Asian Wealth Magazine by Media 36

THE LUXURY BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR ASIAN ENTREPRENEURS

Vol. 1 Issue 2 Autumn 2012

HAATHEE GROUP THE SELF-MADE THINKAHOLICS TAKING LONDON LUXURY TO INDIA

ATUL KOCHHAR

THE BUSINESSMAN BEHIND THE CHEF

Also in this issue

QA &

with Aruna Seth

- Alternative Investments - Talent spotting - The £ Factor - Luxury Travel - Event Previews & Reviews

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EDITOR’S LETTER

What’s the ROI?

ritain’s most expensive home has been marketed this month. Unsurprisingly it is in London, just to the south of Hyde Park to be exact. The former residence of Sultan bin Abdulaziz, a Saudi crown prince who died in October 2011, it comes in at a snip – a mere £300 million for your own taste of luxury in the world’s most exciting city (although this Londoner may be biased!). Although the list of suitors for the property would be very short we should also ask, even if you could afford it, is this a good investment? Well – it depends on how you view investment – is it something to be held aloft, like a trophy? Or is it a way of saving for a rainy day – a 21st century equivalent of hiding your money under the mattress. Risk-averse investors often believe there is no safer place to store their money than in bricks and mortar, and in the last 30 years this strategy has made many people very rich indeed, especially the baby boomers that decided to downsize and move on from large family homes bought in the 1960s and 1970s. However, the slump in UK house prices since the beginning of the recession makes the rise in property and land prices in India seem all the more enticing, as traditional property investors make the most of developing regions such as Asia. Two property developers that are capitalising on this opportunity are Sunny Patel and Meraj Alam, the founders of Haathee Group. We talk to the pair about how they have created their £150 million business from nothing over the last four years, by taking risks and not selling out.

“A mere £300 million for your own taste of luxury in the world’s most exciting city (although this Londoner may be biased!).”

A lot of the investors in Haathee Group’s developments in Gujarat are the UK immigrants that came from India to Britain in the 60s and 70s, and are now looking to retire and put their cash into a safe investment like Indian property seems to be. For those investors that are looking to broaden their portfolio into alternative investments, AWM has talked to several experts who can advise on ventures that are a little outside the norm. This month we talk to the Gold and Silver Club, to find the truth behind gold and silver ROI, and Vin-X, a wine investment specialist, about which vintages will bring the sweetest taste to an investor’s palette in 10 year’s time. Perhaps the biggest thrill for an investor is to speculate in the arts. Uzma Hasan, the producer behind the British hit film The Infidel, shares her thoughts on why so little investment comes from the Asian community, whereas Russian and Middle Eastern investors are seeing the potential to influence, and be part of, the British arts scene. It seems that investing in UK property may still be enticing for some, but when there are so many other choices out there, and not just in Britain, why not branch out and have some fun finding out about the alternatives.

Editor of Asian Wealth Magazine

AsianWealthMag.co.uk |

CONTENTS VOL 1 - ISSUE 02

13 14

33 35 39

Business on the Boil

In a rarely candid interview, chef Atul Kochhar, owner of Benares restaurant in Mayfair, and proud recipient of two Michelin stars, reveals how he went from sous chef to entrepreneur.

The BIG Debate

Readers views and answers on debate questions.

Stress: identify it, understand it, shrink it

“I’m so stressed!” Anyone that has worked in an office, or business of any type for that matter, will recognise this very well-used phrase. The effects of stress on the body and mind should not be underestimated on the individual, or the company.

The Thinkaholics

While most real estate companies have suffered in the aftermath of the global economic depression over the last four years, one company has succeeded in reversing that trend: Haathee Group, an Indian property development firm. The founders talk to Jo Payne.

The Web Game - You must be Mobile Mad not to!

Marketing has gone mobile – and if your business isn’t part of this rapidly growing movement, it needs to be. Digimiax’s Shaz Memon explains how.

The gloves are off: Mac v PC

AWM’s technology guru Nemash Patel looks at the pros and cons of Macs and PCs for the small business.

Reaching Klimax

AWM’s Nima Suchak speaks to DJ and music producer Jags Klimax to see what made him choose music over a prospective property empire.

Alternative Investments

AWM sits down with investment experts to find the best advice for investors looking to broaden their portfolio. This month we look at the most current market for precious metals and wine.

NEWS in Brief

Business and community news.

Inspiring quotes and Anecdotes The Bookkeeper

Accounting tips and answers from Pinnacle Advisory Services.

The Storyteller

Uzma Hasan could be described in many different ways: independent movie producer, Ivy League alumni, born and bred Londoner… but whatever you do, never refer to her as an ethnic minority.

The Elevator Pitch

Impress potential investors in your business by learning how to pitch your idea quickly and concisely.

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Challenges for a New Generation

Dr Spinder Dhaliwal, looks at the evolution of Asian-owned corporations since the 1960s, and how a whole new set of challenges are shaping Asian business.

The Vanquish Lands

Sitting proudly at the pinnacle of the luxury British car maker’s sports car line-up, this breath-taking new super grand tourer represents the zenith of current Aston Martin design and engineering.

My Business

Q&A with shoe designer Aruna Seth.

Company Profile – MSDUK

AWM takes a closer look at MSDUK. Since it began, the organisation has grown exponentially and has worked with the largest global corporations.

Luxury Travel with Varun Sharma

Meet AWM’s new luxury travel expert, Varun Sharma, the host of the television series Inside Luxury Travel. This month, he gives us his opinion on Thailand’s Four Seasons Chiang Rai.

Talent Spotting – The £ Factor

Fortune Footsteps – The Chocolatier

MSDUK Event Preview

Publishers Diary

Vanquish 2012 Launch – Event Review

Asian Women of Achievement Awards 2012 – Event Review

The Sikh Awards – Event Preview

Upcoming Events

A satisfied workforce will be a productive one. Here, Melissa Stewart shows you how to make the most of the talent within your business so that you can reap the rewards.

In this, the first in our new Fortune Footsteps series, we follow one entrepreneur as they grow their business in the next 12 months.

The MSDUK 2012 Awards Reception and Dinner acknowledges and celebrates corporations and ethnic minority businesses that have excelled throughout the year.

The new Aston Martin Vanquish made its eagerly-awaited London debut in the star-studded surroundings of the London Film Museum, Covent Garden.

This past May, the Asian Women of Achievement Awards saw 11 talented women pick up awards. AWM asks four of the winners what the awards mean to them and how they can act as role models for other aspiring Asian women.

Now in its third successive year, The Sikh Directory is getting set to host its annual awards ceremony on 21st October 2012 at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, in London.

Upcoming events and dates for the diary.

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TW307

Ă¸ 40 mm

www.twsteeluk.com

Publisher Kalpesh Patel Kp@media-36.com T: +44 (0)20 8406 8992

THE LUXURY BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR ASIAN ENTREPRENEURS

Vol. 1 Issue 2 Autumn 2012

HAATHEE GROUP

Editor Jo Payne jo@media-36.com

THE SELF-MADE THINKAHOLICS TAKING LONDON LUXURY TO INDIA

ATUL KOCHHAR

THE BUSINESSMAN BEHIND THE CHEF

Cover Sunny Patel & Meraj Alam Of Haathee Group

Also in this issue

QA &

with Aruna Seth

- Alternative Investments - Talent spotting - The £ Factor - Luxury Travel - Event Previews & Reviews

MSD-UK Event Issue AsianWealthMag.co.uk |

1£4.99

Photography Sanjay Jogia Of Eye Jogia Photography

Asian Wealth Magazine is the UKs first and only luxury business magazine for Asian entrepreneurs. Published quarterly and distributed nationally, our aim is to review, highlight and profile British Asian entrepreneurs, business people and professionals. In addition, each issue will include topical business related articles from stress management to alternative investments. AWM is here to inform, inspire and celebrate the achievements of Asian entrepreneurs. Enjoy.

36 Is Published By

Publishing & Design © MEDIA36 Ltd Asian Wealth Magazine is published by Media36 Ltd, PO Box 3296, South Croydon, CR2 1GT, United Kingdom www.Media-36.com

Design Richard Ponder Online Management Nemash Patel Editorial Contributors Ellie Parsons Herjoyt Ubhi Shaz Memon Nemash Patel Nima Suchak Pinnacle Advisory Services Melissa Stewart Spinder Dhaliwal Varun Sharma Advertising Ed Andrews ed@media-36.com T: +44 (0)20 8530 8322 M: +44 (0)7880 702 227 www.AsianWealthMag.co.uk

With Great Thanks to: Aneesh Popat – The Chocolatier Aruna Seth Aston Martin Atul Kochhar – Benares Farida Gibbs Four Seasons Gemma Nunn – Caspian Media Indhu Rubasingham Inside Luxury Travel Jags Klimax Mayank Shah & Team – MSD-UK Navdeep Singh – The Sikh Awards Peter Shakeshaft – Vin-x Phil Carr & Nik Kasi – The Gold & Silver Club Pinky Lilani – Spice Magic Rena Amin Salma Bi Sauce Communications Sterling Media Sunny Patel & Meraj Alam - Haathee Group UBM & The Asian Awards Uzma Hasan

All Rights Reserved No copy without the written consent of the publishers first given, can be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise disposed of in a mutilated condtion or in any unauthorised cover, by way of trade, or affixed to or as any part of a publication or advertising, literary or pictorial matterwhatsoever. Media36 publications are fully protected by copyright and nothing may be printed wholly or in part without permission. Every possible effort has been made to ensure the information contained in this publication is accurate at the time of going to press and neither the publishers nor any of the authors, editors, contributors or advertisers can accept responsibility for any errors or omissions, however caused. No responsibility for loss or damage occasioned to any person acting, or refraining from action, as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by the editors, authors, the publisher or any of the contributors or sponsors.

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Photographs by philbourne.com

8 | AsianWealthMag.co.uk

Business

on the

boil In a rarely candid interview, chef Atul Kochhar, owner of Benares restaurant in Mayfair, and proud recipient of two Michelin stars, reveals how he went from sous chef to entrepreneur.

tul Kochhar is the first Indian chef to win a Michelin star, he’s just written his third cookery book and his TV appearances have turned him into a household name. But what’s less known is that the successful chef-turnedrestaurant-owner runs up against constant challenges in his business and has overcome many failures to reach the point where he is today. Last year, he left Colony Bar & Grill in Marylebone because, he admits, he had chosen the wrong business partner. He also had to close Vatika, his dream restaurant in a Hampshire vineyard, almost three years after it had opened. On the positive side, Ananda, his restaurant in Ireland, open since 2008, is still going strong, he won a contract with P&O Cruises to open Sindhu Restaurant onboard the ship Azura in 2010 and Benares is about to hit the 10-year mark. Above all, what Atul’s story shows is how much of a juggling act entrepreneurs face. In Benares, Atul is sitting behind Oriental-style screens at the chef’s table which overlooks the busy kitchen. A booklet on staff pensions lies in front of him – the kind of mundane but necessary task that falls to him when he’s not conducting a symphony of flavours in the kitchen. Behind the glass wall a chef pulls out a clamshell from an icebox and shows a trainee how to open it. Meanwhile, Atul has his serious face on as he tells AWM how he came to set up his first solo restaurant, Benares. “When I was at Tamarind [as head chef] I started feeling that

I was running a very successful business and I’d like to do it for myself – nothing wrong in that. When I came to this country I was financially insecure and I wanted to do things for myself. So with that thought I made a small business plan: this is what I need to raise, this is what cash flow is required and some projections for the next three years. “I quickly found two individuals who were really keen to work with me and they funded most of the project. I did put some money in of course – they wanted me to take a risk too, which I did. It was the biggest gamble I’ve ever taken in my life, I don’t do gambling but that was having total confidence in my ability to cook and to run the business. At least I wasn’t gambling on horses,” he says, cracking a smile. So it was with his savings and the help of two investors, who were both customers of Tamarind, that he launched Benares. Showing true faith in Atul’s abilities, the two loyal business partners are still with him 10 years later, and have guided him through the pros and cons of operating a business. “The first year was the most difficult of my life,” says Atul. “There were a lot of mistakes but small successes as well, which kept me going. Slowly I learnt to manage myself and the money better. Hats off to my business partners who completely trusted and supported me, but I think they were a little selfish too because they wanted to give the business to me and move on to the next project. Without them I wouldn’t have made it.” A joint project with two individual partners didn’t go as well. Together they set up Colony Bar & Grill in 2011 but after just AsianWealthMag.co.uk |

15 months Atul decided to amicably part ways. “Soon after opening it I saw that this partnership would not work for me. I exited pretty quickly.” Colony later closed and Atul lost his investment.

from the Bank of England. If you can convince him that you are the right person to handle his money then I wouldn’t see any reason why you wouldn’t get it, but you have to be so thorough.”

He goes on to offer his advice for other impresarios seeking business partners: “It’s pretty much like getting married when you take a partner,” says Atul, who lives with his wife and two children in West London. “You are in it for a very long time so choose your partners very carefully. Do sound financial planning, make sure all the pennies are counted, don’t take anything for granted and make sure everything is written. Think of the unthinkable – put a clause in your contract to say what will happen to the business if you were to die.”

Recently, Atul was trying to find investment to set up his concept, Atul’s Kitchen, to sell affordable Indian food. He found the funds and was 10 days away from starting refurbishment on the premises in Westfield Shopping Centre, Shepherd’s Bush when, because of the financial crisis, the Dubai-based investor suddenly lost a lot of money and had to pull out. What happened next was fortunate in hindsight: “By this time we’d already invested a lot of money but things weren’t looking good so we cut the cord. Personally I lost a lot of money, my business partners also lost out but I’m glad we didn’t do it because the site we had in Westfield was empty for the next 18 months at least.”

“It’s pretty much like getting married when you take a partner”

This is the voice of someone who’s had to learn the hard way. Atul trained in kitchen management but other than that he’s had to teach himself about business. He comes across as honest, straight talking and a perfectionist – that’s the head chef in him. These qualities are what investors see when, as he puts it, “he goes on the street begging for money”, which he’s done successfully several times. What is his secret? He advises that there are several things to do when seeking an investor. “Understand who you really are, what are you made of, what your concept is – it has to be put into simple, straightforward language and be totally foolproof and vetted out really well in numbers,” he says. “If someone has £1 million sitting in the bank, how can you convince them that in three years’ time that it’ll be worth £3-£5 million? He needs to see an upside or he’s better off taking that 4-5% interest

10 | AsianWealthMag.co.uk

Atul’s passion for food is clear but it’s his business brain and ability to see small details within the bigger picture that has ensured the success of his restaurants. “You can’t be a chef only when you become a businessman,” he says. “You have to know everything: what your receptionist is going to wear, how your doorman should greet the guests, how the drinks should be served. From the financial point of view you need to know your numbers. What you’ve done in the day, week, month and year.” He doesn’t have any magic solution to make sure the business is going in the right direction. “I wish there was a yardstick

but there isn’t anything like that, it’s very much a touch and feel thing. It’s a mixture of a lot of complex things, which make you understand where business is going, and when business isn’t going right it’s reflected through the numbers and you have to take corrective measures,” he states. In many ways a kitchen is a microcosm of a business, with pots on the boil and pans about to burn. Similar principles apply: time management, sourcing the right ingredients, ensuring the budget is in order and awareness of the customer needs. “Yes, absolutely that’s the way it is,” says Atul. “When you’re cutting or peeling something you take control of the waste and you want to think ‘how I can use this waste and convert it into a product so there’s zero wastage?’ So yes, that R&D is constantly on.” www.benaresrestaurant.com

Atul Kochhar’s CV 1969 - Born in Jamshedpur, India 1990-1992 - Trains at Oberoi School of Hotel Management in Kitchen Management 1993 - Graduates to the five-star Oberoi Hotel in New Delhi 1994 - Joins the fine dining restaurant of Bernard Kunig, La Rochelle in New Delhi 1994 - Moves to London and is appointed head chef at Tamarind 2001 - Becomes first Indian chef to win a Michelin star 2003 - Leaves Tamarind to open Benares Restaurant 2007 - Wins second Michelin star 2008 - Opens Ananda on the outskirts of Dublin 2010 - Receives Honorary Doctorate from Southampton Solent University 2010 - Receives the TMG Cordon Bleu Award for his educational contribution in bringing South Asian cuisine to the mainstream 2010 - Opens Sindhu Restaurant onboard P&O Cruises’ Azura ship 2013 - ‘Atul’s Curries of The World’ (Absolute Press) is due out next year in March

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OUR RAREST WHISKIES M A S T E R F U L LY

ENJOY JOHNNIE WALKER® RESPONSIBLY, DRINKiQ.COM. The JOHNNIE WALKER and BLUE LABEL words and associated logos are trademarks. ©JOHN WALKER & SONS 2012

B L E N D E D

THE

BIG Debate YES

SHOULD THE RICH PAY MORE TAX?

Yes, as a percentage of their earnings, but not a higher percentage. 20% on £100k is a lot more than 20% on £20k. More time should also be spent on removing tax avoidance loop holes so the rich pay their fair share.

