James Caan was known professionally as the founder of the Hamilton Bradshaw private-equity firm.
Caan established Hamilton Bradshaw in 1987. The firm focused on private equity and later became associated with investments in recruitment, business services and other sectors. His experience in buying, growing and selling companies shaped the advice he gave entrepreneurs on Dragons' Den.
He joined the BBC programme as a dragon in 2007, replacing Simon Woodroffe on the panel. Caan stayed for several series and became particularly associated with recruitment and service-business pitches.
Hamilton Bradshaw should not be confused with Caan's later charitable and educational work. Nor is it the name of a company he pitched on Dragons' Den: it was his own investment firm, established before his television career.