12 EASTERN EYE January 14, 2011 www.easterneye.eu

BUSINESS NEWS THAT MATTERSEvery week, gives you the latest news, whether it’s about a country or a company. We are the place to find out what’s happening with Asian-run businesses in the UK, developments in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Send your press releases and pictures to editor@easterneye.eu if you want to tell us what’s going on with your business.

AN APPRENTICE ECO WARRIORContestant unveils ‘green’ machine

WORK SCHEME IS REPRIEVED

BUSINESS secretary Vince Cable MP will be the chief guest at the Eastern Eye Asian Business Awards (ABAs) on Friday, March 18.

He will join entrepre-neurs, captains of industry, business leaders and com-munity figures at the pres-tigious event on the Asian business calendar.

Cable will make a key-note speech and is expected to touch on the government’s promotion of enterprise, its championing of small busi-nesses and the increasing trade links between Britain and booming India.

More than 500 people are expected to attend the high-profile dinner which will take place at a venue in central London to be con-firmed nearer the time.

Kalpesh Solanki, manag-ing director of the Asian Media & Marketing Group (AMG), publishers of East-ern Eye, said he was delight-ed one of the government’s most senior figures had agreed to be the chief guest.

He said: “It is a great hon-our for us to have Vince Ca-ble as a chief guest. He has been one of the most co-gent commentators on eco-nomic affairs in Britain in recent times. His presence shows how much the gov-ernment values enterprise and entrepreneurship.

“It is a signal to the Asian community from the gov-ernment that it means busi-ness and will look to do what it can to help small businesses increase em-ployment and prosperity in difficult times.”

Cable was appointed business secretary in May shortly after the formation of the coalition govern-ment. He told EE in an in-terview before the election last year that he wanted to do more to help small busi-nesses. A former economist for oil giants Shell, Cable has been a keen student of the Indian growth story and travelled with David Cam-eron on the prime minis-ter’s first official visit to In-dia back in July. A widower who has since remarried, his first wife was of Indian origin and he had first visit-ed the country in 1965.

You can nominate a busi-ness for one of the 10 awards on offer by visiting www.easterneye.eu/ABA-wards/ for further details.

If you would like to at-tend the dinner, contact Tanuja Parekh on 020-7654 7740 for table inquiries.

PAKISTAN International Airlines (PIA) will stop flying out of Glas-gow from next Saturday (22).

The carrier said the twice-weekly service to Lahore had been running at a loss. But the decision has angered Glas-gow’s Pakistani community.

Businessman Shokat Muba-rik said: “It will be inconvenient. People from all over Scotland use these flights because it’s quicker to go to Glasgow rath-er than travel to Manchester.”

Cable is ABA chief guest

PIA flights to Lahore axed

by NADEEM BADSHAHA FORMER contestant on The Apprentice has launched what he claims is ‘the world’s gree-nest hand dryer’.

Syed Ahmed is founder of SA Vortex, which manufactures eco-friendly hand driers that do not use “conventional electrical heat-ing elements”.

The 36-year-old had his doubt-ers when he pitched the idea on a Sky One documentary in 2007, but has gone on to launch the com-pany with investors.

He claims using the spinning air hand dryer for 10 years will save a business £16,000 in elec-tricity bills. He said the scathing comments in the documentary from entrepreneurs such as Drag-ons’ Den star Duncan Bannatyne have spurred him to succeed.

Ahmed, who will unveil a lower power model of The Vortex Hand Dryer this month, told Eastern Eye: “There was a lot of talk but that didn’t affect me at all. It actu-ally encouraged me to think big-ger and work harder. Everything is a learning curve and you cannot think that you know it all, you are never the finished article.

“Duncan is entitled to his opin-ion, I’ve got bigger fish to fry which is running the business.

“But I admire him and entre-preneurs like James Caan and Ri-chard Branson for their success.

“I never doubted myself. Against the odds we have set up a manu-facturing business, with a design, production, marketing and sales team in the UK.”

The product is aimed at busi-nesses including restaurants and leisure centres. Its stakeholders

include design company Di-sign Consultants and market-ing firm Ingenuity.

Ahmed made his name by reaching the final five of series 2 of the Apprentice TV show in 2006 before being eliminated.

The British Bangladeshi, who also gives motivational talks, ad-mits he has matured a lot since appearing on the programme.

“I look at the bigger picture now and it makes you more humble. When you are young, your enthu-siasm can sometimes work against you. You are full of energy which is not channel-led correctly. I’ve grown up, I have no regrets. Experiences build character, you must learn from the past and keep creating a positive future.

“I would like to support and inspire aspiring Asian entrepre-neurs to believe in themselves.

“Some Apprentice viewers may think ‘I won’t be selling strawberries or apples’ so what is the relevance of such tasks? However, it’s the process of selling, negotiating and marke-ting a product that is impor-tant. The product can be any-thing, so it’s all relevant.”

Ahmed was not impressed with the last three Appren-tice series, but last year’s show was a return to form.

“Series 3, 4 and 5 were terrible, it was very Big Brother and showbizy. The candidates could have been better.

“In this series, the con-testants had good busi-ness acumen, were edu-cated, intelligent and had raw business talent.”

A PLAN that helps people find work in employment black spots has been saved after an MP pro-tested its imminent axing.

Ian Duncan Smith, the secre-tary of state for Work and Pensi-ons, had scrapped the Employ-ment Zones scheme which of-fers specialist support for the long-term unemployed as well as lone parents in areas of high unemployment.

But pressure from Glasgow Central Labour MP Anas Sar-war has led to the government

extending the scheme until June. The replacement Work Program-me is scheduled to be up and running by then.

Sarwar said: “The previous Labour government gave Glas-gow Employment Zone status precisely because we need ex-tra support for people looking for work. However, Duncan Smith was ready to write off Glasgow’s jobless by with-drawing help six months before his Work Programme is ready.”

Duncan Smith said: “We are introducing the Work program-me as fast as we can, and the summer target for that is critical. It will make a huge difference.”

The Work Programme will replace the current Back to Work schemes for unemployed peo-ple. The government says it is committed to providing un-conditional support for very sick and disabled people. But

there are people claiming in-capacity benefits who, with help, would be able to work.