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Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award: Aly Esmail

Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award (supported by CareTech and Sheikh Holdings): Aly Esmail, director of the SME Group

Having joined his parents in the family business around a decade ago, Aly Esmail has helped make the SME group one of the most successful in its sector.


The group runs a wide range of fast food restaurants, partnering with some of the top franchise names in the world. Under Esmail’s watch, SME has expanded beyond its traditional London base and has now branched out into hotels with Choice Hotels International and InterContinental Hotels.

The company has over 1,000 employees and the Esmail family are well known philanthropists, donating to a number of worthy charities.

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Charli XCX

Charli XCX says she almost gave up on pop before Brat changed everything

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Charli XCX admits she thought Brat would end her career before it became 2024’s biggest pop comeback

Highlights:

  • Charli XCX thought Brat might end her deal, not make her a global hit
  • Record hit No.1 in UK, top 10 in 14 other countries
  • Won five BRITs and three Grammys, sparking “Brat summer” craze
  • Singer says next album will sound “inherently different”
  • Now expanding into acting and co-producing A24 films

Pop star Charli XCX has said she feared her label might drop her over her chart-topping Brat album. Album came out June 2024 and no one expected much. But it blew up and the whole year was basically Brat season. “I actually made this record being like, ‘OK, I’m just going to do this one for me. Maybe I’m going to get dropped by my label and that’s fine’,” she told Paltrow.

Charli XCX Charli XCX says she almost gave up on pop before Brat changed everything Getty Images

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