From £100 to Global Impact: Selva Pankaj on Building Regent Global

When Selva Pankaj stepped off the plane in London as a refugee, he had just £100 in his pocket. His family, once comfortable, had lost everything in the Sri Lankan Civil War. "I had no safety net," he recalls. "My parents couldn't fund my education, so instead of university I enrolled in a chartered accountancy course. That choice gave me not just professional qualifications, but resilience."

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It was his father's belief-"we become what we think about"-that shaped Pankaj's early mindset. Struggle, he says, taught him to spot hidden opportunities and pursue them relentlessly.

From Kitchen Table to Global Classrooms

Regent Global began humbly at his kitchen table, where Pankaj tutored students for £20 an hour. The principle was simple: help people achieve more.

That ethos still drives Regent Global today. Regent College London (RCL) now serves students of all ages, with flexible programs designed for working adults. "Two-thirds of our students are over 30," Pankaj notes. "Education should fit around life."