Jenny Campbell

Jennifer Bernice Campbell (née Sproson; born 5 October 1961) is a British entrepreneur. She bought YourCash Europe Ltd from RBS in 2010. She was a "Dragon" in two series of the UK's Dragons' Den.[1][2]

For other uses, see Jenny Campbell (disambiguation).

Jenny Campbell
Born
Jennifer Bernice Sproson

(1961-10-05) 5 October 1961
Hyde, Cheshire, England
EducationManchester High School for Girls
Occupation(s)Businesswoman, television personality, entrepreneur
Years active1978–present
Known forDragons' Den (2017–2019)
TitleFounder and Chief Executive Officer, YourCash Europe Ltd
Term2006–2016
Websitejennybcampbell.com

In 2010, Campbell bought Hanco ATM systems from the Royal Bank of Scotland and subsequently renamed the business as YourCash.[3] YourCash is an independent automated teller machine (ATM) provider with operations in Belgium,[4] Ireland, the Netherlands and the UK. Campbell sold the business in 2016. Prior to YourCash acquisition, she had worked with the Royal Bank of Scotland Group for 32 years in various roles, including sales, operational, change, risk and management.[5]

Career

Campbell left school at 16 to join NatWest as a cash-counter and cash point filler.[6] She attended a night school to study banking and then got a job in NatWest's head office in London. Following the RBS takeover of NatWest in 2000, Campbell was given a senior role in the operational integration of the two banks.[7]

Banking and YourCash

In 2006, Campbell was appointed as Head of Operations at Hanco ATM Systems, a subsidiary of RBS, which would eventually become YourCash. Hanco had significantly expanded in a short period of time and had an annual profit of £7 million.[8] The economic recession of 2007 caused RBS to sell Hanco.[9] Campbell seized the opportunity and bid for it. The sale was put on hold until 2009, but in mid-2010, Campbell led the first management buyout of Hanco. Shortly afterwards, she renamed the business YourCash.[10][6] In 2013, Campbell led a successful secondary buyout of the remaining management and acquired 100% of the business through a refinancing agreement.[11] Campbell became YourCash's primary stakeholder.[7] Under Campbell's guidance, YourCash continued to grow its ATM fleets in the Netherlands and the UK, as well as expanded into Belgium and Ireland.[12]

Charity and social work

Campbell is involved in charities and projects that support entrepreneurs and disadvantaged young people. This includes The Prince's Trust where she is the Vice President of the Enterprise Fellowship program alongside the Co-Vice President, Nick Wheeler of Charles Tyrwhitt Menswear and the Chairperson, Stelio Haji-Ioannou, the founder of EasyJet.

In 2015, Campbell was admitted as a Freeman of the Guild of Entrepreneurs, which aims to foster the development of founders and new business owners while also providing entrepreneurship opportunities to young individuals.

Dragons' Den (2017-2019)

Campbell joined BBC's reality business program, Dragons' Den in 2017 as a dragon for Series 15 and Series 16.[13] After investing in five companies, she left the show in 2019 to support her sons in their entrepreneurial businesses and to focus on charity work.[2] As a dragon, she invested in ParkingPerx,[14] Didsbury Gin,[15] hemp skincare producer Carun UK, truck advertising firm Driven Media and energy switching service Look After My Bills.[16] Campbell sold her equity in Driven Media, Look After My Bills and Carun in 2019.[17]

Due to the small amount of offers and investments Campbell made during her time in the Den, there is a joke among the show's internet community about her always being "out". This has even been acknowledged[18] by the official Dragons' Den YouTube channel, which published a compilation video of companies the Campbell invested in, entitled "6 times Jenny Campbell Forgot to Say "I'm Out"".[19]

Directorship

Campbell is a Director of her son Tom's construction business, Russon Campbell Developments Limited, a Director of The Kennel Club UK, and a Director of the Woman of the Year Awards.

Personal life

Campbell was born in Hyde, Cheshire, on 5 October 1961. She attended the Manchester High School for Girls. Campbell is married and lives in rural Suffolk with her husband Andrew[20] and several Flat-coated Retrievers. She has two sons. Campbell's hobbies include championship dog breeding, showing and judging.[21]

Awards and recognitions

Campbell is an entrepreneur and a woman-in-business. Her first award came at the age of 23. Having completed her banking qualifications, she was awarded a Chartered Institute of Bankers prize.

In 2011, Campbell was recognized as the Ernst & Young Regional Finalist Entrepreneur of the Year. She also won the silver award for Turnaround Entrepreneur in the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, 2013.[22]

Vitalise Business Woman of the Year

In 2014, Campbell was named the winner of the Businesswoman of the Year award from Vitalise and was credited for a) introducing free-to-use ATM and b) expanding the YourCash business in Europe.[23] The award recognizes the skills and talents of women industrialists who inspire others to reach their potential. Previous recipients of the award include Karren Brady and Hilary Devey.

References
  1. "Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish and ex-banker Jenny Campbell join Dragons' Den – BBC Newsbeat". BBC Newsbeat. 19 April 2017. Archived from the original on 19 May 2017.
  2. "Jenny Campbell to leave Dragons' Den". Radio Times. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  3. "How Jenny Campbell went from banking to start-ups". Telegraph Media Group Limited. The Telegraph. 3 December 2012. Archived from the original on 3 May 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  4. "YourCash introduces new ATM services in Belgian supermarkets". Networld Media Group, LLC. ATM Marketplace. 20 September 2011. Archived from the original on 16 June 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  5. "YourCash CEO wins Businesswoman of the Year". Davco Media. MK Commerce. 12 October 2014.
  6. "Jenny B Campbell". jennybcampbell.com. Jenny B Campbell 2015. Archived from the original on 15 July 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  7. "Jenny Campbell: A phoenix rises from RBS's ashes". MoneyWeek. Money Week. 5 February 2016.
  8. Nair, Praseeda (21 June 2016). "Be the best you can be: YourCash Europe". Vitesse Media. Growth Business. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  9. St Cartmail, Chris (20 April 2010). "RBS to dispose of its cash machine business". Business Data International Ltd. Business Sale Report. Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  10. "RBS withdraws from cash machines". Times Newspapers Ltd. The Sunday Times. 17 April 2010. Archived from the original on 5 June 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  11. "Management team buy out YourCash". Finextra Research. Finextra. 14 February 2013. Archived from the original on 4 August 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  12. "VocaLink to manage the YourCash European ATM network". YourCash Ltd. YourCash Blog. 26 January 2016. Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  13. Benson, Rhianna (24 February 2022). "BBC Dragons' Den: The Dragons you forgot about and where they are now". WalesOnline. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  14. "What happened to Jenny Campbell's Parking App". 4 February 2019. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  15. "Didsbury Gin Wins Dragon's Den". 13 January 2019. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  16. "Energy switch firm wins record Dragon deal". BBC News. 20 August 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  17. "Business & Investments". Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  18. "Official Dragons' Den YouTube Channel acknowledges community joke". YouTube. 24 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  19. 6 Times Jenny Campbell Forgot to Say "I'm Out" | Dragons' Den, retrieved 20 April 2023
  20. Ferguson, Donna. "Jenny Campbell: Queen of cash now dispenses her own". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  21. Campbell, Jenny. "Ronevorg". champdogs.co.uk. County Computer Consultants Ltd. Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  22. "2013 Winners". Great British Entrepreneur Awards. Great British Entrepreneur Awards. Archived from the original on 30 June 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  23. "Winner of Businesswoman of the Year 2014 announced". East Midlands Business News. East Midlands Business News. 10 October 2014. Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
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