Credit Analyst In short, yes. Some people would argue for a straight flat tax approach across the board, but in my opinion there should be a vastly improved progressive tax system than the one we currently have. I guess that’s the only real way to determine a ‘fair-for-all’ approach. Let’s face it, everyone hates paying tax, I don’t think I have ever heard of anyone asking themselves “maybe I pay too little tax and should contribute more”. People tend to forget what our taxes actually pay for, and for most of us these are services we regularly use each week: the NHS, education, and rubbish collection to name a few. The rich already contribute far more tax than other groups, and to some extent this is the right approach, but the government needs to makes this process much more coherent. Risk & Compliance Specialist I think they should pay more as most of the burden seems to fall on the upper low- to middle-classes to bail out the country! I am equally outraged at the lower jobless class who don’t pay taxes because if they get the jobs and do the hours they lose the benefits which I work to pay for. Shame on the two greedy sides of Britain! Pharmacist Yes I think the rich should pay more tax. However, the real question should be, how do we define rich? Two cars? Two houses? Cash in the bank? Private schools? People should pay more taxes if dependant on disposable income. I know policing this kind of policy would be nearly impossible, but it’s fairer. People would be encouraged to spend more, potentially encouraging economic growth and social mobility as well. IT Specialist I believe the rich and wealthy should pay their fair share of tax on a proportional basis of their income. Is it fair that some of the wealthiest people in the world may only pay single digit figures (in percentage terms)?” Doctor

No they shouldn’t, a person can make more money but gets taxed more and more as they do. It seems the harder people work, the more the government try to take. Balance that against people who don’t necessarily work and get government handouts - the inequality applies to both sides. Many people get rich by taking a risk or working hard, so why should the government take more than their [the rich’s] share of taxes? Chartered Accountant

I do not believe the rich should pay any more than they are supposed to. The rich provide job opportunities, contribute to charities, invest in local infrastructure, and invest in new/young talent. We shouldn’t put the lottery winners in the same league as the hard working intellectuals who had to work very hard to get to where they are now. IT Director While I don’t think the rich should be taxed out of the country, as has happened in the past, I do think there should be measures in place to ensure that the rich are taxed fairly and squarely like the rest of the working population. There have been too many examples of the rich paying virtually no tax recently through creative accounting and other measures. I think this is something that needs to be looked at with some urgency. Professional Photographer No, if you create wealth through your own endeavours why should you then be additionally penalised? Simple economics shows that the rich already pay more tax as they earn more money. How will adding an additional charge encourage growth and expansion? If you are to punish the wealthy, and that is what an additional tax bracket will amount to, why would anyone look to keep their money in the UK? Off-shoring jobs and registering companies in tax havens will increase. The vast majority of the public will simply view this as tax avoidance, but the rich only got rich by being smart with their money and not by being taken advantage of. Recruitment Director No I don’t think the rich should pay more tax, the government needs to reassess our benefit system before they penalise the individuals who generate income for our economy. People work hard for their money, why should they have to pay more tax to fund the lifestyles of those who choose not to work? The government also needs to be made more accountable with how taxpayers’ money is spent before they tax more. Insurance Broker

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“I’M SO STRESSED!” ANYONE THAT HAS WORKED IN AN OFFICE, OR BUSINESS OF ANY TYPE FOR THAT MATTER, WILL RECOGNISE THIS VERY WELL-USED PHRASE. THE EFFECTS OF STRESS ON THE BODY AND MIND SHOULD NOT BE UNDERESTIMATED ON THE INDIVIDUAL, OR THE COMPANY.

Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist, Herjoyt Ubhi, from South West London & St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust

A recent Labour Force survey found that there were 400,000 cases of stress in 2010/11 in the UK, leading to the loss of 10.8 million working days, so it is clear that nobody in business benefits from stress. Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist, Herjoyt Ubhi, from South West London & St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust, working in the IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies) service, tells AWM how to manage stress before it manages you. What is stress? In a nutshell, stress and anxiety are the body and mind’s way of communicating that it is feeling overwhelmed. Prolonged and intense stress can potentially lead to anxiety which occurs when someone overestimates the demand/ perceived ‘threat’ and underestimates their ability to cope. Stressors can include problems with work, family, finances, life events, illness, loss and sometimes even perfectionism. Usually this reaction builds up over time and those of us who are used to coping with a lot of stress and demand may not recognise what the limit is until it overflows. This is why it is important to recognise our early signs and symptoms. What is good and bad stress? Everyone is different and can cope with varying levels of pressure and demand. Some people even thrive on it. But anxiety is our innate system designed to keep us safe. During the primitive hunter gatherer times our bodies evolved to with the dangers it faced. However, today’s stressors are somewhat different but the body can still react in the same way as it did back then which can leave people

14 | AsianWealthMag.co.uk

feeling demoralised, frustrated and exhausted which creates a vicious cycle. However, not all levels of stress are harmful. Athletes, for example, need a good level of stress to perform optimally. When delivering training or a presentation to potential customers the excitement and adrenalin are important to get the job done. So stress has its functions as well as its dysfunction. However, knowing the level that makes the difference between optimum performance or underperformance is important – so understanding YOUR own stress levels and how it impacts your productivity and performance will help you to manage it better and use it to your advantage. If stress is ignored it can lead to physical health problems such as headaches, backaches, sleep problems or an impaired immune system. Links have also been found between stress and coronary heart disease. Psychologically it can potentially, although not in all cases, lead to more severe forms of anxiety, such as obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic attacks, social anxiety or health anxiety for which professional help is advised. How can you reduce stress? Sometimes people turn to unhelpful strategies such as drink or drugs to cope with high demands. These are quick fixes but can exacerbate and maintain the stress or anxiety in the longer term. Although not exhaustive, here are some healthful tips to combat stress and anxiety:

• The first step is recognising you are becoming stressed and taking a step back to evaluate its causes

“Am I thinking…” “I have too much work to do – I can’t cope anymore”

• Write a stress diary logging your stressors, how you coped with these, and how you would prefer to cope in the future

“I’m a professional – I should be able to handle this pressure”

• Get some distance from the problem and come back to it with a clear head. Practical problem solving approaches are helpful but require you to be as clear-headed as possible as the stress hormones can inhibit your rational and problem-solving abilities • Enlist support from others – it can be a lonely place being the chief of your company with stress as your companion

“IF YOU ARE DISTRESSED BY ANYTHING EXTERNAL, THE PAIN IS NOT DUE TO THE THING ITSELF, BUT TO YOUR OWN ESTIMATE OF IT; AND THIS YOU HAVE THE POWER TO REVOKE AT ANY MOMENT...” MARCUS AURELIUS, ROMAN EMPEROR

• It is imperative you find time to relax and unwind. The body functions on physiologically balanced processes – your psychological wellbeing is no different. So balance stress with relaxation and pleasurable activities – without the guilt! Work hard and play hard • There are many helpful internetbased resources to help with effective time management, combating procrastination, helping to create healthy boundaries between work, home and leisure • Identify when perfectionism is helpful and when it hinders you • Identify what kinds of thoughts go through your mind at times of stress compared to when you are excited and driven about your work • Avoid extreme swinging on the ‘pastfuture’ pendulum. Keep your mind on point – focus on NOW • Your interpretation of the situation is a key indicator of whether you become stressed or not – so start becoming aware of HOW you interpret stressful situations and try to find a more balanced perspective • Ask yourself – have I been in a situation like this before? What did I use to help myself then that I can use now? What did I learn from it? What’s another way of looking at this?

“I must get this done at all costs!” “What will others think of me if they find out I can’t cope?” “Am I feeling…” irritable, anxious, angry, depressed or inadequate? “Am I experiencing…” increased heart rate and breathing, tense muscles, sweating, nausea, sleeping problems, blurred vision, excessive and perceived uncontrollable worry, feeling restless or on edge? Where to get further help If you think stress is having a detrimental impact on your life there are places to go to get help. One way to combat stress is through Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), a clinically proven evidencebased approach that helps people understand the intricate links between their thoughts, feelings, behaviours and physiological responses. It uses a range of techniques and strategies to help people understand and raise awareness into their own cognitive (thought) processes essentially enabling them to become their own therapist, using a very tailored and collaborative approach. It teaches skills for life to cope with stress, anxiety or depression. To gain access to CBT you can seek private therapists online or speak to your GP. Your GP may be able to refer you to an IAPT service as it is a national programme to promote access to psychological therapies. In addition there is a range of self-help materials on the internet, including phone Apps for mood diaries as well as individual support via groups or 1-2-1 therapy within services. In summary, recognise your own triggers and signs for stress, understand how your thinking and ability to cope changes during stress, and use more healthful coping strategies to reduce stress or anxiety to help you perform at your best.

Often we can be experiencing a lot of stress and not even realise it. If you think this might be you, ask yourself:

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16 | AsianWealthMag.co.uk

THE THINKAHOLICS WHILE MOST REAL ESTATE COMPANIES HAVE SUFFERED IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC DEPRESSION AND ITS EFFECTS OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS, ONE COMPANY HAS SUCCEEDED IN REVERSING THAT TREND: HAATHEE GROUP, AN INDIAN PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT FIRM. THE FOUNDERS TALK TO JO PAYNE.

It was Tata Group’s chairman, Sir Ratan Tata who said it best in 2007: “If you’re not in Gujarat, then you’re stupid”. Sunny Patel and Meraj Alam took this advice more seriously than most. Together, they founded Haathee Group, a property development company that is currently constructing several unique real estate projects in the state of Gujarat. Haathee Group has more than 300 acres of projects under way, with each development employing a unique concept that separates it from the rest of the market. The company caters to a large portion of non-resident Indians (NRIs), that left India in the millions during the 1960s and 1970s, and are now approaching retirement and either intend to settle or spend more time in India. Sunny explains that these individuals make up a significant portion of Haathee Group’s business, and have spearheaded the company’s rapid growth over the last few years. “It is this group of individuals that Haathee Group’s first development – an upmarket 168 – apartment project – appealed to. It’s second is an 80 acre country club development, complete with entertainment and leisure facilities. For their third effort, the Group’s founders have said that they intend to deliver the next “one-of-a kind tourist destination” in India, a new luxurious development spread over an impressive 210 acres.

Meraj Alam (Left) and Sunny Patel (Right) photographs by eyejogia.com

Haathee Group’s development focus is to satisfy the Indian real estate market’s appetite for lifestyle concepts, properties that are more than just

residences and at the same time cater to those who want something a little more than “just different”. Meraj Alam elaborates: “As of today Gujarat is the fastest-growing state in India. Vadodara (Baroda), where our first two projects are located, is not as developed as cities like Mumbai, Delhi or Bangalore. Therefore it offered us the perfect opportunity to enter and really shake things up in terms of landscape and building designs. “I think we shocked a lot of people in the city by starting our first concept development in an area where no other developer had existing projects,” adds Meraj. “People thought we were crazy but having weighed our risks and options carefully, we were extremely confident about our decision. Right from the beginning, we knew that once we started our project many other developers would follow suit, which is exactly what has happened,” he says. Sunny concurs. “When you are a new player in the market and decide to start with a project as large as we did, it puts you under the spotlight. However, we have established great relationships with several developers in the process and the spirit of competition is healthy. Some of these developers have been in the industry for years before we came to the scene and we learnt a lot from them. However, because of our experience and understanding of established real estate markets in the United Kingdom, we have been able to carve a niche for ourselves by introducing our own ideas into the Indian market.” AsianWealthMag.co.uk |

“A company like ours is only as good as the people who are a part of it. We are a peopledriven organisation and we are fortunate to have a very dedicated, loyal and talented team.” – Meraj Alam

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS At just 30, Sunny, the younger of the Haathee Group duo, exudes a certain laid-back confidence coupled with a warm smile that always seems to accompany his words. He explains that he believes in running a business that is fun, has strong fundamentals and adds value to society. Sunny refers to one of his role models in the world of business, British billionaire Sir Richard Branson, “because he knows how to have fun and business should be about having an adventure. Success is not a destination, it’s the journey,” he says. Sunny was born in Norbury, South London where he describes his upbringing as “fairly tough”. His mother and father separated when he was three years old and his mother had to raise Sunny and his older brother on her own. His mother, originally from Gujarat, worked seven days a week. On weekdays she would work in a local factory and weekends were spent cleaning pubs and other commercial premises along with help from Sunny and his brother.

Haathee Group’s current developments in Gujarat. Top: Riviera. Bottom: Ivory Gardens

Sunny also doubled as a paperboy, working in the mornings before going to school and delivering the local paper once a week along with his mum and his brother. “This was the period in my life where the trigger went off and I knew I had to make something of myself. I knew I just had to make it happen,” he says. From a young age, Sunny showed signs of an entrepreneurial spirit. By the age of 16, he had set up his own events promotion business and had several other businesses on the side which helped him as he progressed through life. “While I was growing up, money was always hard to come by, meaning that if I needed anything, I had to find a way to get it myself and this instilled a strong work ethic in me right from an early age. I had a part-time job for as long as I can remember and sometimes I’ve had to work two jobs while studying at the same time,” he recalls. After graduating from Brunel University with a degree in e-commerce, Sunny was employed as a stockbroker in the City of London, while dreaming of owning his own large business one day. “I’m a strong

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believer in the law of attraction; I really do believe that your thoughts create your reality. If you spend enough time channelling your energies in the right direction you will see life beginning to mould itself to that direction,” he explains. Sunny explains that his drive to succeed came from several other factors as well, first and foremost, to prove to his mother that her hard work had paid off. The fact that he had an entrepreneurial elder brother to share ideas and visions with was also a key factor and finally, he had to prove to himself that success was possible. “I think in life you have to challenge yourself, you have one shot at life why not go for gold, how far can you really go? I am the type of person who always wants to be at the top of my game in anything I do, and I think there is nothing more satisfying than having an idea and turning it into reality. For me, that is the basis of success.” Sunny explains that he never knew property development would be his eventual calling, but he was certain that he was going to achieve his goals. While Sunny decided that property development was to be his business at a later stage in life, Meraj Alam always knew he wanted to work in the real estate industry. The son of a businessman, Meraj, 34, was sent to a Darjeeling boarding school at the age of four. “I come from a small town in India, and let’s just say the schools in the locality provided a substandard quality of education,” Meraj recalls. “As a result my father, not being a rich man, pulled together his limited resources to send me to a good school so I could have a better education and ultimately a better future,” he explains in his quiet and self-assured manner. Meraj is softly spoken, bordering on serious, but under the calm exterior you get a glimpse of an extremely focused businessman. He does not appear to be one for lengthy speeches, yet he talks with a great amount of passion and insight on business, property development and India. He explains that all his achievements to date have been driven by his passion for business and success.

“in my period where the life trigger went off.” This was the

– Sunny Patel

When he was younger, Meraj worked with his father in his clothing shop during school holidays. This early exposure to the thrill of sales and every aspect of running the small shop created a lasting impression on the young Meraj. “Very early on I got a taste for business and money, which kept developing and growing with each school holiday that passed. By the time I was in college, I knew I wanted to get into business and do something extraordinary with my life,” he explains. “I would always think about success, not just in relation to money but with an inherent desire to create something unique and different, something so big that my family and friends could be proud,” he says. After graduating from university, Meraj worked in the Mumbai PR industry helping create campaigns for major brands such as Unilever. Although he was employed in PR, he always knew that he wanted to start his own business in the real estate sector, which is where his heart lay, and always had. He recalls the times

as a university student when he would visit development sites just because he was interested in understanding the opportunities available. “I would just jump on my motorbike, go around and have a look at these newly launched developments, although I didn’t have money then,” he laughs. After getting married, Meraj decided to move to the UK but couldn’t settle in the British PR industry. He quit his job and was once again pulled back into his passion for Indian real estate. He found a job at the only company that specialised in marketing Indian real estate and met Sunny, who happened to be working for the same company at the time. INDIA’S POTENTIAL While working as a stockbroker in London, Sunny made a trip to India and was blown away by the potential the country had to offer. Sunny’s father-in-law had also been a real estate developer in Gujarat for more than 30 years and had just recently

retired. Sunny saw this opportunity to learn from an experienced real estate developer, coupled with the amazing opportunities he had seen in India, and the entrepreneurial spark was ignited in Sunny’s brain. “I could just see the huge potential and that India was going to be a massive market in the future, especially within the next two decades, and I knew that this was the time to get involved. I made an instant decision. I wanted to develop real estate in India, I wanted to do it and nothing was going to stop me,” he explains. However, this bold decision left Sunny in a dilemma – how was he going to create his own property development business in India with no money and no real experience? He soon found a company that specialised in marketing and promoting Indian properties and pitched himself to the CEO. Working directly with the head of the company exposed him to AsianWealthMag.co.uk |

an abundance of knowledge. “That job really taught me a lot about the whole of India, not just about Gujarat, but everything about Indian real estate from Goa to Bangalore, and how the property market works, how to sell, and the pitfalls of the business,” Sunny recalls. “I spent almost four years gaining relevant experience, I was now widely travelled and had visited almost every major city in India, I saw the gaps in the market as I was working with over 250 developers in the country who gave me a complete picture of the Indian real estate situation, this gave me great exposure and it was after all this I felt I was ready to take the next step,” he says. It was also at this stage that Sunny met his future business partner, Meraj.

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They decided to work on turning their dreams into reality. Sunny looks back on this decision with nostalgia. “We knew that it was going to be a big risk, pouring every bit of money that we had into acquiring land with the help of some investors. We had the background in terms of selling, we had been selling for other developers, but it was a question of getting the back-end right. The construction, the management, the systems and processes involved in real estate development. But looking back, we were confident of that decision then as we are now, even though we had everything to lose.” Haathee Group could not have been established at a worse time by Sunny, Meraj and a mutual friend of theirs, Kuldip Sahota who now has a reduced role in the business. It was

2008, when the global recession was in full swing and long-established property companies were collapsing everywhere. The partners decided to enter the market headon, even when investors were sceptical about the timing of their first project and the currency exchange rate was unfavourable. Nonetheless, the belief that the product they were selling was of a high quality and was being offered at affordable and realistic prices kept their motivation intact. In fact, the pair saw the recession as an opportunity. “We knew that if we could survive this market it would build the foundations for a solid future, we always knew that it was not going to be easy but with the raw belief in the product we were offering, we also had the passion and dedication to push ourselves on.

