User:Sgoctavian/Sukhi Ghuman

Sukhi Ghuman (born 23 November 1977) is a male entrepreneur in the United Kingdom.

Sukhi Ghuman is an International entrepreneur, with bases in both the UK and US.

He is the Founder, major shareholder and CEO of Octavian Security. Ghuman is also best known as a business consultancy guru and an engaging keynote speaker.

Biography
Sukhi was born and raised in inner city Leicester, UK. Coming from a traditional Sikh family, Sukhi credits his success to the grit and determination he acquired from his grandmother.

Having suffered with financial issues as a family, Sukhi forged a firm work ethic from the early age of 13, and it has been his passion ever since.

'I was determined to prove people wrong and succeed in life, I had always been written off and the determination to over achieve has been with me from a very early age’.

Early career
Having graduated from Nottingham Trent University with LLB Honours in 1999, Sukhi completed The Legal Practice Course at De Montfort University and began his career as a Trainee Lawyer with regional firm, Brethertons Solicitors.

After qualifying as a lawyer, he then moved to City Law Firm, Nabarro Nathanson, where he handled major corporate accounts.

Formation of Octavian
Ultimately, working for an organisation did not provide the job satisfaction that Sukhi yearned for. His big break came in 2003, when he spotted the opportunity to form a security company with a difference, Octavian, a security company that would offer superlative customer service at affordable prices, filling a niche position in the marketplace beneath the huge conglomerates, but above the regional security companies.

In the same year, Octavian acquired Three Counties Events and Broadcast Security, building a solid foundation for the phenomenal organic growth which followed, with Octavian winning contracts from blue chip companies and public sector organisations from across the UK. Naturally, this attracted substantial praise in the market place.

International expansion
In 2005, Octavian expanded into Dubai and became one of the first UK companies to physically provide guard services and consultancy to organisations throughout the Gulf. This included landmark cases such as providing Alcohol Sniffing Dogs to a multi-national logistics operation, to prevent the smuggling of alcohol into Saudi Arabia.

Octavian continued to grow and received numerous accolades for its success, along with a series of awards for Ghuman.

In 2010, Octavian officially entered the USA, settling on Tulsa, Oklahoma, for its HQ. Service offerings have since been extended into Texas and Arizona.

In the same year, 25% of Octavian UK was acquired by UK entrepreneur Mrs Kavita Oberoi, who teamed up with Ghuman to continue the UK expansion of the business.

Other business interests
Over recent years, Sukhi Ghuman has become increasingly recognised on the world stage for his entrepreneurial business ventures, consultancy projects and motivational speaking.

Sukhi’s additional business interests now include management of music artists and sports personalities and he now operates predominantly in the USA

Honours and philanthropy
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has always been high on Sukhi’s agenda and he has supported a number of charities via Octavian since its inception.

He is a member of the British Indian Business Forum, established to celebrate success and offer mentoring and support to Indian owned businesses.

Ghuman also sits on the Development Board for Nottingham Trent University and for some years, he has regularly mentored students and delivered guest lectures.

He is also extremely proud to be the first non-US citizen to become Board Member for The Homeland Security Foundation of America (HSFA), whose mission is to advance Homeland Security while preserving Americans' civil liberties through life-saving public safety, energy and health and human services programs.

TV and radio appearances
September 2009 – BBC TV’s Working Lunch