Southern Entrepreneurs: An evening with Kevin Gaskell – businessman, leader, explorer

“Success starts with attitude; the ambition to do something extraordinary,” said Kevin Gaskell in an inspirational speech at a private dinner for Southern Entrepreneurs. Over 40 entrepreneurs and business people gathered together for a three-course dinner in the splendid settings of Oakley Hall Hotel near Basingstoke, to share ideas, connect and be inspired by Gaskell’s unique outlook on life and business.

Commit, connect, create. This was Gaskell’s mantra as he took the audience through his diverse career, beginning with his appointment as Porsche’s youngest UK managing director at the tender age of 32, where he was charged with revitalising an ailing brand. Gaskell proceeded to discuss the challenges of becoming an entrepreneur, from the creation of his online companies through to the management of his current wide-ranging portfolio of business interests.

During his speech and in the Q&A session after the dinner, Gaskell elaborated on the lessons he had learned along the way, not just as a businessman, but also an explorer and adventurer, having walked to the North Pole (twice), the South Pole and climbed Mount Everest. To paraphrase Henry T Ford, he said that success is a matter of mindset: "Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re probably right".

The evening was sponsored by UBS Wealth Management and Osborne Clarke, hosted by The Business Magazine, and also featured a charity auction involving the partner in one of Gaskell’s many diverse business interests. Lewis Moody, the ex-England international, donated his autographed England shirt from the 2003 World Cup Final, which raised over £600 for research to improve the diagnosis and treatment of brain tumours.  

A full write-up of the event will feature in the November issues of The Business Magazine.