Mowgli founder Nisha Katona 'never been more positive for the future'

Mowgli founder Nisha Katona has said that despite economic uncertainty she has “never been more positive for the future” as the group continues to expand.

The Bengali-inspired, 10-site strong restaurant group, which Katona founded in 2014, is to open its eleventh site in Bristol in the coming weeks. This will be followed by openings in Leeds, Edinburgh and Glasgow in 2020. In the longer-term sites are being sought in Newcastle, Preston, Bath, Brighton and Coventry.

Katona said: “Despite the uncertainty in the wider economy, I have never been more passionate, and positive for the future. By nature, I think entrepreneurs are optimists, and I do feel that we have a great opportunity to continue our mission to enrich lives, which is the purpose that drives us every day.

“I can’t believe that in four years we have come so far so fast, and we now have over 400 people working in the business. It just goes to show that you can follow your dreams with passion and hard work!

“My challenge, and one that I face as we continue to grow, is to retain the culture throughout the business. I aim to inspire the people around me to have to same passion for exceptional Indian food and service that I have every day.”

For the past three years the business’ revenues have grown by 66% every year, hitting £12m in the 12 months to July 2019.

This year Mowgli, which is backed by investment company Foresight Group, this year opened sites in Manchester, Cardiff and Leicester as well as launching a sustainability campaign and charity, the Mowgli Trust.

The last 12 months also saw Katona awarded a MBE for services to the food industry and charity, a ranking on LDC's Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders list, an honorary degree from Liverpool John Moores University, and most recently an honorary doctorate from Edge Hill University in Liverpool.