Working under that ethos has really set the standard for how we plan to run the business in the future,” Meraj says with a smile. The fact that a company established during the toughest economic recession in recent memory thrived under the circumstances, and has blossomed to date, is a testament to the hard work and dedication of these young men, neither of whom come from wealthy backgrounds. BUILDING THE BUSINESS From all indications, Haathee Group is progressing rapidly, evidently driven by the passion of its dedicated founders. Meraj describes their growth strategy as “aggressive” and also attributes a large portion of success to members of staff. “A company like ours is only as good as the people who are a part of it. We are a people-driven organisation and we are fortunate to have a very dedicated, loyal and talented team to whom we owe a lot of the success enjoyed by the Group,” he says. Haathee Group’s current project portfolio is worth more than £150 million but for both partners it’s not just about the money. They have received offers from a few private equity firms and private investors to purchase the company, but have declined for now. “The company is still very young!” Sunny exclaims. “There is still a lot to do as well as experiences to learn from. There are fresh ideas we would both like to implement to improve the company and add value. As long as we’re both enjoying what we’re doing then I think that keeps us both satisfied.” “For the next couple of years, our focus is on growth and we have our entire strategy mapped out,” Meraj concurs. “There are many exciting real estate business opportunities coming our way. We’re so busy with our daily routines while trying to grow and perfect the business at the same time that sometimes we fail to realise how big the company has become. While cashing out for a quick profit is somewhat tempting, the youth and history of our company makes us want

“Success is not a destination, it’s the journey.” – Sunny Patel

to hold out longer and build a longterm brand in the Indian real estate market. Let’s really see how far we can take this success.” A large part of the Haathee Group’s focus is based on wealth generation for investors, Sunny explains. “It’s a fantastic feeling when you deliver healthy returns on investments made by your clients and they can literally see their money at work, instead of imagining it’s at work! We work very closely with several categories of private and institutional investors who have invested funds in our development projects and are happy to watch us grow as well.”

families are a driving force for both men as they acknowledge that neither of them would be where they are if it were not for their wives’ continuous support towards their business efforts and desire to provide a legacy for their children. The company Haathee Group is named after the Hindi word for elephant, a large and auspicious entity that has no natural predators. With every year that passes it seems that the shape of the company may become more similar to its namesake than the two founders ever thought possible. www.HaatheeGroup.com

Both men describe themselves as thinkaholics (rather than workaholics) and feel that although they have built a successful business empire in a short period of time, commitment to family is equally important. Sunny is married to Shradha and is father to triplets, all girls: Summer, Suri and Sienna; while Meraj is married to Mona and has two daughters, Amelia and Anaya. Their AsianWealthMag.co.uk |

Family First A brighter future for your business Through Family First, we seek to provide a long term commitment to current and future owners of multi-generational family businesses, overlaying strategy, governance, wealth management, and generational issue management onto our audit, tax and advisory services. Contact: Nina Amin Asian Family Business Lead, KPMG LLP Tel: 020 7694 5336 email: nina.amin@kpmg.co.uk kpmg.co.uk/familyfirst

© 2012 KPMG LLP, a UK limited liability partnership, is a subsidiary of KPMG Europe LLP and a member firm of the KPMG network of independent member firms affiliated with KPMG International Cooperative, a Swiss entity. The KPMG name, logo and “cutting through complexity” are registered trademarks or trademarks of KPMG International. RR Donnelley I RRD-269347 (A4) I April 2012. Printed on recycled material.

The

WEB GAME

Marketing has gone mobile – and if your business isn’t part of this rapidly growing movement, it needs to be. DIGIMIAX’S Shaz Memon explains how.

YOU MUST BE MOBILEMAD NOT TO! The Smartphone revolution is in full swing and consumers are leading the charge. Research shows that 78% of Smartphone users don’t leave home without their device, 95% have researched products or services using their phone, 85% have looked for local information and 81% have taken action based on that local information – buying online or visiting the searched business with the intent to purchase. Plugging into this marketing opportunity, which is growing daily, starts with setting up a mobile version of your business website. If you raised your eyebrows at this statement, let me explain: a mobile website is designed specifically for access via a Smartphone – very user-friendly and geared to the search patterns and accessibility demands of the Smartphone user. It is also formatted to display perfectly on the Smartphone’s smaller screen. A non-mobile website will display on a Smartphone as a huge file that requires excessive zooming and scrolling to view. The average Smartphone user, your new target audience, may not be who you imagine: equally male or female, between the ages of 25 to 45, predominantly a partner in a committed relationship, and nearly equally suburban and urban dwellers who are employed full-time. Does this sound like the demographic group you’d like to tap into? Your mobile website can put you in front of the 50% of Smartphone users who search the internet every day and 51% of users who perform a mobile search after viewing alternative adverts, such as television, magazine, or billboards. Over 60% of those accessing a mobile website will take action to purchase, either via computer or by visiting your place of business.

It becomes obvious that an online business presence needs to follow the consumer – and the consumer has gone mobile. Three-quarters of Smartphone users depend on their devices for email and internet access daily, doing so at home, work, and on the go. The Smartphone has become a critical shopping tool, often coming into play as a cross-channel purchasing venue – see an advert on television, perform a mobile search, make an online purchase. The necessity for a cross-channel marketing strategy, which includes a mobile website, becomes clear as Smartphone use is on the rise. Consumers have embraced the natural extension of the internet to Smartphone mobile access – it is essential that marketing efforts follow this movement. Mobile websites are the profitable, intelligent vehicle to take your business to the street – and capture consumers who are ready and willing to search and make purchasing decisions. Mobile websites reach consumers who perform searches daily for local information, from their home, work, and on the go. These consumers make a purchase decision over half the time as a result of their mobile search. Smartphone users are educated, employed, equally male and female, and are in the most aggressive purchaser age group. They are responsive to cross-channel, non-linear marketing and are extremely comfortable with multiple online accessibilities. They are ready to buy from your business – are you making it easy for them with a mobile website? Statistics from Google’s Understanding the Mobile Consumer research have been used throughout this piece.

AsianWealthMag.co.uk |

The gloves are off: Mac v PC If five years ago you’d asked a PC user about Macs, they would have said that they were for the arty types. Traditionally the Mac was synonymous with the design world, and the PC the king of the business world. However, things are changing. With the ever growing popularity of Apple’s iPhone and iPad, many home PC users are defecting to the Mac; will the same be said for the small business? AWM’s technology guru Nemash Patel looks at the pros and cons of Macs and PCs for the small business.

COST • In general PCs are at least 40% cheaper than their Mac equivalent. • PCs are manufactured by many companies which mean greater supply and more affordable pricing. • Cheaper doesn’t always mean the best.

• The latest version of Microsoft’s Office is not only available for the Mac but is also compatible with the Windows version, so you can share documents. • The Mac comes with its own suite of applications, which enables you to do the basic day-to-day things, and most importantly they are easy to use.

• Macs are manufactured by Apple alone. This means that there is no competition and therefore the price is determined by Apple. • The machines are built to last and are known for being well tested, which means they are less likely to give you any problems.

LOOK & FEEL • The PC is not particularly well known for stylish looks and design. • However, some manufacturers have taken a leaf out of Apple’s book and produced some sleek-looking machines. • What can we say; when it comes to style Mac wins hands down. They are the epitome of style and sophistication.

UPGRADES • You can custom build your PC which can keep costs down. This also means that you can easily upgrade your hardware and make it better as you need it. • Customisation gives the added benefit of being able to take advantage of the last changes in technology.

SUPPORT • As the PC dominates the market, support is more readily available and therefore easier to get hold of and cheaper, which may be a deciding factor for your business.

• Apple prides itself on producing high spec machines that are fully featured and optimised to last. It designs its own operating system and its own hardware, which means no capability issues. • Making upgrades to your Mac isn’t impossible, but does require professional attention.

• Support isn’t as readily available as for a PC; however the Mac is less likely to need it. • If you consider that Apple makes every component and the software, so if it goes wrong we know where the fault lies. • You can purchase an Apple protection plan which will get up to three years of support and repair coverage.

SOFTWARE • As PCs are more popular and therefore have much greater market share there is more software developed and available for them. • Many accounting and business packages have been developed solely for the PC. • Some applications are not available for the Mac and in some cases those that are, may not work as well.

USEABILITY • For those of us who use a PC on a daily basis will find them easy to use.

• Macs can now be configured to run Windows XP and Vista, which means that they can use the same software as PCs.

• Macs are designed with the user in mind. Apple prides itself on producing hardware and software that is easy and simple to use. The popularity of the iPhone and iPad can be put largely down to the way the devices look but also to how easy they are to use. • Apple offers usability classes via its shops.

AsianWealthMag.co.uk |

Reaching

Klimax

Asian Wealth Magazineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Nima Suchak speaks to DJ and music producer Jags Klimax to see what made him choose music over a prospective property empire

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I didn’t think it would be so hard to pin down Jags Klimax, but then again, being one of the country’s top Asian DJs and music producers, I’m not the only one trying. The successful DJ is presenting radio shows, working on TV, and on the cusp of releasing his third album, Electric. Jags has worked with artists from all over, including Sonu Nigam, Pharrell Williams, Raghav and Taz to name a few. And with people like Tim Westwood calling to get his lowdown on the bhangra scene, I’ve got competition. Jags always had a passion for music. He was raised in a Croydon village where his was the only Asian family. He played the violin and the cello as a child, but it was in his teenage years that Asian music made such an impact. “My dad used to run an Asian community radio station and I would go there after school and on weekends,” says Jags. “They had a bhangra show and lots of DJs and artists would come in. I thought it was cool and wanted to do it.”

“I learned how things should sound from a Ministry of Sound Annual. I would save up to buy records, — every penny was for vinyl.”

Jags was doing a paper round, initially saving up to buy trainers, but bought turntables instead, and started to teach himself to DJ. “I watched VHS videos, read magazines, and got tips from mates. I learned how things should sound from a Ministry of Sound Annual. I liked mixing different types of music. I would save up to buy records, and would avoid wasting money – every penny was for vinyl.” Jags’ break came when he was given a filler slot to play in a nightclub at the tender age of 15, and he soon became a regular on the Asian club night circuit in London’s West End. “The club scene was an eye opener,” he says. “I was only 15 and not even supposed to be in the club. People were getting drunk, having fights, girls smoking… I had

seen things at school, but London’s nightlife was another level.” But it was the other side of playing in clubs which became addictive. “Playing at home in my bedroom was one thing, but hearing the crowd roar when you play a tune was a brilliant buzz.” A turning point came for Jags as he was doing his A-levels. His father had passed away, and although Jags wanted to study sports science at Loughborough University, he felt torn between pursuing his education, and taking care of his mother and the family business. The family owned land and property in India and the UK, but without his father and the pressure of splitting the family business, the prospect of taking over was not appealing. “I needed something that interested me. I could have pursued the route of the family business, taking my dad’s share, but it wasn’t what I wanted. I needed to create my own destiny and continue DJing and making music. My mother wanted me to work on the family business, but once she realised it was not meant to be, she gave me her blessing to pursue a career in music,” he explains. With things up in the air, Jags knew he had to make things happen. After getting a £180 parking fine, he had to think fast. “I didn’t know how I would pay it, so I spoke to my friend Manraj (DJ Mani) and another friend about doing a bhangra gig in Croydon.” They held a night called Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, charging £10 per person. The night made great money and it was followed by another equally successful event. “I realised that this is where the money was at so I started to do events.” Jags formed a brand with The Dreem Teem called ‘Shake It Up’ with a residency at the Hammersmith Palais, London. “I made more money than I’ve ever seen. It was havoc. We knew we would sell out every event.” He eventually turned to following his passion. He learned how to make music, and started working on his first album at the renowned Frantic Studios in Birmingham, with guidance from the producer Kam Frantic. AsianWealthMag.co.uk |

music video in Japan they treated me like royalty. I’m constantly in and out of clubs, weddings, making music for the biggest bands, and it’s exciting as well as financially rewarding. He maintains that everyone should follow their dreams. “Just have an idea of what you’re getting into and make a plan of how you’re going to get there,” says Jags. “If you want to get into music, it’s not what you know, but who you know. Meet people; show them what you’re about. If you have a genuine talent, people will be more interested than if you are a show-off. I had good people to give me confidence and support – the company you keep will determine who you will become.” With Jags’ third album Electric coming out this winter, it seems that the Klimax is reaching a summit. He’s handpicked high-end musicians, songwriters and singers, including Master Saleem, Miss Pooja, and Lehmber Hussainpuri. “It’s probably the best album I’ve ever done,” he says.

“I had blown practically all the money I had made with hardly anything to show for it, apart from investments in a few properties, but I knew that if I could do this once, I could do it again. I wanted to do something new, but had to start from scratch as a music producer and a DJ.”

His recently released single Nach Sadhe Naal features Nirmal Sidhu, with the video shot by Ballistic, in New South Wales, on land owned by the Ministry of Defence. The video for the second single is seamlessly shot in 20 locations around the world. Preparing for the Electric tour to wow crowds in the UK, USA and Canada, Europe, India, and Australasia, and lots of mainstream TV work lined up, it seems the Klimax is reaching giddy heights.

His debut, Jags Klimax, The Album received great reviews, with the who’s who of Asian music giving it airtime. His second album The Bollywood Project followed soon after. As a DJ, Jags had a residency night at The Works in Kingston, which was awarded the best student night in the country, and Jags was in demand to play in clubs all over the UK, and offered consultancy to The Luminar Group. He also became a hugely popular wedding DJ. “Making music was my business card. People all over the world wanted Asian music. I played at a festival in Poland with 16,000 people all dancing to Punjabi MC, and when I was filming a

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New single by Jags Klimax - Nach Sadhe Naal, features Nirmal Sidhu. Available now. Electric will be available on iTunes, Amazon, HMV, and all usual retailers.

Investment –

what’s the alternative? ASIAN WEALTH MAGAZINE SAT DOWN WITH INVESTMENT EXPERTS TO FIND THE BEST ADVICE FOR INVESTORS LOOKING TO BROADEN THEIR PORTFOLIO. THIS MONTH WE LOOK AT THE MOST CURRENT MARKET FOR PRECIOUS METALS AND WINE. USING THE MOST UP-TODATE PRICES, PHIL CARR AND NIK KALSI, FOUNDERS OF THE GOLD AND SILVER CLUB AND PROFESSIONAL COMMODITIES TRADERS, GIVE US THEIR INSIGHTS INTO SILVER AS A POTENTIAL INVESTMENT.

AWM: What rise in investment in precious metals such as gold and silver have you seen over the past five years? PC: The last five years has provided some outstanding returns for gold and silver investors as the bull market continues in its strong uptrend. As with any bull market though there have been some significant sell-offs along the way, for example in October 2008 the prices of gold and silver plummeted by over 50% in six months due to the effects of the credit crunch. However, it rebounded in spectacular fashion one year later to achieve all time highs in 2010 and 2011. The primary driver for this was quantitative easing and deepening uncertainty in the Eurozone. More recently the limelight has shifted to India and China who now represent two of the fastest growing markets for gold and silver. As both these countries have a growing demand for precious metals, we predict their appetite will substantially increase over the next decade. AWN: Is there any truth in the stories that investors should be turning away from gold as the price is not what it once was? NK: That’s not a statement I would agree with. Gold has been used as a store of value for over 3000 years. The price of gold is measured in ounces and today

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the value right now is $1,670 an ounce. If we look at gold’s ability to store value, 3000 years ago one ounce of gold would buy a man a typical suit of clothing, food and energy which is exactly what it does today. One of the main factors that explain why silver is attractive to investors compared to gold, is price. Silver is a lot more affordable to the average investor, hence the nickname ‘poor man’s gold’. Silver is currently trading at $31.00 an ounce, which is 98% per ounce cheaper than gold. AWM: Should investors be looking to silver instead of gold? If so, why? NK: In my opinion, yes and there are three significant reasons why. Firstly you can’t ignore the gold/silver ratio. This is one of the best indicators of how far silver prices can move. If you average out the price ratio between gold and silver throughout history, you land on a single magical proportion: 16 to 1. That implies that at $1,600 per ounce gold, silver should be $100 per ounce. Gold is currently trading at $1,670 an ounce and silver is at $31, which projects the ratio is now 54. Silver is massively undervalued right now and that gives it much more upside potential than gold. Secondly, supply and demand drives

commodity prices. Industrial and technological demand for silver is increasing. The amount of silver used for industrial purposes is forecast to rise to 665.9 million troy ounces by 2015, which would be a 36% increase from the 487 million used in 2010. Among other things, silver is increasingly being used in TVs, computers, cell phones, washing machines, refrigerators, solar panels, cars, medical devices and even bandages because of its antibiotic properties. As the global population grows and wealth in emerging markets such as in India and China increases inevitably so will the demand for silver. Thirdly, the global demand for silver is far outpacing global production. Put simply: there is a silver shortage. The amount of available silver is far less than the amount of available gold. This fact is often overlooked by even the most seasoned silver investors. And it’s this lack of silver stockpiles that has become one of the most critical factors for silver prices to appreciate in the long-term and even skyrocket into an entirely different asset class all together. Top: Phil Carr Bottom: Nik Kalsi

AWM: What is the average yield on investment in silver? What has it been at its highest or lowest? PC: Over the last 10 years silver has seen a dramatic rise from lows of $3.55 to highs of $49.45. During this time frame we’ve seen a staggering 714% return on silver, the best performing year being 2010 with an 80% return for silver investors. 2011, whilst again retesting all time highs of $49, ended the year flat for silver and YTD in 2012 silver is up 9.72% with prices breaking out in the last week of August with hopes of additional monetary stimulus at September’s Federal Reserve Meeting.

down. If you piled all your money into silver last year when the price hit a peak of $50 an ounce, today you would be sitting on a loss. One way to avoid risk is by not over exposing yourself to silver. In my opinion 10% is a reasonable holding. If you are looking to invest in silver bullion make sure your investment is stored in an accredited bullion vault and insured because once silver is removed out of the official bullion market its price will instantly decline. Also avoid items such as silver jewellery, numismatists coins and Karatbars because these are not an investment. AWM: What single piece of advice would you give an investor looking to invest in silver? NK: Due diligence is mandatory! Silver is a huge market and there are many ways to invest from physical silver to paper silver. If you want to avoid many of the risks highlighted by Phil – in my opinion trading offers much greater control, liquidity and maximum capital growth opposed to investing in physical. You can also keep all the profit you generate tax free by trading your money in either a SIPP or an ISA wrapper. My advice would be to have a clear investment plan, know the return on investment expected and always have an exit strategy should the unexpected occur. Phil Carr & Nik Kalsi are recognised as leading authorities on gold and silver trading and investing. They are the founders of thegoldandsilverclub.com and professional commodities traders. www.thegoldandsilverclub.com

AWM: What is the risk in investing in silver? PC: The acquisition of silver is much more attainable for retail investors compared to gold. The affordability of silver over gold makes it an attractive investment for the common man. However, it’s a well-documented fact that 95% of retail investors make a loss on silver because they do not know how to correctly invest in the precious metal. The purpose of silver is insurance and its function is to diversify an investor’s portfolio. Silver is not like cash in the bank. Its nominal value can go up or AsianWealthMag.co.uk |

Pater Shakeshaft

PETER SHAKESHAFT, FOUNDER OF WINE INVESTMENT ADVISORY FIRM VIN-X, TELLS AWM WHERE THE BEST INVESTMENTS MAY BE GROWING FOR TOMORROW’S PORTFOLIO AWM: What rise in wine investment have you seen over the past five years? PS: The wine investment market has grown dramatically over the last five years. The drop of import duty into Hong Kong, which opened up the Chinese market, has seen the industry explode. The market grew by around 110% from 2009 to 2010 as Asia took full advantage of top class Bordeaux at a significantly reduced tax rate. Furthermore 2010 and 2011 also saw new market entrants from the fast growing economies of Russia and Brazil becoming increasingly more involved. However, the last year has seen a significant slow down as the Chinese market become far more preferential about the wines they choose. The original focus on Lafite, for example, which led the market bullrun in 2009 and 2010 has subsequently led the correction as these investors spread their interest to other brands offering more value potential. The current picture is increasingly promising with the month on month figures from the market price indicator, Liv-ex, for the four indices, Liv-ex 50, Liv-ex 100, Liv-ex Bordeaux 500 and Liv-ex Investables for August just released. All four indices have finished up with the Liv-ex 100 seeing the first month on month increase since February this year and the first Liv-ex 50 monthon-month increase since March.

