Dragon to become a Doctor

Duncan Bannatyne OBE, star of Dragons’ Den, is to be awarded a Doctorate of Business Administration.

He will receive his degree from the University's Chancellor, Lord Sawyer of Darlington, in a special ceremony at Darlington's Dolphin Centre on Friday 6 February at 2.00pm.

During the ceremony Lord Sawyer will also give a range of qualifications to graduates who have achieved their awards at Darlington College. Before the ceremony Duncan Bannatyne will join Lord Sawyer, Vice-Chancellor, Professor Graham Henderson and other senior members of the University community in an academic procession through Darlington town centre.

Huge honour Duncan Bannatyne said: 'It will be a huge honour to receive this honorary degree from Teesside University, which I've come to regard as my local University. Not only does the University offer high quality education to individuals and a range of employers, it also very much embraces an entrepreneurial spirit in its partnerships with business and industry.' Duncan has been part of the Dragons' Den panel since the show was first screened on BBC Two in January 2005. The hugely successful programme has had six series and several specialist shows focussing on past entrepreneurs and the Dragons. On the programme, aspiring entrepreneurs pitch for investment in the Den from the panel of Dragons, five venture capitalists willing to invest their own money in exchange for equity.

Duncan Bannatyne was born in Clydebank, Scotland and now has homes in Wynyard, Tees Valley, London and France. After a naval career, which included a spell in military prison, Duncan began his entrepreneurial life by car trading, but an ice cream van purchased for £450 changed the direction of his life. With 'Duncan's Super Ices', he set out to become the king of the 99 in the Tees Valley and eventually sold the business for £28,000, founding a nursing home business instead.

He sold his nursing home business for £46 million in 1996. During the last ten years Duncan has expanded into health clubs with the Bannatyne's chain, and also owns bars, hotels and property. Bannatyne's is now the largest independent chain of health clubs in the UK. Duncan's latest venture is Sensory Spa, a chain of luxury health and wellbeing spas.

In 2004, he was awarded an OBE for his services to business and charity. UNICEF and Scottish International Relief have benefited from Duncan's involvement and he has recently launched the Bannatyne Charitable Trust to support worthwhile causes.

Duncan was quoted on The Sunday Times 2008 Rich List as having wealth to the tune of £310m.

Duncan also appeared on BBC Two's Duncan Bannatyne Takes On Tobacco when he visited Africa to investigate the tactics used by big tobacco companies in selling cigarettes to children.

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