkim. The girls feed street dogs and I am closely involved with Future Hope, a leading Kolkata NGO.

I continue to write (Wall Street Journal, London Evening Standard, Economic Times India) and am involved in broadcast TV including through my own shows, Billion Dollar Idea on Zee TV and The Great Indian Pizza Adventure on GoodTimes.

When I can, I cook, garden or read. My library and my garden in England are my most treasured possessions.

Professional life

My career path has no rhyme or reason. At university I had no idea what I wanted to do or be but I did know I wanted to work overseas and was lucky to get my first job with Swire in Hong Kong. Here I worked for a few years around Asia and India mainly in Cathay Pacific Airways which Swire controls. I had a lot of fun.

When the first dotcom boom happened I moved back to London and was part of a hugely innovative design agency called The Fourth Room. However we were far more focused on philosophy than profit and soon ran out of money! I made my way then with various consulting firms and worked with blue-chip clients around the world. But I didn't really care enough about consulting.

From here I worked in management in travel, outsourcing and the railways. I led big teams, learned a lot and paid for a good life and our first house. Then I Joined Macquarie Capital and became part of the investment banking world. This was a big help in developing quantitative and financial skills.

Then I set up my own firm, IMM, whose mission is to expand great brands overseas. We advise brands and we own and operate F&B brands in India with investment from our partner Hunch Ventures. We all share a great belief in the power and potential of great brands in India and in the food services sector.

There's no common denominator in my career other than a love of challenge and adventure. I expect to do many more things before I'm done and would really like to teach. I mentor many young people and believe very strongly in karma.

Jasper Reid