Platinum Property Partners (PPP), the specialist buy-to-let franchise, today welcomes legendary athlete Kriss Akabusi to its growing network of more than 200 Partners.

After being commissioned to give a motivational talk at the PPP National Workshop in April, Kriss was impressed by the camaraderie of the network and strength of the property investment model that the Partners all followed.

Last night Kriss returned to the Oxford Belfry Hotel to host PPP’s annual awards ceremony, during which he announced that he was now a fully-fledged Partner.

Speaking at the awards, he said: “It’s amazing to be here this evening. I can’t believe six months ago I was an outsider talking about my story, and now, I’m an insider. Officially, as of tonight, I am now one of you. I’ve even signed the contract and paid my fee!

“The reason I decided to join is because you’ve all just got a great vibe going on. You, we, have this mantra of Be More, Do More, Have More, Give More and that truly shows. Yesterday I had my first real meeting with other Partners. I went round to their HMOs, saw how they had been finished, and saw the mistakes they had made. I realised that this philosophy of sharing and caring was real. These people were genuinely happy to give up their time to help me.

“I’m really happy to be part of this. I want to grow, I want to develop, I want to learn new things. I might be a gold medallist, I might be a great runner, I might be 56 and I might be a granddad, but I am a baby in this business and I can’t wait to get started with your help.”

Kriss, who is most famous for his worldwide athletics triumphs, will begin building his buy-to-let portfolio with the support of PPP in the next few months, when he finishes his MBA at Ashridge Business School. This will be alongside the great work he does through The Akabusi Charitable Trust and The Akabusi Company, which helps businesses to leverage key messages in exciting and thought-provoking ways.

Founder and Chairman of PPP, Steve Bolton, added: “Kriss is a truly inspirational individual and world-class performer, who embodies the PPP philosophy and values. We are proud to welcome him into the family. He is yet another valuable addition to our unique community of like-minded, successful and ethical property investors and entrepreneurs.

“Just like all of our other Partners, Kriss joined PPP so that he can build his own high-profit, low-risk property portfolio. His goal is to increase his income, provide greater pension security and leave a lasting legacy for his children and grandchildren. Our job is to mentor and support Kriss every step of the way and we look forward to building a long term win-win partnership together.”