The founder
Sanjeev Desour
Entrepreneur, mentor and founder of IGNITE Academy and the IGNITE Group of Companies. More than 30 years of building and running businesses, and of watching how the best operators make decisions.
In his words
Why I started IGNITE Academy
I grew up knowing how quickly fortune can turn. My family were goldsmiths, respected in the trade for generations. A run of bad decisions and the early loss of my uncles took most of that away, and we ended up on a council estate in West London. I learned young that the decisions made at the top don't just shape a business. They shape a family's life for years.
I started my first venture at sixteen and built it into a multi-million-pound business. Since then I've founded and run companies across events, media, marketing and property, now brought together as the IGNITE Group. The best known is IGNITE Events, the live event production company I've run since 1992. We've produced thousands of events, many featuring the world's leading business and personal-development speakers, so I've spent much of my working life backstage: hearing what the best-known business minds teach, then watching how the owners in the audience actually put it to work, or don't.
What I noticed is that knowledge was rarely the problem. The owners who pulled ahead weren't the ones who had heard the most talks. They were the ones with people around them who would tell them the truth, test their thinking before a big decision and hold them to what they said they'd do.
Over the years more and more people in my network came to me for exactly that: a second opinion on a deal, advice on a difficult hire, an introduction to someone who could help. In 2014 I brought six entrepreneurs from non-competing industries around a table in London to do that properly, for each other. It worked, and IGNITE Academy grew from that table.
I'm practical and direct. I care more about what you do next Monday than about what sounds good in the room, and I care about the life the business is meant to pay for, not just the numbers. Outside work I'm a father, a keen tennis player and a music producer whenever I get the time.
Track record
Experience you can check.
- Since 1992
- Founder of IGNITE Events, a live event production company that has produced thousands of events in the UK and Europe, for audiences from 10 to 20,000
- Group
- Founder of the IGNITE Group of Companies, including IGNITE Events, IGNITE Studios and IGNITE Academy
- Since 2014
- Founder of IGNITE Academy (originally The Entrepreneurs Academy)
- Since 2020
- Founder of IGNITE Studios, a broadcast studio in Watford for virtual events, webinars and podcasts
- Press
- Cover feature, London Business Magazine (December 2022); cover, Global Man magazine (January to March 2022)
- Specialisms
- Brand and positioning, pricing strategy, operational leverage, marketing, leadership development and exit strategy
Backstage
Produced events featuring world-renowned speakers.
IGNITE Events has provided production for events featuring speakers including Sir Richard Branson, Lord Sugar, Bill Clinton and Tony Blair, alongside many leading personal-development and business educators.
These speakers appeared at events IGNITE Events produced for its clients. None of them is connected with, or endorses, IGNITE Academy.
In the press
Cover feature, London Business Magazine, December 2022
Sanjeev was interviewed for the cover story on helping owners succeed in property and business. He has also appeared on the cover of Global Man magazine (January to March 2022).
In their words
What people who have worked with Sanjeev say.
I've been working with him for a number of years, and he really is an extremely smart and savvy businessman. He has started a number of successful companies… If you get an opportunity to work with and be mentored by him, then I'd highly recommend you do that.
Nick JamesFounder and CEO, Expert EmpiresI've known Sanjeev, the founder, personally for a number of years… Sanjeev has given me some personal advice in business and coaching over the years to help me improve what I do and take my game to a completely different level.
Paul PrestonFounder, Property SuccessThe founder Sanjeev is an extremely astute and successful businessman… His team of mentors and coaches are artistic in questioning and challenging you to get the most out of you, your team and your business.
Stefan CarlinEntrepreneur, international speaker and traderSanjeev (founder of the IGNITE Academy) has put together a great team of people who are truly experts in their area, and you can learn from them directly to get full mentoring, join a confidential peer advisory group and attend workshops…
Andy HarringtonSunday Times bestselling author and international speakerIf you want to grow your business and success then you need to work with the IGNITE Academy… Working with The IGNITE Academy will show you that you do indeed have greatness within you.
Les BrownMotivational speaker and bestselling authorShortened for length; … marks a cut. Full testimonials are available on request.
Next step
Talk to Sanjeev's team in confidence.
Start with a confidential call. We'll talk about your business, what you want help with, and whether a Growth Board or one-to-one coaching fits. There's no obligation, and if it isn't right for you we'll say so.
Your application is read only by the IGNITE Academy team and is never shared with members.