02/06/2026
Always nice to hear of success stories well done Josh and also great of you to share Linking up Derby
From growing up in Repton and attending John Port School in Etwall, to building a career across some of the world’s biggest brands and now helping scale one of the fastest-growing wellness companies globally — Josh Frogg’s journey is a reminder that your starting point doesn’t define your limits.
Derby will always be home for Josh. It’s where his closest friendships were formed, where his family still live, and where the foundations of his mindset and work ethic began. Like many people leaving school, he didn’t have everything figured out straight away. After sixth form, he took a year out working at The Bulls Head in Repton, unsure of what direction to take — but it was there he discovered a passion for connecting with people and building relationships.
That passion became the foundation of his career.
After studying Business Management & Marketing at university, Josh completed a placement year at Enterprise Rent-A-Car before earning a place on Lidl’s highly competitive Retail Graduate Scheme, where only two people were selected from around 6,000 applicants. He later moved into a National Account Manager role at Greene King before making the bold decision to leave a secure corporate career behind and relocate to Dubai to join Humantra — then an unknown startup with just a handful of employees.
Fast forward a few years, and Humantra has become one of the fastest-growing hydration brands in the world.
But the move wasn’t easy. Leaving behind family, friends and familiarity to start over in a completely new country tested Josh in ways he’d never experienced before. Arriving in Dubai without a network or connections meant rebuilding life from scratch. Through it all, he learned that resilience, consistency and backing yourself matter more than comfort zones ever will.
One of the biggest influences on Josh’s mentality has been his dad, a cabinet maker from Ilkeston who still works incredibly hard into his 60s. Watching that dedication growing up shaped the way Josh approaches every opportunity — whether stacking shelves, selling beer or helping scale an international business.
His message to others is simple: you are in control of your own life.
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