British Entrepreneur Bids Emotional Farewell To India After 12 Years, Shares Valuable Lesson

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Last Updated:June 02, 2025, 08:19 IST

Reid's LinkedIn post sparked a flood of reactions, with many praising its raw honesty, respect, and authenticity.

After over a decade in India, British entrepreneur Jasper Reid shared an emotional LinkedIn post as he prepared to relocate to England with his family.

In the viral post, Reid, Founder and CEO of International Market Management (IMM), bid farewell to his 12-year Indian chapter, reflecting on the lessons he learned and the legacy he hopes to leave behind.

“More than the three years we planned and just about enough to know how India works," he said as he summed up his experience in a single line.

Initially planning a temporary stay, Reid and his family ended up spending over a decade in India. During this time, they successfully launched PizzaExpress in the Indian market and expanded Wendy’s and Jamie’s restaurants to 15 cities across 75 locations, creating thousands of jobs and significantly contributing to the country’s food and hospitality industry.

“What did we learn? Above all, we learnt patience, resilience, hard work, and hospitality. These values have declined in many countries, but are alive and well in India. What else? That India dances to its own tune," he said.

“For outsiders, the tune can sound familiar but may be misleading; a siren call. Our privilege was to learn the market ground up, brick by brick, and over a long time. There is no substitute if you aim to succeed here. But it wasn’t just about business," he added.

Reid mentioned how his team stepped in during the COVID-19 lockdown to assist those in need. “We fed and helped a million people and bused thousands of migrant workers home," he shared in the post.

“At any time, India is rich in humanity, excitement, and challenge, but also intensely demanding, hard, and wearing. There’s no country like it, and if GDP were measured in souls, India wins. We love India truly, madly and deeply," Reid added.

Reid described India as a complex place, “essentially two countries," where one part resembled developed markets while the other continued to face basic developmental challenges. Yet, what stood out to him was India’s soul.

Leaving a message for Indian business owners, Reid said, “Set your people free. It’s the best thing you will ever do." According to him, trusting and empowering teams had been a game-changer during his time in India.

The Reid family’s ties to India run deep, with a legacy spanning generations. His grandfather contributed to the construction of Kolkata’s Dum Dum Airport, his father worked with HelpAge India, and his wife’s uncle founded a school in Sikkim. Now, his daughters, representing the fourth generation, have completed their schooling in Delhi and are set to pursue higher education in the UK.

Despite the move, Reid wrote that India would always be home. “Now we have two parental homes and are not really leaving India but moving to the other side of a great, glorious, magic circle."

Reid’s LinkedIn post sparked a flood of reactions, with many praising its raw honesty, respect, and authenticity. Some users admired his willingness to acknowledge India’s challenges, while others resonated deeply with his words, seeing reflections of their own experiences living and working in the country.

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