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NATIONAL CONFERENCE

BRITISH ASIANS AND

CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP

Profiles in Leadership

Wednesday, 15 October 2003

9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Institute of Directors (IOD)

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

This National Conference brings together two years of lessons and experiences from CSM’s campaign British Asians: Building Leadership for Corporate Citizenship to promote responsible business practice within the Asian business community. The conference will highlight major lessons and case studies with benefits far beyond the business bottom line. Ethnic business has so far been overlooked by most proponents of corporate citizenship or corporate social responsibility (CSR). This conference seeks to close the information gap by profiling lessons learnt from this unique nationwide mobilisation campaign. 

The conference will demonstrate the crucial importance of Asian business - not only to the economy as a source of domestic entrepreneurial drive and contributing an estimated 10% of the UK’s total GDP - but also as a key link to foreign markets, and a key potential contributor to community development, social cohesion and racial integration.  With South Asians forming the UK’s largest ethnic minority group, and ethnic minorities set to overtake the indigenous population in the EU workforce by 2010, it is time for employers and policy makers to take heed of the implications for their own current and future strategies. 

This initiative is part of CSM’s international programme on CSR and Ethnic Minority & Diaspora Communities and will extend to other British & European ethnic communities in 2004-2007. 

KEYNOTE SPEAKER 

STEPHEN TIMMS MP, Minister for Corporate Social Responsibility 

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS & CHAIRS 

Mr George Cox, Director General, Institute of Directors (IOD)

Mr Karan Bilimoria, Managing Director, Cobra Beer

Mr Ram Gidoomal CBE, Chairman, London Sustainability Exchange

Baroness Greengross, Chair, All-party Parliamentary Committee on CSR

Mr Digby Jones, Director-General, Confederation of British Industry (CBI)

Prof Monder Ram, Professor of Small Business, De Montfort University

Mr Tony Sarin, Chief Executive, Numerica & Chairman, Asian Business Association (ABA)

Ms Geeti Singh, Managing Director, Singh Boulton. Asian Businesswoman of the Year 2003

Mr Ajay Sodha, Managing Director, Key Travel

Ms Yvonne Thompson CBE, Chair, Ethnic Minority Business Forum

Mr David Varney, Chairman, mm02 and Chairman, Business in the Community (BITC)

Mr Zulfi Hussain, Chair, Asian Business Development Network

Mr Khalid Javid, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce

Mr Saleem Kidwai, Chief Executive, Ethnic Business Support Programme

Ms Daxa Pancholi, Leicester City Council

Mr Saeed Shad, Managing Director, Jupiter Properties Ltd.

Mr Prem Singh, Director, Empower Scotland

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR

Dear Colleague,

Issues such as the role of business in society, the behaviour of global firms, the contributions of ethnic minorities, and the prospects for racial integration and community cohesion are very much in the news these days.

With good reason. Business is now playing an ever more central role in our lives, and ethnic minorities now account for 8% of the UK population, with an ever more important role to play in British society.

Yet the connection between the UK’s prominent debate on ethical and responsible corporate conduct, and the role of Britain’s diverse and vibrant ethnic business communities has not been made.  

Until now…

On Wednesday 15 October 2003, the Centre for Social Markets (CSM) will host a unique conference bringing together leaders from the ethnic business community, policymakers, local authority leaders and corporate citizenship advocates.  

The conference will profile key figures and lessons learnt from CSM’s pioneering 2-year initiative called British Asians: Building Leadership for Corporate Citizenship with a focus on Asians originating from the Sub-continent. South Asians are the largest ethnic minority group in the UK today – accounting for 10% of the UK’s GDP, an economic contribution vastly exceeding their population size. 

Held in the very heart of London at the Institute of Directors (IOD), the conference will bring the voices and insights of Britain’s leading ethnic business communities to the attention of policymakers, and into the very mainstream of the debate on corporate social and environmental responsibility. 

If you work on any of these issues, then this is a conference you cannot afford to miss.  

The line-up of top-notch speakers, and the wealth of insights to be shared, promise a day of outstanding intellectual and networking value to all participants. Please call us today to reserve a place at this pioneering conference for you and your team.  

We would also be happy to discuss the variety of Sponsorship opportunities offered to enable you to most effectively show your support for this initiative and its objectives. 

For more information, please contact:

Rubina Whitham, Centre for Social Markets (London)

Tel: 020-7407 7625   Mobile: 07905 510939   Email: rubina@csmworld.org

FULL DETAILS – AND BACKGROUND TO THE CONFERENCE – ON CSM’S WEBSITE: www.csmworld.org/balcc