32 | AsianWealthMag.co.uk

AWM: Is there a particular vineyard or country/region that is producing wine, or set to produce wine, that our investors should be looking out for? PS: The market any new investor in fine wine should be looking at is Bordeaux and specifically the top 25 chateaux. These wines enjoy a proven secondary market and have historically produced the best returns for investors. More data have been compiled on Bordeaux wines than any other region in the world. The unique classification system for Bordeaux wines established at the request of Emperor Napoleon for the 1855 Exposition de Paris provides transparency and guidance for investors on the quality and value of these wines. The market in them is therefore mature, the wines are accessible to most, and importantly there are established exit routes for investors. Beyond this there are emerging markets for Burgundy and other global regions such as the Super Tuscans, but there is still uncertainty over the liquidity and secondary market in these wines and accordingly Vin-X is monitoring this space but does not yet advise clients to invest in them. AWM: What is the average initial outlay in sterling for a decent ROI in wine? PS: A £5,000 investment in specific Bordeaux wines, based on predicted growth rate of 17.6% compound over next five years would return an investor £11,246. Based on the past long term average of 14.8%, £5,000 would provide £9,969. We would suggest £5,000 - £10,000 as a minimum initial investment. AWM: What is the average yield on investment? What has it been at its highest or lowest? PS: The past five years have produced compound annual growth of just 4%. This is due to the correction over the last 12 months, which has brought the market down to the level it was at four years ago. This suggests the inflation brought on by China is now over and the market looks positive going forward. The Vin-X analysts predict that the market should now follow a sustainable growth trend similar to that prior to the impact of the Asian dynamic on the market from 2008 but with the extra benefit of an established, more informed, Chinese market who will buy just as

much wine but at a steadier pace and across a number of brands. The past 18 years have produced 14.8% compound growth. It should be noted that Liv-ex reported recently that whenever the market has produced compound growth of less than 5% for five years running, historically it has been followed by 17.6% compound growth for the following five years. We believe that there has never been a better time to invest in fine wine in terms of price and forecast growth potential. AWM: Where and what are the risks in investing in wine? PS: Like any investment wine can go down in value as well as up. Interestingly, there have been just three corrections in this market in the last 30 years, as opposed to the stock market, which has produced 12 in the last 20 years. Fine wine notably does not correlate directly to financial markets and this stability is highly attractive to investors. One of the main risks would be the company that the individual trades with. Like many investments, fine wine is still an unregulated market. As a result there are unscrupulous companies out there who will take advantage of an investor’s trust. At Vin-X we are working with other investment companies to establish an association to bring a code of practice to self-regulate this market and protect investor interests. AWM: What single piece of advice would you give an investor looking to invest in wine? PS: Do your research. Make sure you are 100% comfortable with the company you are using. If you are new to the market, use an advisory service. You may pay more through management fees, but you cannot put a price on the advice you will get on choosing the best wines for investing in and the best time to take profit. Founded in 2010 by city financier Peter Shakeshaft, Vin-X specialises in introducing private individuals to the benefits of investing in fine wine and helping clients access the potential of the fine wine market. www.vin-x.co.uk

BUSINESS

NEWS AKQA bought by ad giant WPP WPP has bought the British independent digital marketing agency AKQA, for an estimated £350 million. The agency was established by Ajaz Ahmed, 39, who will continue as CEO for the brand, which will now be positioned as a standalone company within WPP. Founded in 2001, AKQA provides integrated digital communications campaigns, spanning social media, mobile, interactive experiences, gaming and content creation. Clients include Delta, Diageo, EDF, GAP, Google, Microsoft Xbox, Nike, Target, Unilever and Virgin Money, among many others. International recognition for its creative excellence has earned the agency numerous industry awards, including 19 Agency of the Year titles. Last year, AKQA won Digital Agency of the Year honours in both the US (Adweek) and the UK (Campaign) and collected five Cannes Lions.

Currently employing 1160 people worldwide, the agency operates through offices in the US (San Francisco, New York, Washington DC), Europe (London, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin) and Asia (Shanghai). The agency had gross assets of $282 million as at 31 December 2011 and forecasts revenues of around $230 million in 2012, having achieved $189 million in 2011. AKQA will continue to operate as an independent and stand-alone brand within WPP and be led by founder and CEO Ajaz Ahmed and chairman Tom Bedecarré. Tom will also become president of WPP Ventures, a new Silicon Valley-based company, which will explore new digital investment opportunities for WPP as a whole. Other appointments to the Board of WPP Ventures will be made in due course. “With increased resources and access to new geographies, our partnership with WPP will fuel the next level of energy, excitement

Tata’s JLR creates 1,100 jobs in UK Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), owned by India’s Tata Motors, will expand its workforce by 1,100 at its advanced manufacturing facility in Castle Bromwich, in the West Midlands to support the launch of new Jaguar models. Commenting on the new jobs, Des Thurlby, HR Director at JLR said: “We have embarked on the most ambitious recruitment campaign in the company’s history, hiring 8,000 people in the last two years. We provide high quality training and development for all of our employees so this latest announcement for 1,100 jobs is great news for the West Midlands and the UK supply chain.” JLR anticipates that the launch of these new Jaguar models will also support thousands of jobs in the UK supply chain. In the first six months of the year, Jaguar has sold more than

Ajaz Ahmed founder of AKQA

and opportunity, delivering innovation and creativity at scale,” said Ajaz.

29,000 vehicles globally, which is a 19 % increase against the same period last year. All of Jaguar’s key markets, including China, UK, USA and Europe, have delivered year-on-year sales improvements.

AsianWealthMag.co.uk |

India opens up to foreign investment to revive economy The Indian government has approved a plan to open up its retail sector to global supermarket chains, meaning that chains such as Tesco could buy up to a 51% stake in multi-brand retailers, a controversial move which has been opposed by many. Indeed, last November the opposition was so great by tens of thousands of small businesses and cornershops who fear they will be put out of business, that the government mothballed a similar plan. However, it seems that this plan has added impetus given the country’s flagging economy. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said: “I believe that these steps will help strengthen our growth process and generate employment in these difficult times.” Business leaders also backed the plans. Sunil Bharti Mittal, chief executive of conglomerate Bharti Enterprises, said: “The series of policy decisions announced by the government today signal that India is on the move. More importantly, they will boost sentiment within the domestic industry and provide much needed momentum to the economy.” The Indian government has imposed strict rules on retailers wanting to invest in the country’s economy. They will have to invest at least $100m (£67m), open outlets only in towns with a population of more than one million and source at least 30% of produce from India, according to reports from the AFP news agency. “Tesco welcomes this positive development but we await further detail on the conditions... we are hopeful that [it] will allow more Indian consumers, businesses and communities to benefit from world-class retail investment,” said Tesco. In the same set of reforms, Singh’s government approved a plan to allow foreign airlines to buy 49% stakes in local carriers to boost the country’s troubled aviation sector. However, the price of diesel, which has always been heavily subsidised by the Indian government, has increased by 14%.

Sahara buys stake in NY’s Plaza Hotel The Indian investment company Sahara Group is to buy a 60% stake in New York’s Plaza Hotel for $570 million, from Elad Properties, an Israeli real estate company. The landmark luxury hotel, which overlooks New York’s Central Park, is jointly owned by Elad Properties and Saudi-based Kingdom Holdings. It is thought Elad will $400 million for its controlling stake, while Kingdom will receive the rest. Kingdom, the investment vehicle of Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, will hold a 25% stake once the deal is completed, Elad confirmed in a statement. Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, which is owned by the Saudi prince, will continue to operate the property, as it has done since 1999. Elad Properties acquired the hotel eight years ago for $675 million. Elad has previously sold luxury apartments in the renovated hotel for $1.5 billion, the sale of which earned the company $500 in profit.

Quotes & Anecdotes “We’re going where no one has gone before. There’s no model to follow, nothing to copy. That is what makes this so exciting.” -

Richard Branson

“Only those who are asleep make no mistakes.” -

Ingvar Kamprad

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” -

Winston Churchill

“And while the law of competition may be sometimes hard for the individual, it is best for the race, because it ensures the survival of the fittest in every department.” -

Andrew Carnegie

AsianWealthMag.co.uk |

McDonald’s goes green in India Fast food giant McDonald’s is to open its first ever vegetarian restaurants in India next year, in a bid to capitalise on hungry pilgrims visiting sacred sites in the country. The chain, best known for popularising burgers and fries around the world, currently has 271 outlets in India, and is planning a huge push into India in 2013, and wants to double the number of restaurants in three years. The first vegetarian restaurant will be in Katra, close to the hill shrine of Vaishno Devi, in northwestern Indian Kashmir, which hosts hundreds of thousands of Hindu pilgrims each year. Closely following this will be a restaurant in Amritsar, home to the Golden Temple, the spiritual centre of the Sikh faith. Currently, Indian McDonald’s outlets have a 50% vegetarian menu range, with the McAloo Tikki burger the top seller, accounting for a quarter of total sales.

BT to hike prices by 5% BT intends to raise some phone and broadband prices by up to 5.9% from January 2013, because of price increases by rivals, such as Sky, Virgin and Talk Talk – all of which have increased prices in the past six months. Price rises will include standard line rental, call plans, standard broadband and calls to other landlines, it said, but prices of landline calls to mobiles will remain unchanged.

Virgin reinstates daily direct flights to Mumbai Sir Richard Branson’s airline Virgin Atlantic is to relaunch daily flights to Mumbai, from London Heathrow starting at the end of October. Virgin dropped its Mumbai route in 2009 because of a decrease in customer demand. However, the demand has now grown enough for the carrier to backtrack on its decision. It is thought that the route to India is now the 12th busiest route from Heathrow. The London to Mumbai route is already served by British Airways and Air India.

Manchester home for £1 million Indian restaurant This autumn, a £1 million Indian restaurant is to open Manchester, in the famous Curry Mile. The businessman Jaf Siddiqi is behind the project, with his father Masroor helping to develop the menu and brother Kaz installed as operations manager. The high end restaurant, to be named Malai, will offer customers valet parking and complementary rickshaw rides in Manchester city centre afterwards. The establishment will hold unique Indian artefacts, theatre style cooking, tableside barbecues and an open show kitchen.

AsianWealthMag.co.uk |

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“There has been a lot in the press recently about tax evasion, and tax schemes based in foreign countries. I’m a little confused about what is legal and what is not. Can you tell me what is classed as tax avoidance and what is classed as tax evasion?”

Mayank Patel

Azibo Holdings to join WEF’s Global Growth Companies Azibo Holdings, a British private investment company, has been invited to join the Global Growth Companies (GGC), the World Economic Fund’s selection of dynamic companies with the potential to become drivers of economic and social change. Azibo Holdings includes two foreign exchange subsidiary companies, Currencies Direct and Tor FX – the latter bought by Azibo last year. Azibo Holdings was started by Mayank Patel 16 years ago, when he spotted the opportunity to provide a nonbank foreign exchange service. Azibo Holdings has grown tremendously since then, and now has 250 employees spread across operations in UK, Spain, France, Portugal, India and South Africa. Currencies Direct and TorFX have a combined annual turnover of £2.2 billion, processing over 300,000 payments in 45 different global currencies. Both have won numerous industry awards and been featured as ‘Sunday Times fast track 100 companies’. Since 2009, Azibo’s turnover has increased by 23%, with the company pulling in an estimated £1.8 billion this year, and has remained debt free. Rodolfo Lara Torres, World Economic Forum’s head of membership for Europe and Latin America said: “When choosing entrants to our community of Global Growth Companies, we assess companies on their business model, annual revenues and growth rates, executive leadership and market position. Azibo Holdings is a dynamic financial group with clear potential to shape the future in their relevant business sectors and so is a perfect fit to our GGC community.” Founded in 2007 to encourage high-growth companies to become forces for economic and social change, the World Economic Forum’s GGC includes more than 300 companies. Companies must demonstrate growth potential, high turnover, global capacity, consistent yearly growth rates and stellar leadership. Most importantly – they can only join through invitation.

Pinnacle Advisory Services: The recent press activity to whip the public into a frenzy over the tax “planning” activities of Jimmy Carr and others have bought the issue of tax avoidance and tax evasion into the public eye. Unfortunately for Mr Carr, he became the scape goat in the “K2” scheme while other equally famous or wealthy people identified as taking part in such schemes, such as Gary Barlow, have avoided the outrage. The important point is to identify the difference in tax “avoidance” and tax “evasion”. Tax avoidance - is a means to avoid tax in a manner which is not illegal but works via the use of “loopholes”, in simple terms while HMRC tries to maximise its revenue someone will be out there thinking up a sophisticated (legal) means to reduce a tax bill. Tax evasion - on the other hand, conjures up images of Al Capone on the run from the law enforcement agents! This is exactly what it is, an illegal action to avoid paying taxes. Often as simple as not stating your full income and thereby avoiding paying any tax. Although many people didn’t realise, the scheme used by Jimmy Carr wasn’t tax evasion but tax avoidance. Schemes such as these devised by lawyers and accountants are open to investigation at some stage by HMRC. The problem with this avoidance scheme was that it came into the public eye and even had politicians jumping on the band wagon by denouncing Carr’s actions. There was no similar out cry in 2005 when the business tycoon, Philip Green, paid his wife a dividend of more than £1 billion and avoided tax due to her residency status! Certainly very good tax avoidance and no hint of evasion. There are many alternatives for individuals and their businesses to mitigate their tax liability. The correct entity structure, timing of payments, investment planning and considering employing family members are just a handful of options. The old adage “If it sounds too good to be true...” should often be applied in complex scenarios.

Chartered Certified accountants AsianWealthMag.co.uk |

THE

UZMA HASAN COULD BE DESCRIBED IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS: INDEPENDENT MOVIE PRODUCER, IVY LEAGUE ALUMNI, BORN AND BRED LONDONER… BUT WHATEVER YOU DO, NEVER REFER TO HER AS AN ETHNIC MINORITY. SHE TALKS TO JO PAYNE.

STORYTELLER

The phrase ‘overachiever’ might have been created for a person like Uzma Hasan. When we meet on a hot and sticky Monday evening in London’s Soho region, she humbly tells me how she has just sold the Bollywood rights to her latest movie, The Infidel. The movie made $5 million globally, has been released in 62 countries around the world, and is the subject of an NBC network television remake.

The Infidel is essentially a body swap movie, she explains, along the lines of Freaky Friday or Trading Places. It tells the story of Mahmud Nasir, played by Omid Djalili, a devoted Muslim, who explores his religious identity after finding out he is adopted, and Jewish. The British writer and comedian David Baddiel wrote the script. To have produced such a successful film before the age of 30, when many are attempting to enter the film industry at the lowest rung of the ladder, does not seem so far fetched after talking to Uzma. The daughter

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of two surgeons, she shunned the sciences at a young age when her love of English literature led her to read this subject at Cardiff University. After graduating with a first, she moved into a successful PR career at the agency Ogilvy & Mather, working with large corporations such as Verizon at the height of the technology and IT boom. However, even after securing her client a large spread in the Financial Times, she felt “empty” and pursued her dream of attending an Ivy League university. “I had spent three years of my life immersed in this academic experience and I didn’t feel that I was doing anything good. 9/11 had just happened as well, and I’m Muslim, so it’s something that really made me stop and think and reassess what I was doing. At that point I still didn’t really know which field I wanted to go into, but I wanted to find something that was more ‘me’,” she explains. Enabled by the Kennedy Memorial Trust (JFK’s posthumous fund for UK academics to attend university in

the US), Uzma enrolled at Harvard University. Her time in Boston was life changing. Uzma attended lectures by visiting speakers including the Dalai Lama and Boutros BoutrosGhali. One such alumnus was the filmmaker Mira Nair, the director behind Monsoon Wedding.

“foolhardy” but describes her 20s as “an absolute riot”. When her US working visa ran out, Uzma decided to return to Britain to “save the British film industry” she exclaims with a cackle of laughter. “I’m from Britain and I wanted to make British films,” she explains.

Serendipitous timing brought Nair to Harvard at a time when Uzma was developing her fascination with film. The imagery of the very recent terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York was fresh in her mind. Books were her first love, but when 9/11 happened she realised the lasting power of imagery. “Pictures can say a thousand words and they can start a thousand wars. And that image [of the plane flying into the twin towers] started a thousand wars. I remember being really amazed by that thought.”

Coming back to Britain, Uzma started working for Slingshot Studios, the company she eventually made The Infidel with. This kind of pioneering, venture capital-backed, digital film production company was very rare at the time because it was making films entirely digitally, with small budgets, which at the time was unheard of. This type of sensible movie making has stayed with Uzma, who still makes successful films for the right budget.

