Hinde Capital founder Ben Davies joins board of UK padel operator Soul Padel
Ben Davies founded hedge fund Hinde Capital, and co-founded Glint Pay, Hugosave and Hugobank.- Soul Padel, founded by former retail exec Mark Hewlett, plans to open its first centres in NW England
- Davies is a former GB and Wales international hockey player
- Global padel industry is expected to be worth €2bn by 2026
Ben Davies founded hedge fund Hinde Capital, and co-founded Glint Pay, Hugosave and Hugobank.Hinde Capital founder Ben Davies is joining the board of ambitious UK-based padel business Soul Padel.
Davies, who achieved international sports honours in hockey and was selected by Great Britain for the 1996 Olympic Games, will bring his financial expertise to the company as it looks to capitalise on the UK padel boom.
Soul Padel, which launched last year, is planning to open a number of indoor facilities, including a centre of excellence, to meet much-needed demand with padel acknowledged as one of the fastest growing sports in the world.
The company has identified various locations across north-west England and has secured a partnership with a leading padel court installer.
Davies, who will take up a non-executive director role, has an excellent reputation in the financial and start-up sector, with 20 years of investment and trading experience.
Alongside Hinde Capital, the 51-year-old is the founder of two fintech businesses that have scaled across the US, UK, Europe and South Asia. He also co-founded Glint Pay, which enables payments in gold as opposed to cash; Atlas Consolidated Pte, a financial technology company; Hugosave, a B2C savings business, and award-winning HugoBank.
His successful track record in finance and investment, will bolster Soul Padel’s drive for investors to support them in growing the sport in the UK.
Davies revealed that he was also drawn to the business by the passion and experience of its founder Mark Hewlett, a former retail and healthcare executive.
“I want to be engaged in such a wonderful and purposeful growth business,” said Davies.
“Soul Padel can foster grassroots with its mantra ‘Meet Play and Connect’ and Mark has captured the essence of padel with these words.
“His purpose for founding the business encapsulates who he is at his core: a man who values the importance of community connection through both fun and competitive play.
“The padel business model is simple. It’s a replica of any ‘retail’ outlet play. It’s commercial real estate, distribution, logistics, and retail intelligence. Retail is detail. And Mark knows the details.”
Hewlett said: “Ben will be a tremendous addition to Soul Padel. He is extremely passionate about sport and its importance on health and wellbeing, while his financial expertise will be an incredible asset to help grow the business.”
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