A British woman has won a share in a $1m business after winning a Middle Eastern television reality show.
Hannah Dodkin, 30, a qualified plumber from Somerset, took part in "Hydra Executives" that was shown on Emirates TV and four other Arab TV channels. The show, based in London and Abu Dhabi, has two teams of eight, who compete for a share of the prize to fund their own businesses.
One of the world's richest men, Dr Sulaiman al Fahim, is behind the idea.'Wildcard' finalist Ms Dodkin, of Polsham, was invited on to the programme after a successful audition in London but was knocked out during the middle of the show's run. The producers were however very impressed with her performance and she was re-entered for the final as a wildcard.
She said: "I was called up by Dr Sulaiman al Fahim and told personally that myself and another would be brought back for the final episode to give the US finalist the UK finalist, a run for their money."
"We were briefed by the producers to challenge the finalists for a share of the winnings and to try to convince them that our own business model was better than their own. "
"So I negotiated 50% of the winnings and convinced the US finalist to be involved ina joint venture in an interiors and architectural practice."
Ms Dodkin said her experience as a plumber taught her a lot.It only goes to show that training to be a qualified plumber can open the door to all sorts of unexpected opportunities. It can even lead you to the 'boardroom' - and not just to fix a leaking pipe!