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Runway to Excellence - The Official SJR London PodcastAuthor: Stephanie Jackson
Welcome to the Runway to excellence! The exciting new podcast hosted by Stephanie Jackson of SJR London. Language: en-gb Genres: Arts, Fashion & Beauty Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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From Afghan Refugee to Harrods: Building a Luxury Phone Empire Through Resilience
Episode 22
Sunday, 22 March, 2026
Wiji Singh Gorwara arrived in the UK in 2002 with no English, no friends, and no certainty. His family had fled Afghanistan, sought asylum in Holland, and uprooted again to start from nothing in Britain. Today, Wiji runs Phone Surgery across 14 stores and holds the UK and European licence for Vertu, one of the world's most exclusive luxury smartphone brands, with both brands now trading inside Harrods. In this episode of Runway to Excellence, host Stephanie sits down with Wiji to trace the full arc of his journey: from working in his father's off-licence and selling phones at Wembley Market, to being sacked multiple times, losing his mother to cancer, navigating lockdown, and ultimately landing two brands in the most famous department store on earth. This podcast is brought to you by SJR London, trusted talent partner for Luxury Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle recruitment - for more on how they deliver talent that defines luxury, visit https://www.sjrlondon.com/ This episode covers:• Fleeing Afghanistan, seeking asylum in Holland, and relocating to the UK in 2002 with limited English and no established network• The reality of growing up as an immigrant in British schools, including bullying, cultural barriers, and finding resilience through adversity• Working in his father's off-licence and Wembley Market before landing a Christmas temp role at Phones4U that launched his retail career• Career progression through Phones4U, T-Mobile, Three, Barclays, Ernst and Young, and Audi, including being sacked multiple times and what he learnt from each setback• The decision to leave employment for good after experiencing racial discrimination and never looking back• How Phone Surgery was built from a single small unit in Brentford to a 14-store repair and retail brand• How Wiji generated more revenue during Covid lockdown than in normal trading by pivoting to a click and collect phone repair model• The story of discovering Vertu, the ultra-luxury smartphone brand, through a Facebook advert and turning that into a formal UK distribution partnership• How a relationship built at Selfridges eventually opened the door to Harrods, and why the buying director responded within 45 minutes• What it means to carry both Phone Surgery and Vertu into Harrods simultaneously, and the strategic thinking behind itThis is an honest, unfiltered conversation about what it actually takes to build something real when the odds are stacked against you.Key moments:00:00 Welcome and Introduction00:27 Fleeing Afghanistan, Asylum in Holland, Moving to the UK02:00 Starting School Mid-Year Nine With No English03:04 Bullying, Resilience and Parental Sacrifice05:24 The Sacrifices That Built the Foundation06:37 First Jobs: Off-Licence, Wembley Market, and Phones4U09:55 Getting Sacked: What Really Happened12:08 Barclays, Ernst and Young, and the Tea Incident14:42 Audi, Great Leaders, and the Final Corporate Job17:47 The Decision to Go Into Business19:44 Learning to Repair Phones From Scratch21:00 Building Phone Surgery Into a 14-Store Brand22:42 Covid, the Reading Flagship, and Losing His Mother26:22 Making More Money in Lockdown Than in Normal Trading28:15 Marriage, Sacrifice and Emotional Suppression33:24 Recognising the Business Had Real Legs34:35 Discovering Vertu on Facebook and Pursuing Harrods38:31 What Vertu Is: History, Ownership, and Revival40:00 Getting Both Brands Into Harrods46:15 Why Vertu Trusted Wiji50:45 What Makes a Vertu Phone Worth It54:34 Hopes for Vertu at Harrods and What Clients Can Expect55:26 Seeing Phone Surgery and Vertu in Harrods for the First Time57:06 What People Misunderstand About Wiji58:35 Defining Excellence: Customer Experience and Team Prosperity59:22 Final Advice for Anyone Who Feels the Odds Are Against Them1:01:08 Why Normal People Make the Best Podcast Guests
