CFP #21 – Priya Lakhani

Creative Forces with Guy Kilty

Priya Lakhani is the founder and chief executive of the cloud-based education platform CENTURY. After training as a lawyer, Priya quit the legal profession in 2008 to set up the Indian cooking sauces brand Masala Masala and within weeks her products were being stocked in major retailers including Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Waitrose. She also set up a charity alongside the sauces business, which provided a hot meal to a homeless person in India for every pot of sauce sold. In recognition for her success with Masala Masala and the charity Priya was awarded an OBE in the 2014 New Year’s Honours List and later became a member of the advisory board to the Secretary of State for Business, before going on to set up CENTURY. In this fascinating interview, hear how Priya developed her entrepreneurial skills working alongside her brother while they were both still at school, why her parents and grandparents instilled in her a desire to help others, and why she loves having a dog in the office.