Inspired by Nair, Uzma kept in contact with her for eight months with offers of free work on her upcoming movie, Vanity Fair. Eventually the phonecall came, asking her to work in the New York editing suite. “I was 23-yearsold, my mind went blank and I just said yes!” she exclaims. “I knew that I had more to offer than to just be a runner. So I’m really

“I had spent three years of my life immersed in this academic experience and I didn’t feel that I was doing anything good.” glad that I’ve come to film with all the skills I acquired through PR,” she explains. “You can exploit those skills, anyone with any modicum of intelligence would, and they did. I was doing a lot of stuff that I would never have done if I had come into film from just being a university graduate,” she explains. For example, as a result of her connection to Nair, Uzma became involved in the Tribeca Film Festival, which was established in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and to contribute to the recovery of the Tribeca area of Lower Manhattan Uzma describes her journey into filmmaking as “scary” and

LACK OF REPRESENTATION Now working independently, Uzma has some fantastic projects in development. While she is extremely careful not to be labelled as an ‘Asian filmmaker’, one of these upcoming projects could be seen as ‘ethnic’, a movie based on the cult novel by Gautam Malkani, Londonstani, which tells the story of four friends in Hounslow. Uzma understandably shies away from the ethnic minority and diversity tag. “I just want to make movies,” she says. One of her next films, Baptism, is a serial killer movie set in Louisiana and “has nothing to do with being Asian!” she says. “I do think what is important is that I’m going to be making it, and I’m going to be one of the few people in that room with a brown face, to put it at its most crass. And maybe I’m deluded, but I think that makes a difference,” she says. Uzma is one of the few Asians in the British film industry; cultural factors influence this of course, a mentality to lean toward stable professions is inherent within the Asian community. There are, Uzma says, very few UK role models from within their own community for young Asian filmmakers to look up to. “Many of the film commissioning and governing bodies recognise this as an issue and there are some fantastic schemes for those looking to break into filmmaking,” she explains.

AsianWealthMag.co.uk |

Jonathan Ross

Jonathan Freedland, The Guardian

Omid djalilI

Richard Schiff

Archie Panjabi

AND

Written BY

CYAN

MAGENTA

YELLOW

David Baddiel

BLACK

Client

Revolver Entertainment

Job Description

The Infidel

Matt Lucas

QUAD

Date

12.03.10 File Name

The Infidel_Quad_AW.indd

Mechanical Full Trim Size

ARTWORK AT 100% 30 x 40”

THE INFIDEL

QUAD_AW

The Infidel – Written by David Baddiel and stars Omid Djalili

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“But at the same time, it’s really important for the Asian community to sustain and support those people throughout their careers, so that they can become creative influencers who have a say in the types of films that are made in, and represent, the British film industry. One of the most amazing things, in my mind, about this country is that our culture made up of so many different experiences and influences, and I’d love to see that particular sense of Britishness better represented on screen.” The Infidel was backed by a small number of high-net-worth individuals all of whom continue to profit from the film’s ongoing global success. “Sadly, none of our investors were from the Asian community,” Uzma says. Perhaps one of the reasons may be that these investors often stick to rather conservative portfolios and they assume that film is a high risk investment. Uzma points to other investment communities such as the Jewish, Russian or Middle Eastern communities that have more varied portfolios which contain traditional investments such as property, but also may include football clubs, art galleries, or indeed independent feature films. “These types of investors are very serious about making high returns but understand

that these can come from a variety of sources,” she says. “They see investing in an independent feature in the same vein as backing a tech start up – the barriers to success are high but you could find yourself with a Facebook/My Big Fat Greek Wedding on your hands. It’s really about backing an individual or team that you believe in.” These investors are also interested in influencing and shaping culture in a way that the Asian community has traditionally shied away from. Becoming part of the British film culture is important for the Asian investment community, she says, but that doesn’t mean the only films they should invest in would be about ethnic Britain. More films need to be made about diverse subjects that are coming out of the Asian culture, she explains. “I’m sick of seeing the same old same old; wife beating, arranged marriage, honour killings – it’s just the same old thing. All of that bullshit I am not interested in because I have moved beyond that, and a whole community has moved way, way, way beyond that.” For its part, The Infidel was subversive “because there is a Muslim family

“I just want to

keep telling stories. That is all I want to do.”

where there is no suicide bomber, the mother is very moderate, as is the father, the daughter-in-law covers her head but another person chooses not to. We tried to show that there are loads of Muslim families, they probably live next door to you, and they’re normal and they’re not out to kill you,” she explains. “That is actually a very shocking thing to see. We were all very keen to show that there is not just one type of Muslim… bearded, scary, hook.”

kind of deal, but it allows independent producers to cover their expenses and make movies, while also having a stake in the films. The producer has the hardest job in filmmaking, getting something off the ground and kick-starting the engine, but Uzma admits that she is addicted. “I just want to keep telling stories. That is all I want to do,” she says. Ironically, it may play out that the most interesting story of all, in time, will be Uzma’s own.

At such a young age, Uzma has had incredible success where many others are still trying to break into the industry. Her current position is testament to her fierce intelligence and strategic thinking. Uzma doesn’t yet consider herself to be a success. She says that only when she knows she can make movies every year will that mean success to her. Currently, she is searching for an overhead deal, which would make consistent filmmaking easier. An overhead deal is funding that allows an independent producer such as Uzma to work with a high-networth individual who believes in the producer’s skills and talents. The amounts of money are small in this AsianWealthMag.co.uk |

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THE

ELEVATOR PITCH Picture the scene: the elevator door opens and you’re confronted with the ideal investor for your business. This is your chance to shine – to prove to them that you’ve got an idea packed full of potential. Now all you need to do is sell it.

6. Ditch the jargon

This is where the Elevator Pitch comes in. It’s not a presentation or a full-blown business plan, but a short, concise summary of what your business, product or service does – in less than 60 seconds (roughly 200 words).

7. Practise

It’s a chance for you to make that all-important, positive first impression, leaving potential investors interested and wanting to know more about you, and your business. Here are 10 tips on how to craft the perfect Elevator Pitch:

1. Have a hook

Open your pitch with a question or statement that immediately engages your audience. Grab their attention from the beginning and they’ll listen to what you have to say.

2. In a nutshell

Sum up what your idea, product or service is in a short, snappy sentence. Then, briefly describe who the target market will be.

3. Be passionate

Pitch yourself. Be enthusiastic, engaging and to the point. Talk about what you can bring to the table – your achievements and skills, rather than focus too much on an intangible concept or idea.

You only have 60 seconds, so don’t turn your audience off before you’ve even begun with baffling tech speak or jargon. Say what you need to say in simple, layman’s terms.

Rehearse your pitch so that you’re ready to roll when the opportunity arises.

8. Know your audience

Tailor what you say so that it’s aimed directly at the person/group you’re talking to. Also, as your company grows and evolves, the way you talk about it should evolve too. Keep that level of excitement when you talk about your business or idea – think about what will spark interest.

9. A request

End your pitch with a request for something – this could be a business card, a referral or the time to stage a full presentation. You’ve come this far, so don’t afraid to be bold.

10. Listen

You’ve had your chance to talk, so remember to listen too, and accept any feedback. Even if nothing concrete comes from the pitch this time around, it’s still an opportunity to build your business network.

4. Differentiate yourself

Think about what makes you unique. What sets you apart from your competitors? You need to be able to communicate this, so do your homework and know your market.

5. Revenue model

Clearly state how you think your business or idea will make money. It’s also integral to know what the projected return will be for investors. ‘What’s in it for me?’ will probably be one of the first things they ask.

AsianWealthMag.co.uk |

CHALLENGES FOR A

NEW GENERATION DR SPINDER DHALIWAL, PROFESSOR OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SURREY, LOOKS AT THE EVOLUTION OF ASIAN-OWNED CORPORATIONS SINCE THE 1960S, AND HOW A WHOLE NEW SET OF CHALLENGES ARE SHAPING ASIAN BUSINESS.

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The continued success of Asian entrepreneurs testifies to the staying power of the Asian business community. Asian wealth in the UK has become more diverse. It now crosses from first through to second and third generations. We see an emerging and evolving Asian business community and it is worth noting the pace and direction. It spans manufacturing and services, entertainment and fashion, hotels and property, food and pharmaceuticals. The contribution of the British Asian community to the resurgence of British industry is exemplified by the likes of Swraj Paul, Nat Puri and Dinesh Dhamija among others. While programmes like The Apprentice and Dragonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Den have popularised the brash, go-getting entrepreneur, in reality it is hard work, perseverance and true grit that has seen the Asian business community flourish in the UK. When the first generation Asians arrived in the UK in the late 1960s and early 1970s, success in business compensated, to some degree, for the initial lack of recognition from their new host country. The East African Asians, especially, tried to recapture some of the self-esteem they lost when they were forced to leave their businesses behind, after having been expelled from Uganda in 1972 during Idi Aminâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rule. The first generation aimed primarily for economic comfort and security for the family while seizing the opportunities the UK presented. Some businesses were set up in order to keep the family members together and in employment and they enjoyed the status of being business people, which carried some weight in the community. Corner shops became their stronghold.

The Asian entrepreneur was held up as a role model highlighting the rags to riches story. They transformed the UK from an eight-hour working day to 24-hours, seven days a week. Indian cuisine and restaurants became a key part of the British lifestyle. The restaurants are responsible for the success of many of the key players in Asian enterprise. Gulam Noon, for example, credits the restaurants for opening the doors for his range of Indian chilled and frozen foods to be found in Sainsbury’s and Waitrose among other stores. The same is true for the success of Karan Bilimoria and Cobra lager. However, in reality, a few high fliers mask a proliferation of firms concentrated in sectors with low barriers to entry and a struggle for survival. Many of the corner shops so closely associated with Asians would not be financially viable if the true family labour costs are factored in. These shops are going into the hands of the next generation of immigrants as younger Asians opt out of working the same hours as their parents. MOVING ON There have been some significant changes in the composition of wealth creation. For example, there has been a shift in activities away from traditional manufacturing companies towards newer, high-tech, highvalue companies in industries like pharmaceuticals. The growth of Waymade Healthcare headed by the Patel brothers Vijay and Bhikhu demonstrates this trend. Vijay recalls his humble start: “When you only have a shirt on your back you have nothing to lose.” Born into poverty in the Western highlands of Kenya, the brothers arrived in the UK with a work ethic and a determination to succeed. Waymade Healthcare now employs more than 700 people. Mike Jatania, the chief executive of Lornamead, too has enjoyed tremendous success with his acquisition strategy. If the results of these entrepreneurs were achieved in decades full of challenge and controversy, the past few years have been no different; sluggish economic growth, stock market uncertainty and question marks

about the housing market provide the starkest of economic backdrops to this compendium of Asian success. Firoz Kassam of the London-based Firoka Group of companies made his fortune in the hotel trade in London, which includes the Holiday Inn at London’s Kings Cross as a major part of his portfolio. In 1999, he bought Oxford United Football Club for £1. This meant taking over its debts estimated to be about £18 million and built the now famous Kassam Stadium on the edge of Oxford. Surinder Arora is one of the top hoteliers in the country with the flagship Arora International at Heathrow. It was the first hotel in the UK purpose-built for airline crew. A sister hotel opened at Gatwick in 2002 and now his portfolio is nationwide. The next generation of Asian entrepreneurs may lack the fire in their belly which drove their fathers and may be too quick to purchase their first Mercedes, but they still have much to offer. There is a greater degree of complexity for the younger generation. While they are more integrated, more educated and more IT literate, they lack the family backing and access to subsidised family labour that the first generation enjoyed. However they are gaining competitive advantage by capitalising on their linguistic skills, cultural knowledge and business contacts both here and overseas. Entry into business is out of choice, not the last resort. Shami Ahmed, head of the legendary clothing brand Joe Bloggs, illustrates success despite his controversial image. He has had clashes with Elizabeth Emanuel and Moss Bros among others but has built up and placed the clothing business initiated by his father at the cutting edge of the designer fashion world. THE INEXPERIENCE OF YOUTH Young entrepreneurs are needed to rescue and revitalise the economy according to Lord Alan Sugar in his search for his Junior Apprentice. Arjun Rajyagor, the bespectacled 17-year-old winner of the first series, did not obviously replicate Sugar’s killer instinct. However, the inexperience of youth could be just the tonic the economy needs. Young entrepreneurs with their energy, drive, confidence and resilience could yet be AsianWealthMag.co.uk |

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the perfect formula for entrepreneurial success. Reality shows serve to popularise the spirit of entrepreneurship. According to Dr Nigel Lockett, president of the Institute of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, this high media presence means that it has never been easier to be an entrepreneur”. The skills young people have today are vital too, Lockett explains. “Young entrepreneurs are more familiar with today’s technology which is driving enterprise and has spawned so many opportunities, not just for internet businesses, but also in supporting traditional businesses.” This generation has grown up with the internet, Smartphones and the instantaneous nature of social networking sites. They are finding ways to work smarter not harder. They are fiercely ambitious and do not want to waste time. So do business schemes hold more interest than studying? Many of our most renowned entrepreneurs left school as early as they could – Richard Branson, Alan Sugar and hotelier Surinder Arora are a few of many who learnt by doing, not studying. However, despite these role models, it appears that many young entrepreneurs are finding their entrepreneurial wings while studying.

Rajeeb Dey

Rajeeb Dey has several internet businesses and stumbled into entrepreneurship by accident. “I was 17 years old and decided to start an organisation that would work to give school students a voice in their education,” he explains. He launched the English Secondary Students’ Association (ESSA) and set up studentvoice.co.uk. “Having established ESSA I realised how fun and fulfilling it is to see an idea come into fruition,” he says. Today ESSA employs five people and numerous freelance staff and volunteers and works with thousands of students across England.

can be challenging. “When you are just starting and ‘bootstrapping’ your business with little/no resources you have to fulfill numerous functions all at once as you do not have the luxury of hiring a big team to support you.” Rajeeb concedes there are numerous advantages to being young and in business. “Firstly, you’ll be surprised by how many more experienced and older people there are in business willing to help you and support you in your journey. Secondly as you’re young you have less commitments, you’re unlikely to have a family to support and thus can take more risk. Finally the, often naïve, optimism always helps as you’re less likely to have become jaded by any previous negative experiences.” Young entrepreneurs may be part of the answer to Britain’s problems and may provide the new generation of socially and environmentally aware businesses, as well as being compelling and inspirational role models. Asian wealth continues to stimulate growth in industries and places that would struggle without the engine of Asian entrepreneurship. Asian wealth is diversifying. Asian wealth is modernising. Asian wealth crosses the generational divide. Asian wealth represents solid foundations, good business practice, commitment to community, openness to change and a massive contribution to society. They provide excellent role models for other migrant groups and everyone can learn from the Asian phenomenon. Dr Spinder Dhaliwal is author of Making a Fortune, Learning from the Asian Phenomenon (Capstone).

Rajeeb, now 24, asserts the importance of networking. “I meet a whole array of interesting and inspiring people – networking is an essential part of being an entrepreneur and something I really enjoy!” However, the start-up process AsianWealthMag.co.uk |

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Automotive Review

itting proudly at the pinnacle of the luxury British car maker’s sports car line-up, this breath-taking new super grand tourer represents the zenith of current Aston Martin design and engineering. Vanquish is a new Aston Martin featuring the next generation of the renowned VH architecture as well as a significantly upgraded 6.0-litre V12 engine that is considerably more potent than before. Aston Martin says that the design represents the latest take on the brand’s “iconic visual language”. Vanquish unquestionably sees the brand continue its enviable tradition of producing some of the most beautiful sports cars in the world. Styling cues such as the elegant new waist, elongated side strakes and LED rear light blades are derived from the One77 supercar.

THE VANQUISH LANDS

Unmistakably an Aston Martin, the design shows a clear and coherent lineage from its heritage while providing an equally clear pointer to the luxury car brand’s vibrant future. Closer inspection reveals details such as the stunning new Aero Duct on the rear boot lid. This elegantly devised passive engineering feature, which counteracts lift at the car’s rear when travelling at speed, is a triumph of both design and technical ability. Performance, presence, style and great British craftsmanship, the new Vanquish has all these traits in abundance. Priced from £189,995 in the UK, first deliveries of the new sports car are expected to begin in the UK and Continental Europe late in 2012.

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Automotive Review

Aston Martin Vanquish Specification BODY • Two-door coupe body style with 2+0 or optional 2+2 seating • New generation bonded aluminium and carbon fibre VH structure • Aluminium, magnesium alloy and carbon-fibre composite body • Extruded aluminium door side-impact beams • Bi-xenon headlamps • LED light blade rear lamps and LED side repeaters ENGINE • All-alloy, independent quad variable camshaft timing, 48-valve, 5,935 cc V12 • Compression ratio 11.0:1 • Front-mid mounted engine, rear-wheel drive • Fully catalysed stainless steel exhaust system with active bypass valves • Six three-way catalytic convertors • Max power: 573 PS (565 bhp) at 6,750 rpm • Max torque: 620 Nm (457 lb ft) at 5,500 rpm • Acceleration: 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 4.1 seconds • Max speed: 295 km/h (183 mph) TRANSMISSION • Rear-mid mounted, six-speed Touchtronic 2 automatic/ sequential manual gearbox • Alloy torque tube with carbon fibre propeller shaft • Limited-slip differential WHEELS AND TYRES • Front: 9J x 20’’ Pirelli P Zero 255/35 ZR20 • Rear: 11.5J x 20’’ Pirelli P Zero 305/30 ZR20

STEERING • Speed-dependent electronically controlled rack and pinion power-assisted steering, 2.62 turns lock-to-lock. Column tilt and reach adjustment SUSPENSION • Lightweight aluminium front subframe with hollow castings • Front: Independent double wishbone incorporating anti-dive geometry, coil springs, anti-roll bar and monotube adaptive dampers • Rear: Independent double wishbones with anti-squat and anti-lift geometry, coil springs, anti-roll bar and monotube adaptive dampers • Three-stage adjustable Adaptive Damping System (ADS) with Normal, Sport and Track modes BRAKES • Front: Ventilated carbon ceramic discs, 398mm diameter with six-piston calipers • Rear: Ventilated carbon ceramic discs, 360mm diameter with four-piston calipers • Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) with Track mode • Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) • Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) • Emergency Brake Assist (EBA) • Positive Torque Control (PTC) • Traction Control • Launch Control

Aston Martin UK Launch review – see Pages 78/79

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MY BUSINESS: ARUNA SETH THE NAME SETH HAS BEEN LINKED TO THE BRITISH SHOE INDUSTRY SINCE THE 1970s, WHEN GEOFF SETH CORNERED THE MARKET IN SPORTSWEAR WITH THE POPULAR ASCOT BRAND OF TRAINER. IN 2012, THE FAMILY LEGACY IN FOOTWEAR IS STILL GOING STRONG, WITH GEOFF’S DAUGHTER ARUNA NOW FOCUSING ON GLAMOUR, AND CELEBRITY.

