THURSDAY 21ST JUNE: 160 of London’s leading South Asian entrepreneurs gathered at professional services firm KPMG in Mayfair last night to hear from Shamil Thakrar, co-founder of multi-award winning family of restaurants Dishoom. Guests at the summer drinks reception, hosted in partnership with Curzon PR, included a new generation of South Asian entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds, including: finance & investment, technology, media & entertainment, fashion & retail, property development and the food & drink sector, showcasing the breadth of skills and success across multiple professions and industries.
Many of the guests were award winners in their fields, indicating the level of success achieved by those in attendance. The networking event was held at Number Twenty, Grosvenor Street, with the aim of connecting dynamic and enterprising professionals with a desire to succeed. Many of these entrepreneurs have built multi-million-pound businesses, a powerful testament to the hardworking and enterprising spirit of their parents or grandparents, many of whom came to the UK as immigrants. South Asian businesses continue to positively impact the UK and global economy, generating billions of pounds and creating jobs. In addition, the South Asian community makes a vast contribution to the UK’s public services, as well as to the nation’s culture and society, as it inspires the next generation of businessmen and women.
Bina Mehta, KPMG Partner and lead for the firm’s Asian business programme said :
“This is an important event for KPMG as it brings together the breadth of talent we touch across our many disciplines and sectors – whether family businesses, tech entrepreneurs or influencers. As a large global business we have an important role to play in supporting the next generation of leaders in helping them to develop ideas, create opportunities and inspire each other as they journey towards success. It never ceases to amaze me how many talented and inspirational people attend the event and the level of energy from the networking and exchanges of ideas.”
KPMG is proud to have been able to facilitate this meeting of successful people. At this point in time it is important that the UK continues to fight for its place on the world stage. For example new technology affords us a golden opportunity to create a highly skilled and innovative economy, and our next generation business leaders are vital to that happening. I have no doubt that with the passion that our next generation Asian business leaders have for driving change and growing their own businesses, the future is looking encouraging.”
Special guest of the evening was Shamil Thakrar, who co-founded Dishoom in 2010. Thakrar and the Dishoom team have put culture and authenticity centre-stage in building the business, earning the company the Yelp! Award for Best Restaurant in the UK for two consecutive years (2015 and 2016). Addressing the assembled guests, Shamil shared valuable insights for budding young entrepreneurs.
Commenting on the event, Shamil Thakrar said:
“This was a great event and it was fantastic to meet so many talented young Asians forging their own way to becoming successful leaders of the future. I’m glad to be able to support our next generation of Asian entrepreneurs. It was a delight to share some of the story of Dishoom and to be part of the new generation of Asians brought together by KPMG.
I do feel that values, purpose and people should be at the heart of a growing business. Therefore, this event resonated strongly with me in the way it celebrated Asian culture and shone a light on the new entrepreneurs that are championing innovative new business models. I was really impressed by the quality and creativity of the people gathered together, and wish each of the guests a successful future.”
Curzon PR founder and CEO, Farzana Baduel, who has won multiple accolades including the Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the Asian Women in Business Awards, added:
“The dedication of KPMG to nurturing and encouraging business success within the South Asian Diaspora is notable. Events such as this act as a catalyst for dynamic growth, and our experience is that South Asian entrepreneurs continue to show unparalleled dynamism in driving their businesses forward where others seem reticent to invest and grow. There is a huge opportunity to build global trade in the post-Brexit era – and the vision of this community will enable it to lead the way.”
Making business connections is an essential process for businesses, especially those newly established. By bringing together this group of innovative new generation business leaders, KPMG aimed to provide an important platform for networking, helping to take those connections to the next level. By expanding their networks, young entrepreneurs increase opportunities, enhance collaborations with business partners and engage with customers to build trust and meet demand.
For further information please contact Francesca Caller.
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ENDS
Notes to editors:
About KPMG
KPMG LLP, a UK limited liability partnership, operates from 22 offices across the UK with approximately 14,500 partners and staff. The UK firm recorded a revenue of £2.2 billion in the year ended 30 September 2017. KPMG is a global network of professional firms providing Audit, Tax, and Business Advisory services. It operates in 154 countries and has 200,000 professionals working in member firms around the world. The independent member firms of the KPMG network are affiliated with KPMG International Cooperative (“KPMG International”), a Swiss entity. Each KPMG firm is a legally distinct and separate entity and describes itself as such.
About Dishoom
Dishoom has five cafés in London and one in Edinburgh. Like Bombay’s old Irani cafés, Dishoom breaks down barriers: in its restaurants, which employ and serve people from all walks of life, at its events, and through charity (donating a meal for every meal). Dishoom serves a lovingly curated menu of Bombay comfort food and award-winning drinks in beautiful restaurants with unique stories. Everything Dishoom does shares its love for Bombay’s culture, heritage and people, and everyone is welcomed with warmth.
Dishoom was awarded the Best Small Group award by the Good Food Guide UK in 2017 and The Sunday Times ranked it #36 in its ‘100 Best UK Companies To Work For’ list in 2017. It was also voted Best Restaurant in the UK by Yelp! Users in 2015 and 2016, and the Cool Brands expert panel voted it the ‘Coolest UK Restaurant’ in 2016.
Bina Mehta | Partner | KPMG
Bina is a KPMG Partner with a focus on working with clients in the business services sector and is responsible for the firm‘s relationships with a number of large international businesses. She is a commentator on issues impacting fast growth businesses and is actively involved in the UK trade and investment agenda, supporting scale up clients in relation to access to finance and growth via international trade opportunities. Bina mentors entrepreneurs and manages a number of the firm’s partnerships in this space as well as being a mentor for the 30% club and a lead partner on KPMG’s next generation programme.
Having qualified as a Chartered Accountant in the UK, Bina worked in India during the establishment of KPMG India before starting her career in Advisory. She has over 20 years of international M&A and Restructuring experience in the UK, USA and Canada acting for private equity houses, lenders and corporate clients.
Shamil Thakrar | Co-founder | Dishoom
Shamil Thakrar co-founded Dishoom in 2010. Before that, he
had, amongst other things, been a management consultant for five years and worked in the food industry for eight years.
Farzana Baduel | CEO | Curzon PR
Farzana Baduel is Founder and CEO of Curzon PR, the award-winning strategy and communications agency trusted by international governments, listed corporates & cultural brands. Farzana set up Curzon in 2009 after previously serving as Vice Chair of Business Relations for the British Conservative Party.
“Life is too short and shouldn’t be wasted working in a job you are not passionate about.” Farzana’s philosophy drives Curzon. Recognised for her accomplishments, Farzana has won: Businesswoman of the Year at the Muslim Awards 2016, Entrepreneur of the Year at the Asian Women of Achievement Awards 2015, Women of Colour Achievement Awards 2015 presented by the Women Presidents’ Organisation and the Media Professional of the Year at The Asian Media Awards 2014. Farzana has also been a judge for the CIPR awards, the leading industry body for PR in the UK.
