British entrepreneur pens emotional farewell after 12 years for ‘motherland' India
Jasper Reid, Founder and CEO of International Market Management (IMM), has announced his move back to England after spending over a decade living and working in India. In a heartfelt LinkedIn post, accompanied by a photo of his family, Reid reflected on his 12-year journey, describing India as a place that taught him 'patience, resilience, hard work and hospitality'.
'What is twelve years?' he wrote. 'More than the three years we planned and just about enough to know how India works.'
Reid and his family, whose ties to India span four generations, played a key role in the country's food and hospitality scene. 'We brought PizzaExpress to India then built Wendy's and Jamie's from scratch across 15 cities and 75 sites,' he shared. 'We employed several thousand who supported many thousands more.'
Their efforts extended beyond business. During the COVID-19 lockdown, Reid's team helped feed and transport thousands of migrant workers. 'During lockdown we fed and helped a million people and bused thousands of migrant workers home,' he wrote.
The entrepreneur highlighted the complexities of working in India, describing it as 'essentially two countries'—one mirroring mature markets and another still developing. 'India was always like this, may always will be,' he noted. 'But if GDP were measured in soul, India wins.'
Reid also had a message for Indian business leaders: 'Set your people free. It's the best thing you will ever do.'
Also read: Prince William caught off guard by cheeky question on Duchy of Cornwall tour. What was he asked?
Though his daughters have graduated from school in New Delhi and are heading to university in the UK, Reid says the move is not a departure from India. 'Our motherland is India,' he writes. 'Now we have two parental homes and are not really leaving India but moving to the other side of a great, glorious, magic circle.'
Many took to the comments section to react. A user wrote, 'Wow what a feat! I've been working the India market for 20 years but always traveling back and forth. So hats off to you and your family!!'
Another added, 'Lovely note. Great insights'
Also read: Indian-American Megha Vemuri faces vicious trolling after pro-Palestine MIT speech, deactivates LinkedIn profile
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