Describe the premise of your business, what it does and who are its customers? We retail our shoes on our website. We offer personalised one-on-one fittings at the Millennium Hotel on Sloane Street, London. Our customers are varied, they can be high-net-worth individuals who will buy several pairs in one go, ladies who love shoes in general and like to make investment purchases, or brides who usually go for more affordable shoes but fall in love with the Aruna Seth brand for their wedding day. How are you different from the competition? The brand Aruna Seth likes to differentiate itself from competitors by offering designer shoes that are comfortable. Inside the soles of our shoes is special plush leather cushioned padding which provides cashmere-like comfort for feet. Girls find our shoes comfortable to wear all day long and the comfort factor is very appealing to brides who often have to stand all day. What inspired you to start your own business, rather than working in a similar business that was already established within the industry? My father has run his own private label shoe company for over 50 years. He works long hours and is an extremely inspirational figure. Although my shoes are completely different to my father’s, and the network is different due to the price points, my father has been great to lean on for advice. Did you always think you would work in fashion? I’ve always had a passion for fashion and it feels like the shoe industry is in my blood because I have such a long-standing history in it with my family association. Plus, I’ve had an awesome shoe habit for years now, and own around 150 personal pairs of shoes.

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How much oversight do you have on the concept and design of your shoes? I have designers that help me with the shoes but I have huge oversight with each design. I research ideas by doing loads of shoe shopping, and I always have a notebook handy to write down new ideas and I sketch drawings of the shoes. I am at the factory to oversee the sample and the manufacturing production and, of course, test out the end product! How much has the business grown since it began? We have doubled every year in terms of sales. It is great because when a bride wears our shoes to her wedding they get an audience from the guests. It was hard work in the beginning but now it all seems to be paying off and we feel established in everything from our press presence to our Facebook page, and it’s been amazing seeing stars such as Kate Hudson and Pippa Middleton wear our shoes on the red carpet. Has coming from a shoe empire helped you to get a feel for the business? I can always ask my dad for advice on anything from the finances of the business to the design of the shoes. The connections we needed to get for the Aruna Seth business to thrive have been totally different to his business, but he has been great to get advice from, and moral support when we had meetings with retailers such as Harrods. What are the main challenges your business faces? There are of course the challenges of the economy and every retailer is facing this at the moment. But we’re pretty steady because we sell our products mainly online, which means we do not have the heavy overheads of maintaining a store, and can keep our outgoing costs lower. What is the next objective for your brand? We’d love for the brand to become more well-known on the international stage. Over the past few years we have focused heavily on the US, and especially on building a client base in NYC and Los Angeles. Next, we are focusing on Asia. We recently did two amazing events in Singapore and Hong Kong – the market out there is strong and the ladies know how to shop! www.arunaseth.com

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COMPANY PROFILE

CONNECTING BUSINESS FOR THE BETTER: MSDUK MSDUK IS A CONDUIT FOR PROCUREMENT ORGANISATIONS TO INVESTIGATE WORKING WITH ETHNIC MINORITY SUPPLIERS. SINCE IT BEGAN, THE ORGANISATION HAS GROWN EXPONENTIALLY AND HAS WORKED WITH THE LARGEST GLOBAL CORPORATIONS. AWM TAKES A CLOSER LOOK.

Minority Supplier Development UK (MSDUK) was established and started operations in July 2006, as a not-forprofit company, to connect ethnic minority businesses (EMBs) from across the UK with large procurement organisations. It was set up to promote a diverse and inclusive supply chain within large private sector firms, bringing more inclusivity and equality of opportunity into procurement practices, which can generate economic as well as social benefit. The seed of the idea for MSDUK was formed when the organisationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s founder and director Mayank Shah was granted a bursary to carry out doctoral research on supplier diversity, funded by the then East Midlands Development Agency (EMDA). Mayank had been in business himself for 16 years. Born and brought up in Delhi, he completed his first masters degree from Delhi University and then moved into the business of procuring raw materials for the heavy engineering

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industries, power and nuclear plants and then diversified into export where he set up a manufacturing unit to produce handbags which were then exported to the US, Europe and the UK. Mayank moved to the UK in search of better opportunities in 2000. He studied for an MBA from Leeds University, and then moved in the field of supplier diversity through doctoral research. The aim of this research was to understand the history, framework, growth and success of supplier diversity programmes in the United States. It also looked at how corporate America has, through its minority supplier development programme, helped to grow minority businesses and create jobs and wealth in disadvantaged communities. Importantly, it also focused on what best practices can be transferred to the UK to help growth EMBs through engagement in the corporate supply chain. In 2002, during his first year of research, Mayank went to the US on a study tour, visiting firms like Ford, JPMorganChase, and Unisys to understand their supplier diversity programmes, subsequently

COMPANY PROFILE came across the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) – a membership organisation connecting minority business enterprises with corporate America. Concurrently, a number of leading US corporations were considering extending their programmes to countries outside of the US where they had major operations and there was a strong case for supplier diversity. The UK was one of those destinations and NMSDC was looking for a partner to set up a similar entity that could help large organisations connect to ethnic minority businesses. This led to seed investment by EMDA and financial commitment from 15 corporations to set up MSDUK in 2006. Since then, corporate membership has increased from 15 to 38, and more than 350 ethnic minority businesses from over 26 different industry categories, based across the UK, are part of the MSDUK network. More than £25 million worth of business has been transacted between MSDUK corporate members and EMBs during the past six years.

WHAT DOES AN EMB GET FOR ITS MEMBERSHIP? Membership of MSDUK provides an EMB with: • A connection to more than 30 large corporations including 12 Fortune 100 firms • The only UK certification programme for ethnic minority businesses • Access to contract opportunities from MSDUK’s corporate members • A network of over 200 procurement professionals and 300 ethnic minority businesses • Access to events including Meet the Buyer and Business Opportunity Fair • Quality training and mentoring opportunities delivered by MSDUK members

Corporate members include companies such as Pepsico, Exxon Mobil, Cisco, GlaxoSmithKline and IBM to name but a few. MSDUK is now looking to recruit new corporate members from the retail, construction, high street banks and the facilities management industries in the next 12 months.

HOW DOES MSDUK DEFINE AN ETHNIC MINORITY BUSINESS?

It also runs a yearly conference, this year at the Grange Tower Bridge Hotel on 11th October. This day comprises three parts: a business opportunity fair, a knowledge forum and an awards dinner. For this year’s nominees please turn to page 72.

• Asian– (a) Bangladeshi (b) Indian (c) Pakistani (d) Asian Other;

Subscription onto the supplier database offers certification, access to MSDUK events and access to contract opportunities. There is an annual membership fee for ethnic minority businesses, which is £200 for those with a turnover of less than £1million and £300 for those with a turnover greater than £1million.

A firm must be a for profit enterprise, regardless of size, physically located in the UK, which is owned, operated and controlled by an ethnic minority group. “Ethnic Minority” for the purposes of definition shall mean individuals whose ethnic origin is:

• Black– (a) Black African (b) Black Caribbean (c) Black Other; • Chinese or Mixed Heritage- (a) White & Asian (b) White & Black African (c) White and Black Caribbean (d) Mixed Background Other - provided that such individuals are British Nationals and/or who permanently reside in the United Kingdom. “Ownership or Owned” by ethnic minority individuals means the business is at least 51% owned by such individuals or, in the case of a publicly owned business, at least 51% of the stock is owned by one or more such individuals. Further, that ethnic minority individuals control the management and daily business operations.

Corporate membership ranges from £3000 to £10,000 (plus VAT) based on the kind of membership type required. For further information about joining MSDUK, or to connect with the EMB members, please visit www.msduk.org.uk

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DESTINATION:

LUXURY MEET AWM’S NEW LUXURY TRAVEL EXPERT, VARUN SHARMA, THE HOST OF THE TELEVISION SERIES INSIDE LUXURY TRAVEL. HE HAS NOW STAYED IN NEARLY 700 LUXURY HOTELS & RESORTS … AND HAS FLOWN IN A FIGHTER JET, HAD DINNER WITH A DINGO AND HAS COOKED WITH MORE THAN 75 MICHELIN-STARRED CHEFS! THIS MONTH, HE GIVES US HIS OPINION ON THAILAND’S FOUR SEASONS CHIANG RAI.

Thailand is one of the most popular travel destinations in Asia, not only because of her diversity in landscape and culture – but also due to the genuine friendliness of her people. From the great, bustling, smog-filled, skyscraperheavy city of Bangkok, which offers luxury and poverty, stunning golden temples and immense squalor in equal measures – to the beauty of ancient cities like Chiang Mai and jungles of Chiang Rai – Thailand offers a unique slice of life that is so far from the order of the West. After a 20 minute journey down the Mekong River I arrived at the resort’s jetty where two members of staff were waiting with much needed cold towels and drinks. It was a 75-step-climb into the jungle where I was met by a memory of elephants. My old friend Yuki (“snow” in Japanese) was at the lead – trunk raised in welcome. I was back at undoubtedly one of the greatest luxury travel experiences in the world. There is one reason and one reason alone why you visit the Four Seasons Tented Camp – to interact with the Asian elephant in a way that is unique around the world. You eat meals with your elephant, gallump with them through the jungle, rest with them and also bathe with them, an experience you would want to revisit time and time again. Most people who visit the Tented Camp also include a few days in Chiang Mai – the Walled City – often regarded as the cultural capital of Thailand. There is a Four Seasons Resort here (boasting its own rice paddy field) and a lovely Mandarin Oriental. The gateway to Thailand is – of course – Bangkok. This bustling, crowded and crazy city offers some of the greatest hotel names in the world – excellent and varied cuisine and a huge number of tourist attractions that can easily fill a week. With its many temples, river adventures, markets and restaurants – Bangkok is a must for any visitor to Thailand.

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THE HIGHS

The Tented Camp offers a genuinely unique experience interacting with pachyderms while living in the lap of true luxury. With just 15 tents, there are only ever a maximum of 30 guests on the property, a luxury in itself. Marrying the idea of glamping with the Four Seasons has worked seamlessly. If Four Seasons were to open a mud-hut resort in Timbuktu, it would a finest mud-hut resort in the world with faultless, generous and genuine service. The tents in the resort make you feel that although you are deep in the jungle, that you are cosy, safe and living the height of indulgence. The Four Seasons service is also legendary, the staff often know what you want even before you do. Although several kilometres from the nearest town, the Tented Camp offers a full a la carte menu featuring Thai and international dishes. For those tired from the day’s exertions, tent service is available (including the usual club sandwiches, pizzas and soup) and there is something quite special about eating your meal overlooking a dense jungle where elephants roam and monkeys swing from trees. As ever, the quality of the Four Seasons food on offer was fabulous – there was even Heinz ketchup with my fries which felt like a real luxury.

THE LOWS

The resort is located in the middle of nowhere, there are no shops or restaurants in the local area, while you will only spend three nights in the camp, be prepared to get very wet, bitten by the odd mosquito and ache in places on your body that you didn’t know existed, but trust me it is worth it. If there was one issue I have with the Tented Camp, it is the ever-present mosquitoes. There are several hundred antimozzie products, for me I eat cloves of garlic, slather my body in tea tree oil and a Scottish remedy called Smidge, but alas the mosquitoes ALWAYS seem to find that one place on your body that has been missed!

FINAL THOUGHTS

There are scores of 5-star deluxe hotels in Thailand. With incredible service, amenities and facilities, Thailand offers a standard that few countries can match. Only one resort offers a unique experience of elephants and luxury accommodation ... and that is the Tented Camp in the Golden Triangle.

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THE BASICS Stay… There are 15 custom-designed, air-conditioned tents for two, including three deluxe tents with outdoor wooden hot tub, for a maximum of 30 guests – adults and children over 12 years only. The tents boast handcrafted furniture, hardwood floors and spacious sundecks; a handhammered copper bathtub for two and outdoor rain-shower.

Eat… Dine at the Nong Yao Restaurant for Thai, Laotian, Burmese and international cuisine, the Wine Cellar for intimate dinner gatherings, or in the intimate setting of your own Tent Burma Bar, a thatched lounge perched on stilts above the river.

Relax… There are two open-air spa salas among the treetops – with side-by-side treatment beds for couples – offering traditional Thai massages and wellness rituals.

When? The hot season runs from March to May; the green season from June to October; and the cool dry season from November to February. For more information visit www.fourseasons.com

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THE

£ FACTOR A SATISFIED WORKFORCE WILL BE A PRODUCTIVE ONE. HERE, MELISSA STEWART SHOWS YOU HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF THE TALENT WITHIN YOUR BUSINESS SO THAT YOU CAN REAP THE REWARDS.

Popular TV talent shows like The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent make it look easy. You have a dream, you follow it, and before you know it you’re at the top of your game. Sadly, when it comes to business, it takes more than just a dream. In order to grow a successful company you need to ensure that not only do you have a strong work ethic and business plan, but that you also have a passionate and productive team around you – helping you make that plan a reality. Making sure your people are switched on, motivated and willing to give their all for you and your company is no mean feat, but with some savvy recruitment, mentoring and development, you can ensure that your employees maximise their potential and deliver results.

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ALLOW FOR INDIVIDUALITY The first step to nurturing talent within your business is to let individuals flourish. “Allow people to develop their own ideas as much as possible,” says Carol Wilson, performance coach and author of Best Practice in Performance Coaching: A Handbook for Leaders, Coaches, HR Professionals and Organizations. “You may have an overall vision for your company and a target for where you want it to get to, but the key thing is allowing individuals to get there in the way that they choose. “People have different preferences – some people like to work things out in meetings, while others prefer to write everything in emails – let them work in the way that’s best for them. If you force people into working in

‘Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.’ Michael Jordan a different way, they’ll get depressed and demotivated.” This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t give people targets but let them come up with the ideas of how they can achieve those targets, and support them in doing that. LET THEM TAKE RISKS In order to spot new talent and let employees thrive, you also have to let them take risks. This can be hard for entrepreneurs – especially in new businesses – but if someone has an idea that you believe in, let them run with it, and your company will grow. “The risk factor can be scary,” says Carol. “It’s what stops most entrepreneurs from going past the ‘Mom and Pop’ stage. They won’t let go of the details because they’re afraid that someone else’s mistake will affect their business. It’s a very real fear. The trouble is, if you can’t get past that stage, the business will never grow. If you micro-manage every aspect, not only will the company stay small but you’ll also stifle employees. They won’t have the opportunity to show how bright, talented and efficient they are – and so will eventually go elsewhere. A CULTURE OF TRUST This leads on to job satisfaction – which ranks way above salary in the list of what people find most important about their employment. The truth is that a happy workforce will be a productive one. “Empower employees by letting them do things their own way. People love that,” explains Carol. “It’s very exciting to be asked to do things and then to see them through to completion.

“Plus, if you can create a culture where you can trust people to come to you only when they need you, then you won’t need to spend all your time overseeing them. This will free up your time as an employer to grow the business.” You’ll also have more time to put back into the company. You can show people you’re interested in them. “It doesn’t take much – just giving five minutes of focused, personal interest in someone that works for you will leave them feeling ten feet tall,” continues Carol. “However, if you just ignore people all the time and never listen or compliment them, then they’ll start to feel disassociation and stop giving their 100%.” Also, don’t forget to continually crosscheck and manage the expectations and desire of individuals alongside yours. An aspiring manager in their 20s may be willing to give all their time and energy to the company, 10 years later they may have a young family and responsibilities, so their priorities will probably have changed. “Talk to employees and ask them what their expectations are, don’t just tell them what you think they should be doing,” says Carol. TAILORED TRAINING Likewise, when it comes to training and development, don’t just assume that everyone in the company has the same needs. This is a common mistake companies make and means budgets and resources, which are often limited, are invested in the wrong people. “The scattergun approach doesn’t work,” explains Catherine Adam, lead consultant at The Chemistry Group, a management consultancy. “Skillsbased training is great if you need to increase employee knowledge or teach them new skills, but it won’t change

‘Does anybody really think that they didn’t get what they had because they didn’t have the talent or the strength or the endurance or the commitment?’ Nelson Mandela

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‘Those who are blessed with the most talent don’t necessarily outperform everyone else. It’s the people with follow-through who excel.’ Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay cosmetics the way someone performs or behaves. You have to identify the individuals in your company worth investing in.” Also, don’t presume management training is the way to nurture the rising stars in your business. Ask yourself what development activities they’ll benefit from most – mentoring, coaching, a new project or secondment – and think about how you can deliver this. And if training budgets are tight, then use the internal resources you have. “In an ideal world, every company would have dedicated performance coaches,” Catherine continues. “But the reality is most businesses can’t afford that – so we encourage companies to find role models within their businesses and get them to share their knowledge. It’s about transferring skills and making use of the resource you already have.” IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT EXPERIENCE This brings us on to recruitment, and making sure you have a workforce around you who don’t just have the right experience but also have the traits to match your company’s values and vision. Employing the wrong person for a role can cost you 14 times that person’s salary because of the knock-on effect it has, not only on the individual, but

“If you recruit on experience alone, you will only get recruitment 25% accurate,” says Catherine. “But if you include values, motivations and behaviours, it takes you up to 75% accuracy.” Sit down and plan what direction your company is going in and what it needs to get there. Don’t just rely on recruitment companies to quickly fill roles. Think about the criteria your business is looking for and create positions that satisfy that need. LEAD FROM THE FRONT Once you have a robust team in place talent will naturally flourish within your business. Then it’s up to you to be a leader – to be visible and keep staff engaged and energised. “If your board is hidden away making decisions and not communicating, your staff will be demotivated – there has to be a connection,” says Catherine. “You need to have that Barack Obama effect – we have to love our leaders.” And, as a leader, make your employees feel appreciated. Look at what they are, rather than what they’re not, and, most of all, treat them with respect. “If you respect your team it will conjure up a huge amount of

‘A really great talent finds its happiness in execution.’ Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, writer, artist, politician

on their team and peers. If they’re customer facing, it will affect the customer’s experience and perception of the business, which they’ll then pass on to other people. Not to mention the cost of the employer or manager’s time spent dealing with that employee.

