Home / Feature / A Breath of fresh Air

A Breath of fresh Air

By Nabila Rafique , Legal  Advisor, AZURIST

The Business Summit organised by British Bangladesh Chamber of Woman Entrepreneurs (BBCWE) at Crowne Plaza on the 24.02.2015 was a much needed concerted effort by a group of driven and passionate females. Lead by the awe inspiring yet graceful Dilara Khan the organisation is the flagship platform for British Bangladeshi woman to discuss, learn and share about business.

The title of the event was Breaking Barriers – Trade and Beyond and the audience heard speeches and presentation from prominent personalities and panel discussion surrounding woman in business. The stage was star cast – Dilara Khan and BBCWE’s finance director Nadia Ali being media personalities themselves with a brood of enthusiastic members and directors, Mumtaz Khan, Vice President, Polly Islam, Secretary general, Sabina Khan Operations Director, Ayesha Boshor, membership director, did very well in attracting business icon Lord Bilmoria, activist Baroness Pola Uddin, Anne Maine MP, Priti Patel, Minister for Employment, Nasreen Fatema Awal, CIP, Dr Nazia Khanum, OBE, Mrs Saleh Islam, Director of Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre, Mrs Sharifa Khan, Commercial Counsellor, Bangladesh High Commission, Professor Christiana Slade, Dr Zoe Bharami, Dr Debarathra Chowdhury, Barrister Anwar Babul Miah, Sheikh Aliur, CEO London Tea Exchange, Mr Eafor Ali, President, British Bangladeshi Caterer’s Association and Kamrul Ali, Property Investment Expert.

Shunned or avoided topic of glass ceiling also came up which for woman represents the cultural, social, familial or even mental inhibition which stands in the way of a woman and her the pathway of economic success. Whereas there was a recognition that these barriers are ever present today, less was said about how to break them – which I felt compromised the essence of the name of the summit. I was hoping the panellist would speak more about encouraging their daughters in business, teach them about managing the money affairs and how to smart businesses decisions inspiring creativity, and bare knuckle commerce and most importantly changing the psyche of men in our immediate family and society.

The other area where no one even recognised the elephant in the room is the sheer lack or absence of woman owning or running the restaurant, whereas the entire British Bangladeshi Community rose on the backs of the catering industry. I was very much hoping that this matter would be discussed at the panel discussion on Woman’s Role in the Catering Industry. However sadly, there was no addressing of the issue that how come Bangladeshi woman being such good cooks did not ever feel the need to make money of this skill. Cooking is a skill and talent for many. Are British Bangladeshi woman moving away from cooking or is it deemed disrespectful for a woman to run and manage a restaurant? Are our family expectation and responsibilities so overwhelming that it is impossible to think beyond? Or is it a simple case of physical capability that a kitchen at home is a wholly different affair to a kitchen of a restaurant and as such women are not suited to the heavy physical needs of restaurant kitchen and management?

I personally know British Bangladeshi woman who actively participate in managing their husband’s restaurants but they are not treated as equal counter parts. Or there are cases whereas their names are used on paper only for the business to be carried out by men in the shadows. These realities need to be addressed and so is the need for woman to stand their ground and at the very least think that they can run a business. There are many woman in the British Bangladeshi community that cook for offices and families however they are held back from treating their activities as a business because they don’t know they can and will never know unless they hear that it can be done.

The last critique is of some of the presentation which appeared ill suited or at best irrelevant to the needs of the audience or the title of the event. It appeared that the need to keep the speakers and panellist star-cast, lead some of them to merely forward their own agenda such as Priti Patel’s EU exit campaign speech that added zero value to the audience and only inspired rage.

Despite these critiques, the event was a breath of fresh air which is the title of this writing. It is fresh because for the first time it brought a group of woman in the leadership of a business forum. It addressed the chronic need for women to tackle headon their own inhibitions before tackling the extraneous ones. Visually it demonstrated that woman are more than capable of pulling of a business conference with grace and as much confidence.

There were many things I took away from the event. Firstly was the inspirational speech by Lord Bilmoria – he spoke of his own journey to success and shared his must have for a successful business – the 9 Ps – Product, Price, Place, Promotion, People, Passion, Profit, Partnership and Principles. Second was the speech by Anne Maine MP, who spoke of the need for woman to be engaging and open and to never say no to an invitation which can lead the way to a rewarding path. Third was Mrs Awal’s presentation on her organisation WEAB (Woman Enterpreneur’s Association of Bangladesh) and how they arrange training and funding from financial institution for woman lead SME projects in Bangladesh. Fourthly Dr. Bhramis presentation on branding and marketing was quite insightful and it was very warming to hear her career story having grown up with a sceptical father. Mrs Saleh Islam’s viewpoint on female leadership was particularly interesting since she is chairing a religious organisation herself. She said leadership brings responsibilities. However the Fifth and most useful presentation of the event was the last one of the day given by Kamrul Ali, Property Investment Expert. He spoke of how to make an income smartly and steadily which can allow time for family as well. This presentation was particularly important since women have family commitments and it’s very important for woman to balance their roles. Everyone who waited till the end had been very lucky indeed to have heard what Kamrul Ali said.

Besides the presentations and speeches the networking breakoff sessions allowed people to engage, meet, introduce and catch up. It was particularly pleasing to learn of many woman entrepreneurs running jewellery stores and make up artistry businesses. I also took well to the lunch which comprised of an array of smart cocktails sandwiches and finger foods provided by Pride of Asia that never misses to deliver quality.

The business aspirations of British Bangladeshi woman are starting to blossom and starting to grow. There is a dire need for nurture and BBCWE’s event was a step in the right direction though there is no question that there is a long way to go.