Wednesday 16th April 2014
Sir Anwar Pervez honoured by the Asian business community
Sir Anwar Pervez, OBE H Pk, was the toast of the UK’s Asian business community when he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the recently held Asian Business Awards in London.
The annual event, which took place on 11th April with Education secretary Michael Gove as its chief guest, celebrated the achievements of the Asian community and the impact it has made to the UK and global economy.
Mr Gove paid tribute to the invaluable contribution to the economy and resilience of the Asian community, saying, "Today we celebrate some of the most successful Asians in the UK, many of whom started with a small idea and worked their way up the ladder to where they are today"
Sir Anwar's story is exactly that.
Sir Anwar began his career in food business in 1963 when he opened a convenience store in Earls Court, London. He ventured into the cash & carry business in 1976 with the launch of a depot in Acton. Today the wholesale business's annual turnover is £2.5bn operating from 63 depots with Best-one, its symbol retail operation, boasting over 1,000 stores.
Under Sir Anwar's guidance, the Group has diversified into milling of food staples (Map Trading); cement manufacturing (Bestway Cement), real estate management (Palmbest) and banking (UBL) employing over 25,000 people globally. He is also the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Bestway Foundation UK, the philanthropic and charitable arm of Bestway, which annually donates 2.5% of its pre-tax profits to worthy causes in both the UK and South Asia.
Sir Anwar was delighted to accept the award, "It means a great deal to receive recognition for my efforts. Like so many others, I came to the UK with very little other than a willingness to work hard, the dream of starting a business and the desire to create better life for myself and family. I relied on a few, trusted men to help me develop the business. That taught me that, in business, people are your greatest asset. The board of directors and all the staff deserve immense credit for the success of the business and the award is as much for the Bestway Group as it is for me."