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motivation and loyalty. If people connect with you, they’ll do anything for you, they’ll feel great being led by you, talk passionately about your business, and that will increase the productivity and popularity of your business – impacting on the bottom line.”

eye

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Fortune Footsteps

IN THIS, THE FIRST IN OUR NEW FORTUNE FOOTSTEPS SERIES, WE FOLLOW ONE ENTREPRENEUR AS THEY ATTEMPT TO GROW THEIR BUSINESS IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS. WE WILL CELEBRATE THE SUCCESSES AND LEARN FROM THE MISTAKES ALONG THE WAY. THIS MONTH, MEET OUR FIRST ENTREPRENEUR, ANEESH POPAT, THE CHOCOLATIER. Chocolate and science are two of my greatest passions. My love of chocolate has led me to apply and combine both my mathematical and scientific backgrounds to create the most unique and experimental flavour combinations with utmost precision and creativity. I graduated from the University of Nottingham with a first class honours degree in mathematics. I then continued my studies in comparative world philosophies at Tatvajnana Vidyapeeth, near Mumbai. It was here that “The Chocolatier” was born. My professional chocolatier skills are a combination of influences from many great experimentalists and chefs, and professional training with some of the world’s best chocolatiers. I have travelled the world to learn and refine skills in chocolatiering: with Masterchef Willie Pike (MBE) of The Chocolate Academy in London, in Bruges with arguably the world’s most exciting chocolatier, and also in Mumbai. The most valuable training I received was with the legendary Meilleurs Ouvriers de France Chocolatier Jean François Castagné, who literally held my hand and taught me to sculpt in solid chocolate. At each of these places I picked up many skills enhancing my vision for flavour, technique, artistry and experimentation. Born in Britain and Indian by heritage, I have fused my mastery of Eastern spices with Western influences, as reflected in my chocolate creations which range from rose and cinnamon ganache to our famous chilli and lime truffle. This means I have knowledge of how to use Eastern ingredients such as rose, cardamom and pistachios to their fullest as well as being able to create classic combinations such as caramel, coffee, orange, the list is endless. I study ingredients, looking at their flavour components and match them on a molecular level delivering on taste. With my research and molecular knowledge I can make chocolates using fresh fruits, teas and coffees. I also place great importance on using the best quality ingredients that are essentially quite good for you and have great flavour. I have developed ranges of truffles, pralines, bars, petit fours, chocolate lollipops, nougatines, candies, dragées, drinking chocolates, mousses as well as sugar-free

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chocolates. I also specialise in being able to do all this without the use of alcohol, gelatine and eggs, lending to a much larger client audience.

a matter of continuing a good relationship, working closely to create pieces befitting the vision of these chefs and hotels alike.

THE PRODUCT

In the past three months I have developed products ready for the peak seasons to come. I have also begun supplying a top London hotel in Piccadilly working with the legendary Boris Ivan: the Heston Blumenthal of the cocktail world and chef Michael Dutnall. This year the business has also been awarded the 50+ Gold Award in the Small Business category 2012. These awards are voted for by people over the age of 50.

All of our chocolates are free from cream, butter, eggs and gelatine. This is not for a health or dietary reason but for flavour. Without these ingredients, I achieve a chocolate made with just chocolate and often teas, coffees or fresh fruit purées – therefore delivering maximum flavour through quality, fresh ingredients. I do plan to create a range of other chocolate-inspired products – most of the ground work for these is in place. It is now just a matter of launching at the right time and in the right way. I first want to establish the reputation I desire and then look into expansion. A flagship store is something I would like but it is not something I would do just yet.

MY BUSINESS

The business incorporated in June 2011 and is run solely by myself. I want The Chocolatier to be recognised as a “Michelin Star” quality chocolate company, making chocolates for some of the best establishments in London and thereafter beyond. This means the use of outstanding ingredients and concepts to convey our prestigious brand. In 12 months I would like to be supplying two top restaurants in London and have a range of artisan chocolates in some of London’s top department stores. Some of the ground work has already been laid, so now it is

The hardest part of the work so far has been learning the functions carried out by all the various departments that make a business and then executing these functions to a level competing with market leaders, as I am not in a position to employ specialists. More generally, the hardest thing when starting my business was the steep learning curve paired with my naivety. Having to think more realistically was something I had to achieve quickly. Although I knew for success turnover had to be greater than expenses , it was difficult judging which opportunities would maintain this and which would not. I have taken on many challenges this year and have learnt what works for me and what does not. www.the-chocolatier.co.uk

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MSDUK AWARDS 2012: the shortlist

THE MSDUK 2012 AWARDS RECEPTION AND DINNER ACKNOWLEDGES AND CELEBRATES CORPORATIONS AND ETHNIC MINORITY BUSINESSES THAT HAVE EXCELLED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. THE AWARDS CEREMONY, HELD ON THE 11TH OF OCTOBER AT LONDON’S GRANGE TOWER BRIDGE HOTEL, WILL BE HOSTED BY THE BBC’S NEWS ANCHOR GEORGE ALAGIAH. THE AUDIENCE WILL ALSO HEAR KEYNOTE ADDRESSES FROM BARONESS VERMA, BRITISH BUSINESSWOMAN AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS, AND JOSET B WRIGHT, PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL MINORITY SUPPLIER DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL IN THE UNITED STATES. The MSDUK 2012 judging panel has now selected the finalists for this year’s awards. The categories of innovation, business growth, responsible business practices and corporation of the year saw lots of great entries, but there could only be three finalists for each category. the shortlist is as follows:

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INNOVATION: E-Learning Studios E-Learning Studios is a leading supplier of eLearning development from building courses, providing authoring tools, learner management systems to hosting. E-Learning Studios are changing the way we learn and train. No longer need we waste time and money on classroom courses when much of learning can be put online through the cloud. Gate Ventures Gate Ventures is a leading regional facilities services company with services that include mainly a specialist food transport solution in addition to a range of complimentary services such as building and maintenance and cleaning. Think Ambient Think Ambient is the exclusive distributor of ClingZ material in the UK and Ireland, selling to the marketing and print industries throughout Europe. Think Ambientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unique and innovative business model for selling ClingZ, as well as the advancements it has introduced to the application of the material, has led Think Ambient to become the largest international distributor for ClingZ.

range of complimentary services such as building and maintenance and cleaning. Halebury The Halebury team specialise in employment, commercial and corporate law within the technology, media, telecoms and sports sectors. Operating in a highly competitive sector, with minimal initial funds, and a brand new business model, Halebury has successfully made a positive impact on the legal sector. Testhouse Testhouse is an IT consultancy specialising in quality assurance, software testing solutions and training. Its growth strategy is based on extensive market knowledge and competitor analysis coupled with sound thought leadership in the face of emerging technology. RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS PRACTICES: Douglas Wemyss Solicitors Douglas Wemyss Solicitors is a small law firm based in the city centre of Leicester. Douglas Wemyss Solicitors is actively involved in making a positive contribution to society be that through giving of time, or its solicitors giving their knowledge and being involved in pro-bono work.

BUSINESS GROWTH: Gate Ventures Gate Ventures is a leading regional facilities services company with services that include a specialist food transport solution in addition to a

Octavian Octavian provides a comprehensive range of security and cleaning services to leading public and private sector organisations, from manned guarding and mobile patrols to remote CCTV

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monitoring and general security consultancy. As a security company, Octavian’s business mission is to work towards a crime-free society. Testhouse Testhouse is an IT consultancy specialising in quality assurance, software testing solutions. It works with educational establishments such as NEBP, LBN and independent charities to raise awareness and help hold fundraising events throughout the year. CORPORATION OF THE YEAR: ExxonMobil ExxonMobil is a global corporation within the energy business. It is committed to developing Minority Supplier within the UK and over the course of 2009-2012 it has developed a

corporate plan for assisting MSDUK and developing suppliers. Cummins Cummins Corporate Indirect Purchasing has a team of 11 working across Europe and Middle East. Cummins has a long-standing commitment to creating diversity in the workplace and that effort is matched with an equal commitment to use diverse suppliers for the goods and services it purchases. IBM IBM is a global leader in the technology and consulting sectors, with $107 billion revenue and more than 430,000 employees across 170 countries, with 20,000 in the UK. IBM’s supplier diversity programme began in the US in 1968 with goals for spend with only minority-owned suppliers.

Visit http://www.msduk.org.uk/ conference.html for more details.

Asian Awards SET APRIL 2013 DATE FOR BROADER REMIT THE THIRD ANNUAL ASIAN AWARDS, ORGANISED BY UBM AWARDS, WILL TAKE PLACE ON 16TH APRIL 2013 AT LONDON’S GROSVENOR HOUSE HOTEL.

Next year, having previously celebrated the achievements of individuals of South Asian origin only, the event will now include nominees from across the Asian continent, considering those with origins in China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and other East Asian countries for the trophies. As a result of the broader focus, the date for the Asian Awards has been moved to make this the finest celebration to date. Founded in 2010, the Asian Awards has enjoyed the support of significant leaders, including the Prime Minister, in honouring some of the most inspiring and influential people in the South Asian community – from record-breaking cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Muttiah Muralitharan to legendary artistes, Asha Bhosle, Freddie Mercury (posthumously), Amitabh Bachchan, Jay Sean and AR Rahman to powerful business magnates Ratan Tata, Vijay Mallya and Dr KP Singh, and leaders in technology such as Google’s Amit Singhal. Visit www.theasianawards.com for more information.

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Publishers Page Firstly, I’d like to personally thank all of our subscribers, readers and advertisers for supporting the magazine. The response we’ve had has been immensely positive and I’m glad to be receiving emails from various people informing me that they’ve been waiting for a magazine like this. I’m glad you like what we’re doing and thank you again. I’ve decided to take a page in the magazine to highlight, share, recommend and profile the various places I’ve been, and people I’ve met in the last few months, and topical subjects which I’d like to share with you. Hopefully you’ll like and decide to experience some of my recommendations. Also, I’ll be including my personal views on various subjects, if you agree or disagree, please do let me know, I’d love to hear your views. Seasons Greetings The first issue of AWM was launched just before Eid, so unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to formally offer our best wishes to all our readers celebrating. Furthermore, we’ll soon be approaching Diwali, so again for all our readers celebrating those festivities, enjoy and best wishes. The next issue of AWM will not be available until Spring 2013, so on behalf of the AWM team to all our readers a very Merry Christmas in advance (it’s my favourite time of the year!). So to all who are celebrating, have a great time and enjoy the festivities. The Green Light A BIG Congratulations to our editor Jo Payne who recently did an intensive driving course and passed first time. Well Done Jo. Looks like she’ll be in the driving seat from now on! Partnering Up AWM has recently become a media partner for a number of prestigious events and awards. Including The Asian Awards / The Asian Who’s Who Awards / MSD-UK Awards / The Asian Women of Achievement Awards. I’d like to personally thank the organisers and founders for their support and look forward to working with them in and through next year. Olympic Madness This summer witnessed the UK, if not the world, go Olympic mad. Whether you were interested or not in the games, I don’t believe you could have hidden away from the excitement and passion flowing through the air. One thing noticeable was the joining of the nation. Black,

white or brown, Britons alike were flying the flag and shouting from the roof tops “we’re proud to be British”. It was great to see Olympic dreams coming true for some of the Olympians – well done. Aston Martin – Vanquish Launch AWM was invited to the launch of the new Aston Martin Vanquish back in July. What an amazing event. I’m sure you wouldn’t expect anything less from a brand like AM, but everything was done, provided and finished to the upmost level of perfection. Not forgetting the newly launch car, see the launch preview on page 52. DINING OUT Petrus One of the most enjoyable lunches I’ve had recently was at Gordon Ramsay’s PETRUS. Sure you expect a certain level of quality, food and service when you visit an establishment like this, but all far exceeded my expectations. Very highly recommended, if you get the chance – GO. Hawksmore Last month, I had a lunch meeting at the Hawksmore, an upmarket steak-house. Recommended by my brother-in-law, I decided to arrange a mid-week lunch meeting here. The entrance, atmosphere and simple hustle and bustle of a lively restaurant, and most important the food, was lovely. Very much recommended, but beware, after visiting a place like this the last thing you’ll want to do is go back to the office for an afternoon of work. Expect to spend at least 1.5-2hrs enjoying the experience.

Quote, Unquote My favourite quote this month is: “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” - Mahatma Gandhi

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UNLEASH THE BEAST:

Aston Martin launches the Vanquish in London and Mumbai

The new Aston Martin Vanquish made its eagerly-awaited London debut in the star-studded surroundings of the London Film Museum, Covent Garden. An exclusive invited audience of more than 500 Aston Martin owners, enthusiasts and press mingled with screen and TV stars, society guests and a host of other influential visitors as Aston Martin CEO Dr Ulrich Bez formally unveiled the new super grand tourer. The official debut of the Vanquish came just days after its sneak preview at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, where eagle-eyed sports car connoisseurs will have glimpsed the new V12 coupe completing a handful of suitably swift runs up the famous Goodwood Hill. Guests at the London event enjoyed an exclusive opportunity to get far closer to Aston Martin’s latest flagship as a brace of Vanquish models, together with a unique ‘cutaway’ display showcasing the car’s remarkable carbon fibre skin, took star billing.

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Dr Ulrich Bez said: “I’m very proud of the new Vanquish, and my team that have worked tirelessly to perfect it, and I’m convinced that it will quickly become one of the most sought-after and admired cars on the road.”

of everything Aston Martin knows, informed and developed from One-77. It is the ultimate Super Grand Tourer – confident and assured – and is the newest representation of Power, Beauty and Soul. ”

Invited guests to the A-list party included celebrities such as Mischa Barton, Charles Dance, Jeremy Piven and Jules Holland – alongside AWM’s own A-lister, publisher Kalpesh Patel!

He added that: “Performance Cars is honoured to partner with Aston Martin to bring one of the world’s most iconic brands to one of the world’s fastest growing and most discerning markets.”

The Vanquish was also formally introduced to the public in Mumbai. Performance Cars, a division of Infinity Cars, presented Aston Martin’s most iconic sports cars with utmost exclusivity to its customers across India. Commenting on the launch of the Vanquish in India, Lalit Choudary, managing director of Infinity Cars said about the new model: “The new Vanquish mixes beautiful design with impressive technology such as the superb new infotainment system. This is the latest incarnation

Lalit Choudary, Managing Director of Infinity Cars Private Limited

1-Jeremy Piven & Dr Ulrich Bez – CEO Aston Martin 2-Lady Natasha Rufus Isaacs, Gabriella Guthrie, Rebecca Roe and Bryony Daniels 3-Mischa Barton 4-Jeremy Hackett – Founder of Hackett London 5-Tamer Hassan 6-DJ Madame Says 7-Jools Holland

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AsianWomen

Achievement Awards of

Event Review

THIS PAST MAY, THE ASIAN WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS SAW 11 TALENTED WOMEN PICK UP AWARDS AT A GLAMOROUS EVENT SPONSORED BY RBS AT LONDON’S HILTON, PARK LANE. AWM ASKS FOUR OF THE WINNERS WHAT THE AWARDS MEAN TO THEM AND HOW THEY CAN ACT AS ROLE MODELS FOR OTHER ASPIRING ASIAN WOMEN.

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1 – Rishad Lilani, Rahemat Kassim Lakha, Imraan Lilani and Karin Lui 2 – Farida Gibbs + Guest 3 – HRH Princess Badiya bint El Hassan, Farah Pandith, Riz Lateef 4 – Home Secretary Theresa May + Pinky Lilani + Tessa Jowell 5 – Kavita Oberio and Uzma Hasan 6 – Kamal Rahman + Guests 7 – Tej and Bobby Dhillon + Kavita Oberio 8 – Cherie Blair + Siobhan Benita

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The Winners’ stories Farida Gibbs, CEO & partner, Gibbs S3, Entrepreneur of the Year Farida has just returned from what she calls a “working vacation” in Cyprus with her nine-year-old daughter. She may run an IT recruitment and consultancy company with US partners S3 that posted $220 million in sales revenue in 2011, but she’s no dragon. Sitting at her desk in the Surrey HQ, she talks to AWM about the importance of finding time to spend with her daughter, who was one when Farida became her own boss. “It’s difficult to find time but I want to be there for my daughter and working by the poolside is much more appealing than being in the office,” she laughs. Clapham-born Farida, whose father is Pakistani and mother Egyptian, won the top award at the Asian Women of Achievement Awards for entrepreneurship. She was described by the judges as “a fantastic example of strength, showing sheer determination to fulfil her ambitions despite being made redundant and regardless of barriers”. Reluctant to put herself forward for the awards, she was nominated by a friend at RBS and felt overwhelmed to win. “I was the only one that cried,” she says. “To be recognised when my business almost failed but I turned it back round again was a huge achievement.” Redundancy? Near failure? Farida’s story began when she graduated with a BSc in business management from the University of Surrey. Her background was in HR but she moved into recruitment to pay off student debts. After working for a few recruitment companies, one of which specialised in IT, she was made redundant and with only £2,000 decided to start her business from home recruiting project managers, architects and testers to work in the IT departments of large corporations. “I always wanted to start my own business so this was a prime opportunity. IT and technology was at the forefront, it was the year 2000 and to be honest that’s where the money was. Being a woman in a male-orientated environment was extremely challenging, however, I felt I could make positive changes and I enjoyed the customer service aspect,” she explains. Gibbs Partnership was founded in 2005, with her brother and sister joining soon after. In the early days it was a small company that focused on providing banks with IT staff but when the financial crisis hit and banks stopped hiring, Farida had to make some redundancies, reducing her team of seven back to three – leaving her, her brother and sister. It was a blow, but forming an equal partnership with another recruitment firm, S3, saved the company by opening up opportunities in the US and turning it global. In 2009, Gibbs Partnership became Gibbs S3 and has since seen meteoric growth, functioning in 25 locations across the US, UK and Europe. S3 looks after the US side and Farida manages the UK clients with the help of 16 staff in the Cheshire, London and Surrey offices.

