Challenger Chats Episode #1 with Charlie Gilkes, Co-Founder of Inception Group

A conversation with Charlie Gilkes, co-founder of Inception Group, London’s leading experiential hospitality business. We talk about Charlie’s entrepreneurial journey, starting off at the age of 3 selling hand drawn pictures to his neighbours all the way through to establishing a collection of some of the finest hospitality brands in London.

Show Notes

In this first episode of Challenger Chats our host Adam Spencer is joined by Charlie Gilkes. Charlie is the co-founder of Inception Group, an award-winning operator of several iconic eating and drinking out brands including Mr Fogg’s, Bunga Bunga, Cahoots, as well as London’s first speakeasy Barts, and the infamous 80s themed nightclub Maggie’s.

In this fascinating conversation we talk about Charlie’s entrepreneurial journey, the ups and downs of working with a co-founder, the strategy of creating a multi-brand business, keeping themes fresh and relevant to an evolving customer, what “experiential” really means and his optimism for the future of hospitality as the social fabric of society. He also gives us his take on who he’d like to see make a guest appearance on the next series of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! 

 

Links:

Inception Group: www.inception-group.com

 

Instagram

Charlie’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charliegilkes/ 

Fogg’s: https://www.instagram.com/mrfoggsgb/ 

Cahoots: https://www.instagram.com/cahootslondon/ 

Maggie’s: https://www.instagram.com/maggies_club/ 

Bunga Bunga: https://www.instagram.com/bungabungaldn/ 

Barts: https://www.instagram.com/bartslondon/ 

 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/charliegilkes 

 

Charlie’s go-to karaoke song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04wofd-rZtE 

 

Sign up for Tamweel News and Insights: http://eepurl.com/dPXN3z 

What is Challenger Chats?

Welcome to Challenger Chats. A series of no holds barred conversations with business leaders and the Founders of some of the UK's hottest consumer facing brands, where we’ll pop the hood and look under the bonnet to see what makes them tick.

We’ll get them to open up and speak from the heart, telling us about the road blocks they’ve encountered, what causes them to lose sleep at night and what they love, and hate, about today’s consumer.

Challenger Chats is powered by Tamweel, an M&A and Private Equity deal doing business that specialises in advising the UK’s best and brightest Challenger Brands.