Entrepreneur Vijay Patel, founder of pharmaceutical wholesaler Waymade Healthcare, is to speak at the Essex Ltd event on December 3 when Grant Thornton will announced the results of its annual survey of the county’s 100 largest businesses .

He will talk about his business career which began when he arrived in the UK from Kenya aged 16 with £5 in his pocket.

Dr Patel opened his first pharmacy in Leigh-on-Sea in 1975, leading to a chain of outlets, and in 1984 Waymade Healthcare was launched which has become one of the largest suppliers of prescription medicine to pharmacies in the UK.

At the Essex Ltd event, he will also discuss the challenges he has overcome, the opening of Waymade’s pharmaceutical product development division, Amdipharm, in 2003 which was recently sold to Cinven for £367m, and his strategies for the future.

James Brown of Grant Thornton, conducts the Essex Ltd in association with county law firm Birkett Long, said: “Dr Patel has an amazing business success story to tell and his entrepreneurial flair exactly captures the nature of the ambitious, forward-looking businesses we work with across Essex. We are delighted Dr Patel will be joining us for this year’s Essex Ltd event.”

Essex Ltd offers an in-depth financial analysis of the county’s top 100 businesses by turnover and is a key barometer of overall business performance and the changing marketplace in Essex.

The study looks at key performance indicators such as operating profit and employment figures, and also includes an analysis of the financial data by sector.

Tracey Dickens, head of corporate and commercial at Birkett Long, said: “Last year’s study showed the county’s firms had remained strong despite difficult trading conditions. It will be interesting to compare the 2012 results with this year’s survey findings and we of course hope this encouraging trend has continued.”

The 2013 Essex Ltd event takes place at Stock Brook Country Club near Billericay on Tuesday, December 3 and attendance is by invitation only.

For further information, to register your interest in attending or to request a copy of the full Essex Ltd report, call Deborah Baker on 01223 225612, email Deborah.baker@uk.gt.com, or Jennie Skingsley on 01206 217605. jennie.skingsley@birkettlong.co.uk.