Ajaz Ahmed

Ajaz Ahmed is highly successful businessman and entrepreneur, and the founder of Freeserve, which was once one of the UK's largest ISPs. His eureka moment came whilst at a PC World store in Leeds and nobody in the store could tell him how to get onto the internet. After much persuasion by him, Dixons launched Freeserve in September 1998 and became the UK's largest ISP in just three short months.

Born in Lahore in Pakistan, Ajaz arrived in Yorkshire, aged three, where his father found work in the textile mills of Huddersfield. His early life in the north of England may have kindled ambitions for better things. Late in 1979 Ajaz landed himself a £30-a-week job working behind the counter at Dixons, the high street electronics retailer. The commercial world seemed to suit Ajaz and he flourished, making steady progress up the management ladder. Dixons later bought PC World, and it was here that Ajaz struck upon the potent business idea to setup Freeserve.

Now he is an entrepreneur concentrating on developments in science and technology and sits on the Governing Council of the University of Huddersfield.