Dragons' Den star Duncan Bannatyne to open FSE 2013

Duncan Bannatyne, one of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs, will be swapping the Dragons’ Den for seven adviser zones when he opens the Financial Services Expo on the 1st October.

Duncan will be opening the show in his capacity as Business Ambassador for WellChild, the chosen charity of FSE which takes place on the 1st and 2nd October at Old Billingsgate, in the heart of the City of London.

WellChild is the national charity for sick children providing essential practical and emotional support for seriously ill children, young people and those who care for them across the UK to ensure they receive the best possible quality of care.

Duncan has been Business Ambassador for WellChild since 2008 supporting the charity by attending the WellChild Awards as well as single-handedly funding a WellChild Children’s Nurse. He is most famous for his role as a ‘dragon’ business angel on Dragons’ Den and has business interests which include health clubs, hotels, media, TV, stage schools, property and transport.

Duncan is also a bestselling author, and his new book, Riding the Storm (Random House Business Books, 26th September 2013), is a follow-up memoir to his first book, Anyone Can Do It. Riding the Storm is an inspirational account full of insights into how Duncan adapted both his businesses and his life to new financial realities. Duncan will be signing copies of his new book at FSE 2013 on the day.

FSE will be split into seven specific zones to promote an enhanced delegate experience. They are: Mortgages; Commercial; Protection; Distribution; Legal; Technology; and Specialist Lending – each zone will be colour-coded and the aim is to cover the broadest range of financial products and services that are available to advisers.

James Prosser, Director of Financial Services Expo, commented:

“We are absolutely thrilled to have one of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs, Duncan Bannatyne, opening the exhibition next week in his capacity as Business Ambassador for our chosen charity, WellChild. This is a brand new exhibition for the financial services community in the UK and we wanted to ensure we supported an amazing charity which does an incredible amount of good work helping sick children and young people, whilst supporting the people who care for them.

"Duncan has kindly agreed to take time out of his busy schedule to open the show on Tuesday 1st October at 9am and we hope as many people as possible will be there to see him do this. I’m sure he will have a few words of business wisdom for our visitors and exhibitors and we hope his appearance will ensure all attendees can dig deep to help and support WellChild.”