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Gibbs S3 is a globally certified woman-owned business enterprise and Farida’s husband, who used to be an investment banker, has also come on board and runs the Professional Services team. The client list has expanded to include major FTSE100 businesses across banking, insurance, oil and gas and pharmaceutical, and Gibbs S3 has expanded its services by offering consultancy and helping with company mergers on top of recruitment. Farida is now in the position to share her expertise with the next generation. “In October I’ll be helping again with The Women of the Future Ambassadors Programme, which picks 100 school girls and pairs them with 100 inspirational women to mentor them. I also work with Montem Primary School in North London where 80% of the pupils are from disadvantaged backgrounds. I set up the Reward and Recognition Programme there that teaches children values and rewards them with prizes such as trips to the cinema,” she says. Farida is a worthy winner of the Asian Women of Achievement Award and she hopes more women will follow in her footsteps. “I think women should be recognised for what they do. A lot of people don’t realise what Asian women are contributing and seeing others succeed encourages them to step up. There are so many talented women out there and the main problem is they don’t have the confidence to come forward. They are there and if they see other women succeeding they’ll think ‘I’ve done that in my company, I could be a winner too’.”

Indhu Rubasingham, artistic director, The Tricycle Theatre. Achievement in Arts award winner The Tricycle Theatre is a muchloved cultural hot spot in Kilburn, London and when I meet acclaimed director Indhu in the foyer it’s in full Caribbean swing with the Trinidad & Tobago Village taking up residence there during the Olympics. I ask Indhu why it’s so important to have awards for Asian women: “It strengthens us. I was blown away by the stories I was hearing, the women I was meeting. What the awards do is raise the profile of people you wouldn’t necessarily know or meet in your sphere and as Asian women it’s great to get these achievers in the same room because it creates another kind of network,” she explains.

Salma swapped her tracksuit and trainers for an LBD and a statement necklace to go to the Asian Women of Achievement Awards and receive her award. “It’s the first time they’ve had the Achievement in Sport category and I deserve to win,” she says, betraying a self-assurance that seems to come with playing competitive sports. She is the first Muslim woman to play for Worcestershire County Cricket Club and is an umpire and coach, encouraging young Asian girls and the disabled into cricket. When she’s not showing off her ‘Unorthodox Chinaman’ style of bowling or convincing dads that their daughters should continue with their cricket lessons, she’s running her own coaching initiative, Believe in Making a Difference, which holds sports events and cricket matches open to all above the age of 16 to raise money for charity.

Salma Bi, cricket coach, Warwickshire/Worcestershire County Cricket Clubs. Achievement in Sport award winner

Indhu was born in Sheffield to parents who migrated from Sri Lanka. She started out doing work experience in a theatre and has since directed productions at the National and Royal Court Theatres, the Almeida and at Tricycle, where she was a member of the board. So far she’s enjoying the creative control in her new job and learning the business side of running a theatre that has had a big cut in its government funding. “The arts can really feed the soul. I worry about [the budget cut] but I also see it as a challenge and opportunity to think about what this theatre can do. Then, let’s do it really well,” she says.

Today she’s already done a 7am3pm shift in her main job as a haemodialysis nurse, last night she was playing Twenty20, and this evening she’s coaching for an hour. It’s this dedication that won her the Asian Women of Achievement Award, which was reflected in her acceptance speech: “In every failure I’ve found strength,” she said. “I didn’t get to play in Warwickshire County Cricket Club but I did get into Worcestershire. I don’t play internationally but I have set records internationally. I didn’t get into the academies but I set up my own coaching initiative. Nothing’s ever given on a plate and I’ve had to work hard for it.” She also recently won the NatWest Outstanding Service to Cricket Award, which recognises those who make a valuable contribution to community cricket.

“Girls travel from all over the UK to take part. At first I announced it as a charity event and then I turned it into a community interest company with a cricket friend of mine,” says Pakistanborn Salma, who hopes to one day open an indoor cricket centre. AsianWealthMag.co.uk |

Rena was nominated for the Asian Women of Achievement Awards by volunteers at BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, a global socio-spiritual organisation that she’s been working with voluntarily for the past 17 years. A clinical associate in a local GP practice in South West London and joint head of medicines management for the NHS, Rena’s contribution to the Asian community, and in particular her efforts to empower women, have been impressive and innovative.

Rena Amin, head of medicine management, NHS Greenwich. Social and Humanitarian award winner

For example, her involvement with the Ethnic Awareness Campaign by Breast Cancer Care has seen her take breast examination workshops into the temple to educate women, and she made a DVD featuring local women with breast cancer. She’s working with the charity Macmillan on how to help people in the Asian community cope during the terminal stages of cancer, and last year she organised a conference on organ donation, and convinced 1,000 people

to put their names on the register and pledge their organs. Rena is an ideas person, and in her other leading role in the BAPS National Women’s Forum UK she advises women on such things as how to be financially independent, their legal rights and writing a will. “What I do is not just about health, I want women to reach their potential. I don’t want them to be ultra feminist, I want them to maintain the richness of their culture at the same time as being a modern woman. That makes us better human beings. I want people to know that Asian women have got the potential and not just as a subservient community,” she says. Rena is currently looking at how BAPS can help women in Kenya, where she originates from, and is working with colleagues in Egypt to improve awareness of breast cancer.

WINNERS 2012 ASIAN WOMEN of ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS 2012 AWA IN ARTS & CULTURE WINNER Indhu Rubasingham, Artistic director, The Tricycle Theatre AWA IN BUSINESS WINNER Vicky Shu Lead project engineer, Shell UK AWA – ENTREPRENEUR WINNER Farida Gibbs CEO & partner, GibbsS3 AWA IN THE MEDIA WINNER Sangita Myska News correspondent, BBC News AWA IN PUBLIC SERVICE WINNER Mei Sim Lai Principal, LaiPeters & Co THE SOCIAL & HUMANITARIAN AWARD WINNER Rena Amin Head of medicine management, Greenwich PCT AWA- YOUNG ACHIEVER WINNER Jia-Yan Gu Researcher, BT Group AWA IN SPORT WINNER Salma Bi Executive director, Warwickshire County Cricket COMMUNITY WINNER Cisco

“Each year the AWA unearths incredible stories of hard work, achievement, passion and success. These women are changing Britain and are wonderful role models for those coming up next. Ensuring that we continue to support them is vital to sustaining their success.” Pinky Lilani OBE Founder of The Asian Women of Achievement Awards

AsianWealthMag.co.uk |

Navdeep Singh Bansal - Founder of The Sikh Awards

Sikh Awards 2012 NOW IN ITS THIRD SUCCESSIVE YEAR, THE SIKH DIRECTORY IS GETTING SET TO HOST ITS ANNUAL AWARDS CEREMONY ON 21ST OCTOBER 2012 AT THE PARK PLAZA WESTMINSTER BRIDGE, IN LONDON.

The event is the brainchild of Sikh Directory founder Navdeep Singh Basal, and honours Sikh’s for their contributions from around the globe in the categories of business, charity, education, sports, entertainment, the media and public service. Last year, more than 800 guests from all disciplines including business, scholars, politicians and respected non-Sikh community members from all faiths, witnessed Tariq Jahan, the bereaved father who gave an impassioned plea for calm during the recent riots in Birmingham, receive a special recognition award at the 2011 Sikh Awards. Tariq lost his son during the disturbances but his calming words and dignified demeanour helped prevent more violence in the area. Brainchild of Navdeep Singh Bansal, founder of The Sikh Directory media organisation, the awards recognized

the special contribution Sikhs have made worldwide in the fields of business, sport, entertainment, charity, media, service and education. “The Sikh Awards have recognised some amazing people from around the world who have amazing talents and experiences to share,” explains Navdeep. “We are delighted that Sikhs and non-Sikh alike have embraced the positivity of this awards ceremony and once again the winners’ achievements, in all walks of life, speak for themselves.” This year, guests will be attending from across the world including India, USA, Canada, Australia, Europe, Africa, Middle East, China and Singapore. For more information about how to attend this year’s event go to: www.sikhawards.com AsianWealthMag.co.uk |

Become a friend and make a change that lasts The British Asian Trust was founded by a group of British Asian business leaders at the suggestion of HRH The Prince of Wales. It serves as a ‘social fund’ to support high impact charities within the areas of education, enterprise and health in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the UK. Our unique approach aims to encourage and support philanthropy amongst the British Asian Diaspora.

“The British Asian Trust will support innovative and inspirational organizations and projects in South Asia and in the United Kingdom to address issues of long term sustainability.”

The benefits of our approach include: • Combating scepticism in the important sector of charitable giving in South Asia; • Showcasing grassroots NGOs and charities that do not have adequate visibility in the UK; • Sharing the progress of donations by providing regular reports and frequent updates.

Visit www.britishasiantrust.org to learn more and donate online today or call: +44 (0)20 7024 5646

PRESIDENT: HRH THE PRINCE OF WALES THE BRITISH ASIAN TRUST IS A UK REGISTERED CHARITY (1127366)

SIKH AWARDS 2012 PREVIEW THE CATEGORIES Sikhs in Business For the organisation or individual that can best demonstrate how it has made exceptional financial returns, shown strong growth and innovative strategies, plus demonstrate market leadership in its sector. This category also incorporates Businessman, Businesswoman and Entrepreneur awards. Sikhs in Education For any Sikh educational establishment that is taking a strategic approach to recognising and developing talent and skills within the community. Alternatively, for a teacher or individual who has successfully benefited the society and achieved a positive impact. Sikhs in Charity For the organisation, association, charity or society which can best demonstrate that it has the community at heart and has had a positive impact whilst improving the health and wellbeing of Sikhs locally or on a global scale.

THE JUDGING PANEL Birinder Singh Birinder Singh is currently chief IT and branch manager at Punjab National Banks head office in central London. He has a degree in commerce and more than 30 years of experience within the banking industry. Parm Kaur Sandhu Parm Kaur is a superintendent for the Metropolitan Police Service. She has more than 22 years of experience working at a variety of locations across London. Most recently, she is operations manager for olympic planning. She has been an investigator on a Hate Crime Unit, and has been trained and experienced as a sexual offences investigator.

Sikhs in Sports For an individual that has made a significant contribution to the British sports industry whilst promoting their Sikh Identity. This Award will be presented to an indiviual that can demonstrate to the success of a sport on a regional, national or global basis.

Sikh People’s Choice The Sikh People’s Choice Award is for a young unsung hero, on who has been serving the community with dedication and passion, or for any individual who has impacted on people’s lives and has great admiration from Sikhs throughout the world.

Sikhs in Media For an individual or organisation that has made a substantial positive impact within the media industry. This category includes newspapers, magazines, websites, radio and television stations and all other media platforms.

Sikh Lifetime Achievement For a Sikh who made a significant contribution to Sikhism on a global scale, an individual based in the community who has successfully collaborated with businesses to benefit Sikhs and achieve a positive impact on society including progressing Sikhism to higher levels.

Sikhs in Entertainment For an individual or organisation that has made a significant contribution to the entertainment industry. We are looking for directors, cinematographers, presenters, artists, comedians, instrumentalists, magicians and musical artists who promote the Sikh identity. Sikhs in Seva For an individual who have shown their contribution to society through means of Seva (Selfless Voluntary Service). Or for an outstanding individual who has demonstrated exceptional leadership and vision when helping others.

Sachdev Singh Musafir Sachdev Singh is the youngest son of the late Giani Gurmukh Singh Musafir, a well-known politician, poet and the ex-chief minister of Punjab. Sachdev started his career as an hotelier in England and is currently involved in international trading, property development and land banking in the UK. He also has an Indian restaurant in Richmond, Surrey. Satinder Kaur Satinder Kaur is an experienced change agent with a strong focus on operational excellence and customer services. She has more than 25 years of banking experience and is currently deputy general manager with ICICI Bank in Mumbai.

Sikhs in Profession For a Sikh that is employed or working with any type of organisation and who’s contribution has made an exceptional difference on a local or global scale, whilst promoting Sikh values namely ‘Seva’. This category is open to individuals in any field financial, medical, legal, techology, government, public etc.

Sukhdev Singh Sidhu Sukhdev Singh is a minister for the Indian High Commission in the UK. He has been with the Indian High Commission for a number of years in Delhi. He is highly respected amongst India’s politicians and VIPs. Sukhdev Singh is now responsible for ensuring their visits to the United Kingdom are catered for and hassle free in every way.

Turn to page 91 to see 2012 nominees

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PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON AND 40 OTHER BUSINESS LEADERS LIVE IN LONDON 2012 Extraordinary times call for extraordinary commitment and if you are truly determined to take your business forward this is the place to be.

ENTREPRENEURS 2012: THE CONFERENCE OF THE YEAR.

Entrepreneurs 2012 is an unprecedented event bringing together experts from around the world, top business leaders, the best trainers and University Professors all with one goal:

TO TAKE YOUR BUSINESS FORWARD. Join: - President Bill Clinton [Founder of the William J.Clinton Foundation and 42nd President of the United States] + Many more world-class speakers Blak Pearl enables the entire business community to gather together on a grand scale, learn from each other and the speakers and celebrate all that is good about business in each area.

SIKH AWARDS 2012 PREVIEW

THE NOMINEES 2012 Sikhs in Business

Some of the winners from last year

HARDEEP SINGH BEDI VSM – TULIP TELECOM JINDY SINGH KHERA - KTC EDIBLES RAJINDER SINGH BARYAN – MULTIPLE HAULIERS ARINDER KAUR BHULLAR – ARINDER BHULLAR (FASHION DESIGN) GURJIT KAUR CHAHAL – CHARLES & CO SOLICITORS SUKHINDER SINGH – JOYUS.COM ASH SING – SOCIAL NETWORK BUSINESS SYSTEMS SUNEET SINGH TULI – DATAWIND TEJPAL SINGH JHEETA – PAUL JHEETA

Sikhs in Charity

HARPAL SINGH KUMAR - CANCER RESEARCH UK SUKHVEER KAUR - HIMMAT SUPPORT GROUP TRISHNA SINGH - SIKH SANJOG

Geeta Kaur Sidhu - Sikh Business Women Award

Sikhs in Education

DR JAGIR SINGH HARINDER SINGH PROFESSOR KIRPAL SINGH KAZAK

Sikhs in Entertainment

GURPREET SINGH – ACTOR/JOURNALIST MANPREET SINGH - BROADCASTER BALJEET KAUR JOHAL – MODEL/BROADCASTER

Sikhs in Media

GURUKA SINGH - SIHKNET SIRMUKH SINGH MANKU - JOURNALIST TEJINDER SINGH SODHI - JOURNALIST

Harvinder Singh - Sikh Business Enterprenuer Award

Sikhs in Profession

GURMANT SINGH GREWAL - MP SIMMARPAL SINGH BHURJEE – OLAM INTERNATIONAL JAGDEEP KAUR RAI – BARCLAYS

Sikhs in Seva

BAWA SINGH JAGDEV BHUPINDER SINGH KOHLI SURENDER SINGH KHANDHARI

Sikhs in Sports

Jogishwar Singh - Sikhs in Profession Award

PARANVEER SINGH SETHI - FOOTBALL AMRIT KAUR BHINDER - FENCING RASHPAL KAUR - GATKA

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92 | AsianWealthMag.co.uk

6 FC / 1

The SIKH Awards

Date: 21 October 2012 Venue: Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, London Brainchild of Navdeep Singh Bansal, founder of The Sikh Directory media organisation. The awards recognized the special contribution Sikhs have made worldwide in the fields of business, sport, entertainment, charity, media, service and education. Now in its third successive year, the Sikh Directory is getting set to host it’s annual awards ceremony on 21st October 2012 at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, in London. To view the shortlist of nominees And read the event preview, turn to Page 87. For more information: www.sikhawards.com info@sikhawards.com

Entrepreneurs 2012

Date: 13-16 November 2012 Venue: The ExCel Centre, London Organised by Blak Pearl, Entrepreneurs 2012 is an unprecedented event bringing together experts from around the world, top business leaders, the best trainers and University Professors all with one goal: To take your business forward. Ex-President Bill Clinton leads a dazzling array of inspirational leaders from across the world of business, politics and entertainment. For more information www.entrepreneurs2012.co.uk 0800 999 3525

The ASIAN WHO’S WHO Awards

Date: 10 December 2012 Venue: The Dorchester Hotel, London Since 1987, the Asian Who’s Who has chosen the ‘Asian of the Year’ award to recognise and honour the outstanding contribution by an individual to the Asian community. This much coveted award has become well established and respected amongst the community and the press. The award ceremony itself takes place at the annual book launch. For more information www.asianwhoswho.com (0)20 8550 3745

The ASIAN Awards

Date: 16 April 2013 Venue: The Grosvenor House hotel (London) Next year, having previously celebrated the achievements of individuals of South Asian origin only, the event will now include nominees from across the Asian continent, considering those with origins in China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and other East Asian countries for the trophies. As a result of the broader focus, the date for the Asian Awards has been moved to make this the finest celebration to date. The third annual Asian Awards organised by UBM Awards, will take place on 16 April 2013 at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel. For more information: www.theasianawards.com Rachel.branigan@ubm.com 0207 955 3843

Join global and political leaders, sporting stars, music legends, business tycoons, television and film celebrities for the ultimate celebration of Asian excellence TICKETS ARE SELLING FAST â&#x20AC;&#x201C; CALL +44(0) 207 234 8738 OR VISIT WWW.THEASIANAWARDS.COM For commercial opportunities call the Asian Awards team on +44(0) 207 234 8738

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