On Wednesday 6th November, the Asian Business Association (ABA) hosted a dinner evening at the Berkeley Hotel with over 200 guests attending the event. Eminent dignitaries included Lord Jitesh Gadhia, Rushanara Ali MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, Nadhim Zahawi Conservative MP for Stratford-on-Avon, prominent hotelier Lawrence Geller and Jennie Churchill, great-granddaughter of Sir Winston Churchill among others. Veteran sports stars including cricketers Allan Lamb, Mark Butcher, Matthew Hoggard, Paul Nixon and French rugby legend Serge Betsen were also in attendance.
The dinner was hosted by entrepreneur and renowned hotelier Tony Matharu, chairman of ABA, London Chamber of Commerce of Industry (LCCI).
Matharu also arranged a panel discussion where he conducted a Paxman-lite discussion with dealmaker Alpesh Patel, veteran journalist Mihir Bose, and filmmaker Richie Mehta. Lloyds Bank, was the headline sponsor for the event. It was co-sponsored by UHY Hacker Young with Asian Voice as the media partner.
The event is the premier gathering in the Asian business calendar which brings together people from a range of industries and is open to Asian and non-Asian businesses. The ABA was set up 25 years ago to achieve the following goals.
• Give the London Asian business community a voice and represent their views to the media, local and central government
• Provide business networking events that enable companies to make new business connections and to enhance their business skills and competitiveness
• Facilitate cross border trade and investment particularly with areas where the Asian community has historic links.
