Udai Patel was born in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania under the regime of the late Mwalimu Nyerere. His origins however were firmly from capitalist stock, both on his maternal and paternal side, with his grandfathers owning very successful businesses in Tanzania. Having been sent to the UK at the tender age of 11, Udai completed his BA (Hons.) degree in Business Studies, became a Fellow of the Chartered Certified Association, and an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute. He has worked in the fields of accountancy, advertising and Public Affairs, and has taken various management consultancy roles on business growth. He is currently the Managing Director of Afro-Asian Insurance Services Ltd., a boutique UK based reinsurance broking firm accredited at Lloyd's of London which focuses on African & South Asian territories, and has offices in Nairobi, Harare, Accra and Mumbai. The company celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2018, and has clients in 40 countries in Africa, the Indian Sub-Continent and Middle East. Udai lives in North London with his Wife, Priti and Mother, Kunj. He also has two daughters, Tanya and Anushka who have successful careers in insurance underwriting and risk management, but have flown the nest.
1 Which place, or city or country do you most feel at home in?
I am a person of Indian origin, born in Tanzania, but welcomed in Britain. Whenever my aircraft approaches London Heathrow airport after a business trip, I know that I have come home. I have friends everywhere, but my family is in London.
2 What are your proudest achievements?
My two daughters, Tanya and Anushka. My wife and I have invested in their development as socially confident, able and intelligent individuals. Today, they can think and act for themselves, and question everything. They are ready for their tomorrow.
3 What inspires you? Individuals who have overcome personal adversity inspire me. Watching the 2018 Invictus Games, I am totally inspired by all the physically challenged athletes who are ready to give 200% for their sport. Travelling in parts of Africa, I am inspired by the daily challenges of putting food on the table.
4 What has been biggest obstacle in your career?
People tend to judge by appearance. This used to be an obstacle in my career, but no longer. Age and experience is a great equaliser, and having been in business in a competitive and fluid environment, I now know how to overcome most obstacles that come my way.
5 Who has been the biggest influence on your career to date?
My late father, Rasik Patel. He was my mentor, my teacher, my shining light, and I miss him. I once asked him what the secret to success was - his answer was simply how fast can you pick yourself up after being knocked down in business !
6 What is the best aspect about your current role?
Loyalty from the people around me in the "Afro-Asian" Group. This has been hard earned over time. I also enjoy meeting people from diverse backgrounds, cultures, religions and traditions. Today, if you walked into our City of London Head Office, you would overhear conversations in English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, French, Arabic, and a multitude of accents.
7 And the worst? Being involved in wholesale insurance, we get to see the financial consequences of natural catastrophes and large scale human tragedies. We sometimes focus too much on the financial loss and forget the human side of the loss. There is a constant battle between running a business and maintaining your humanity.
8 What are your long term goals?
I admire the dexterity and culinery knowledge of the top class professional chefs. As someone who can just about boil an egg, I would like to one day be able to prepare a 3-course gourmet meal without any interference in the kitchen and be commended by my peers.
9 If you were Prime Minister, what one aspect would you change?
Introduce a probationary period for cabinet colleagues. Theresa May has a difficult enough task negotiating the best deal for Brexit without having to watch her back with cabinet colleagues. It creates uncertainty, which is the enemy of business.
10 If you were marooned on a desert island, which historical figure would you like to spend your time with and why.
Winston Churchill. I would not be bored because he would always take charge of the conversation, and I would share in his stock of cigars and cognac. Also as someone who has survived adversity, he would find a solution evetually to our desert island problem.
