Member Article

Asian Business Connexions means business for 2013

What started some four years ago as a conduit for North East entrepreneurial activity has grown into something much more, and now Asian Business Connexions has ploughed its own furrow as a social enterprise that delivers benefit for business and community.

Bdaily caught up with co-founder Ammar Mirza, who explained some of the background to Asian Business Connexions (ABC), ahead of this week’s ABCurry Club.

“We started off to try and promote equality, and get government funded business support organisations like Business Link and One North East to recognise the major contribution Asian businesses made to the economy. We provided a whole host of support and advisory services, quickly becoming recognised as the provider of choice for the Asian community as a whole,” explains Ammar.

An entrepreneur through and through, Ammar not only exhibits a personal hunger for development, but exerts his ambition in ABC as a society that cultivates business, and the benefits derived for the wider community.

The organisation offers a combined pool of expertise and resource for established businesses, and those just starting out, across all sectors.

Restaurateurs, through marketing experts, to business consultancy - ABC is a society with a wealth of knowledge to be shared across all its members.

Ammar continues: “Our innovative and unrestricted outlooks means that we work with local businesses to make a big difference. The organisation is made up of business people, who have a genuine interest in helping others, truly believing in investing through social capital to make transform.

“Even though ABC has not had any funding, and is wholly dependent upon the goodwill of a few, the outcomes and outputs are comparable to multi-national, multi-£M government funded initiatives.

“We work with local, regional and national government organisations, and we’re currently planning a whole host of activities that will create a vast number of jobs, provide the skills to individuals that employers want and need, as well as tackling a variety of topical social issues, like the alcohol and anti-social behaviour.”

If it all seems nebulous, then that’s really the essence of ABC as a force for responding to the needs of the business community as the economy and social landscape presents challenges and opportunities.

As an example of their work, the organisation is currently helping to upskill restaurant staff and innovate business models in the industry; elsewhere they are working to place students from local universities with business, helping to retain talent in the region.

“ABC aims to Connect, Support and, Promote the Asian and wider business community, and that is exactly what we do. We started off to try and promote equality, and get government funded business support organisations like Business Link and One North East to recognise the major contribution Asian businesses made to the economy.

“We provided a whole host of support and advisory services, quickly becoming recognised as the provider of choice for the Asian community as a whole,” says Ammar.

“Our achievements would fill a whole book, and we are very proud of our North East heritage, although ABC has members spanning the globe. With one of the most influential networks that is apolitical, we will continue to help anyone that is interested in business regardless of colour, creed, political, or religious persuasion.”

So, what lies ahead for ABC? 2013 looks to be busy as ever for Ammar and his team. This year they will develop a first-of-its-kind catering academy in Newcastle; begin a programme to introduce entrepreneurship and enterprise activities across schools; and roll out an innovative Licensing Education Programme throughout the North East, aimed at making a difference on underage alcohol sales and anti-social behaviour.

That’s not to mention the continuous fundraising for charity and the expansion of network to connect and support the Asian, and wider business community.

ABC’s upcoming Curry Club event on January 17 at Percy Hedley College is in support of the Percy Hedley Foundation, which supports children, young people and adults with cerebral palsy and other disabilities.

The Foundation has recently introduced the Challenge 500 campaign, where companies are given £500 and tasked with investing the money to maximum yield.

Chief executive of the North East Chamber of Commerce, James Ramsbotham, will speak at the event alongside Cllr David Faulkner, as businesses will get the chance to engage with one another and support this innovative fundraising idea.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .