Bracknell: The Knowledge Academy wins award for fastest-growing international sales

Education entrepreneurs Dilshad & Barinder Hothi have won another major UK business award. Their company, The Knowledge Academy, has been recognised as one of Britain's top 100 small and medium-sized (SME) businesses with the fastest-growing international sales.

The Bracknell-based training company was placed at number 29 in "The Sunday Times Heathrow SME Export Track 100" after international sales grew by an average of 95% per annum over the past two years. Of total sales of £22 million last year, over £4.5m was generated internationally.

Since launching The Knowledge Academy in 2009, the young couple have created one of the biggest training companies in the world, operating 50,000 courses in 200 countries, now with 300 staff, including 50 apprentices.

Clients include Rolls Royce, HSBC, British Airways, PwC, Barclays, Vodaphone, Disney, the Ministry of Defence, the NHS, the House of Commons, as well as the self-employed and small businesses. 

Most courses are business, finance, legal, IT, HR and project management-related, but are as diverse as animation to aviation, and architecture to animal training.

Dilshad is CEO and Barinder is MD of The Knowledge Academy, which they started with no capital, no funding and which has, to this day, had zero borrowing in the business.