Prince Andrew appoints Swedish billionaire friend as director of his Palace project to help entrepreneurs
- Sports equipment tycoon Johan Eliasch will be able to add his considerable business expertise to position on the Prince’s initiative, [email protected]
- Prince Andrew launched project in 2014 to provide a platform for young entrepreneurs and early-stage businesses to network and seek advice
- Mr Eliasch, 57, is an eco-campaigner and chairman and chief executive of Head, the international sporting goods group
- Prince was a guest of Mr Eliasch for holiday in 2000 on Thai island of Phuket
Prince Andrew has appointed a Swedish billionaire friend as a director of his project to promote entrepreneurs.
Sports equipment tycoon Johan Eliasch will be able to add his considerable business expertise to the position on the Prince’s initiative, [email protected]
Prince Andrew launched the project in 2014 to provide a platform for young entrepreneurs and early-stage businesses to network and seek advice.
Mr Eliasch, 57, is an eco-campaigner and chairman and chief executive of Head, the international sporting goods group.
Prince Andrew has appointed a Swedish billionaire friend as a director of his project to promote entrepreneurs. Sports equipment tycoon Johan Eliasch will be able to add his considerable business expertise to the position on the Prince’s initiative, [email protected]
Sources stressed that Mr Eliasch – who was invited to join the [email protected] team personally by Prince Andrew – was chosen for his expertise, contacts and experience. (The two are seen above at Wimbledon in 2017)
In 2006, he co-founded Cool Earth, a charity he co-chairs, which helps to conserve endangered rainforest.
He then served as a special representative to Prime Minister Gordon Brown between 2007 and 2010 and advised on deforestation and green energy. He also served in many different roles for the Conservatives.
His friendship with the Duke of York stretches back to the 1990s.
In 2007, Andrew flew in Mr Eliasch’s private jet to stay with the tycoon in Brazil and enjoyed golf and dinner parties. The Prince was also a guest of Mr Eliasch for a holiday in 2000 on the Thai island of Phuket, where they were pictured riding jet-skis.
Sources stressed that Mr Eliasch – who was invited to join the [email protected] team personally by Prince Andrew – was chosen for his expertise, contacts and experience.
The project was founded by the Duke ‘to provide a platform to amplify and accelerate the work of entrepreneurs’. It has helped to create nearly 6,000 jobs in 62 countries.
In 2007, Andrew (above, in Yorkshire on July 11) flew in Mr Eliasch’s private jet to stay with the tycoon in Brazil and enjoyed golf and dinner parties. The Prince was also a guest of Mr Eliasch for a holiday in 2000 on the Thai island of Phuket, where they were pictured riding jet-skis
It works by introducing entrepreneurs to mentors and advisers, creating networking opportunities and helping with investment. Success stories include Brigette Bard, a mother of three who won a [email protected] award last year after her BioSure start-up developed the first legally approved HIV self-testing kit, which is now stocked by chemists such as Superdrug and Boots and is on sale worldwide .
Another firm nurtured by [email protected], Jelly Drops, makes sweets that help combat the often fatal dehydration sometimes suffered by dementia patients.
In 2012, Prince Andrew stood down as the UK’s Special Representative for International Trade and Investment after a series of negative stories.
Mr Eliasch, who has dual Swedish and British citizenship, was one of 20 senior business figures who wrote a letter backing the Duke of York.
He said at the time: ‘The commentary in the media regarding the Duke of York has ignored the good work he does in the Middle East and other places around the world to promote British business and also to help the country respond to this difficult economic period through a trade-led recovery.’
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