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India and South Asia Business Centre

Recent Events and Publications

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Event summary for 2023-24

JEL-ISABC has had an active year, holding a range of academic and cultural events over 2023-24. Under the leadership of the Director, Prof Mohammad Faisal Ahammad, the centre added new partnerships, such as a premier membership of Northern Powerhouse (NPH) Ethnic Minority Business and Policy Forum, a corporate membership with the of Yorkshire Asian Business Association (YABA), and an institutional membership with the Indian Academy of Management (INDAM). Mr Peter Zink Secher, Owner of QESG Advisory, Pioneer in Sustainable Finance, Copenhagen Business School (Denmark), joined JEL ISABC as an honorary member of International Advisory Board this year. Dr Amrita Manohar joined the centre as the Deputy Director in 2024.

A brief summary of the events organised and supported by JEL-ISABC is provided below.

Academic:

  1. Seminar: Frugal Innovation and the Implications for South Asian Business, Government and Society

5-Oct-2023

The speaker, Professor Jaideep Prabhu of Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, explored the implication of frugal innovation in a South Asian context. The event was conducted online and moderated by Prof Mohammad Faisal Ahammad.

  1. Seminar: Living Bridges - Using Diaspora to Build International Network

2-Nov-2023

Sharon Jandu, Director of the Northern Asian Power (NAP) and Founder of the Yorkshire Asian Business Association (YABA), discussed the role played by diaspora to in building international networks. The event was conducted online and moderated by Prof Mohammad Faisal Ahammad.

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  1. Seminar: India-UK Trade Deal

16-Nov-2023

Hemita V Bhatti, Head of Trade Policy at The Institute of Export & International Trade, UK, spoke about the India-UK trade deal and the challenges and opportunities posed by it. The event was conducted online and moderated by Prof Mohammad Faisal Ahammad.

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  1. Khusro Memorial Lecture: The Future of the Commonwealth of Nations

7-Mar-2024

Syed Kamall, member of the House of Lords and Professor of Politics & International Relations, St Mary’s University, Twickenham, delivered a talk on the relevance and future of the Commonwealth.

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The event was held on campus in Charles Thackrah building and was well-attended by academics and PGRs from the International Business department. It was moderated by Prof Mohammad Faisal Ahammad and Prof Surender Munjal.

  1. Panel Discussion: Opportunities and Challenges in the UK for South Asian Businesses

15-Jul-2024

A panel of three speakers, Sharon Jandu, Director of the Northern Asian Power (NAP) and Founder of the Yorkshire Asian Business Association (YABA), Hemita V Bhatti, Head of Trade Policy, The Institute of Export & International Trade, UK, and Prof Marina Papanastassiou, Professor of International Business at the Department of International Business, CIBUL, discussed the business environment in the UK for South Asian businesses from a business, trade policy, and academic perspective. The event was held at the University House attended by academics and postgraduate students from the International Business department. It was moderated by Dr Amrita Manohar.

Social events and external engagements:

  1. Dances of India, 2024

17-Feb-2024

JEL-ISABC partnered with Devika Dance Theatre for a series of workshops and a cultural event featuring Indian dance forms. The event was held at stage@Leeds and was widely attended by staff and students from the university and the wider community.

  1. Bradford 2025 Gala Dinner

6-Jun-2024

JEL-ISABC participated in a gala dinner organized in Bradford, networking with business leaders and organisations from across Bradford and Yorkshire.

  1. Launch of Ethnic Minority Business Barometer 2024

10-Jun-2024

As premier members of the NPH Ethnic Minority Steering Group, JEL-ISABC attended the launch event held at the UK House of Lords, London. The launch featured talks by Lord Karan Bilimoria CBE DL, Sharon Jandu OBE, and Prof Kiran Trehan, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Partnerships and Engagement, and Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of York and offered a networking opportunity with business and policy leaders.

  1. Eid Celebration 2024

24-Jun-2024

An evening of celebrations for Eid al-Adha was held, with a focus on Bangladeshi culture. The event was well-attended by the Bangladeshi community and academics from the International Business department, LUBS and University of Leeds.

Partnerships:

  1. NPH Ethnic Minority Business and Policy Forum, Yorkshire Asian Business Association

On 1st April 2024, JEL India & South Asia Business Center of International Business Department, Leeds University Business School, University of Leeds, became the Premier member of NPH Ethnic Minority Business and Policy Forum and Corporate member of YABA.

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The Director of NPH Ethnic Minority Business and Policy Forum, Sharon Kaur Jandu OBE had a meeting with Professor & Head of International Business Department, Prof Mohammad Faisal Ahammad, to explore various strategies and opportunities aimed at fortifying the partnership between NPH and Leeds University Business School.

  1. International Advisory Board Member

Mr Peter Zink Secher joined the International Advisory Board of JEL-ISABC as an honorary member in February 2024.

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Peter is a pioneer in ESG and sustainable finance and the founder of Founder of QESG Advisory, Copenhagen, Denmark. He was the first capital market practitioner to use ESG ratings to optimize corporate issuers’ capital market profiles. Secher built an ESG rating simulator model more than five years ago, which can simulate ESG ratings from all significant ESG rating agencies (such as MSCI, Sustainalytics, ISS ESG and the like).​
Secher aims to continuously build on the success of Nykredit as a first mover and from being the Head of ESG Ratings Advisory EMEA at BNP Paribas, London/UK.

Publications

Our publications include research reports and articles targeted at specific audiences in academics' and practitioners' journals, the business and financial press.