Andy Street, Managing Director of the famous British retail store chain John Lewis said that his position of Mayor of Birmingham (West Midlands) will open many doors in business, education and technical training skills for Pakistanis residing in United Kingdom (UK).
Andy Street recently visited Islamabad and was guest of honor at a reception hosted by the Conservative Friends of Pakistan UK Forum coordinated by Syed Asif Shah, former Federal Secretary Government of Pakistan. Muhammad Afzal, Director, Conservative Friends of Pakistan was also present.
The gathering was widely attended by senior Government officials like Federal Secretary Health, Additional Secretaries from Ministries of Commerce, Finance, and Special Secretary Foreign Office. There were business leaders and captains of industry from, telecom; textiles, pharmaceuticals, construction, and steel sectors. Entrepreneurs from the Food Industry were also present. The Head of UNHCR Pakistan also attended the function.
The Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry was represented by its President and Vice President, Khalid Iqbal Malik and Khalid Malik and more than two dozen office bearers and business leaders also attended the function.
Street is a businessman now turned politician who after his resignation from The John Lewis Company has been officially nominated for the first ever election for Mayor of Birmingham (West Midlands) area of England.
This is a huge recognition for Street as the Mayor-ship will be second in size and responsibility to London only. Street has been chosen for this position due to his proven track record in the business world, where he achieved remarkable results as Managing Director of John Lewis, and also for his ability in managing large groups of people. He is a graduate from Oxford University, but even though he has been a businessman for 30 years, his passion and desire is to serve the community which gave him so much. The fact that he was born in Birmingham makes his nomination for Mayor of that area even more exciting for him.
In his remarks to the distinguished gathering, Street emphasized that his visit to Pakistan will be the first of many, and he conveyed emphatically that he was available as a representative of the very large Pakistani Diaspora in the West Midlands, to listen to and resolve their problems, and also to ensure that there are business opportunities created and taken advantage of between Pakistan and West Midlands.
Street is aware that the Pakistan Diaspora has good disposable incomes and Pakistani products like textiles and clothing and Food items have a potential demand in the UK provided the business opportunities are leveraged with sincerity and hard work.
Street said that the position of Mayor will open many doors in education and technical training skills for Pakistanis residing in the West Midlands, and he when elected will make sure that these opportunities are offered fairly and efficiently to all those who are eligible. His comments were that what he saw of Pakistan on his short visit; it was a happy country with hard working people.-PR