Barclays Wealth in conjunction with The City Sikhs Network is proud to invite you to

Sikhs, The City and Success

Date: Wednesday 17th August 2011

Time: 18:00 – 21:00

Venue: Barclays Headquarters, 1 Churchill Place, London E14 – 5HP

Sikhs, the City and Success is an evening of short inspirational talks and a panel discussion given by leading business people from the Sikh community.

The objective of the evening is to inspire, motivate and encourage success. Our speakers will share some of their unique insights into how they have achieved such phenomenal success within their life, overcome difficulties and retained a work life balance.

We invite you to join us to listen, ask questions , be inspired and enjoy networking opportunities over drinks and canapes.

Format for the Evening

6.00pm – 6.30pm Arrival and Registration
6.30pm – 6.40pm Welcome Remarks from CSN Exec and Barclays
6.40pm – 6.50pm Richard Barnes – Deputy Mayor of London
6.50pm – 7.00pm Krish Ravel – Director of Faith in Leadership
7.00pm – 7.15pm Dr Surinder Hundal – Director at Principles for Responsible Investment
7.15pm – 7.30pm Sukhi Wahiwala – CEO of Wahiwala Group of Companies
7.30pm – 8.00pm Panel discussion and Q&A
8.00pm – 9.00pm Drinks and Canapes

Ticket Bookings

To attend this event please RSVP using the following link:
http://citysikhs.eventbrite.com/

Speaker Profiles

Krish Raval – CEO, Learn to Lead and Director, Faith in Leadership

Krish Raval is Chief Executive of Learn to Lead, an organization that develops the personal potential of people of all ages. His company runs programs for corporations and educational institutions around the world.

Krish is also the director for Faith in Leadership, a course for rising stars within the different faith traditions in Britain which has as its Patrons the main faith leaders in the UK including the Archbishop of Canterbury (www.faithinleadership.org).

Krish Raval was born in Ethiopia of Indian parents and was raised in the UK. He was educated at the Universities of Cambridge and Sheffield. He is Senior Fellow at the James MacGregor Burns Academy for Leadership at the University of Maryland Krish has served on the Board of Directors of Initiatives of Change (USA) since 2008.

Richard Barnes – Deputy Mayor of London

Formerly a Leader of Hillingdon Council, Richard has been a member of the London Assembly representing Ealing and Hillingdon since May 2000. He has been a member of Hillingdon Council since 1982 and is currently Ward Councillor for Harefield, where he lives.

He has a degree in economics from the University of Wales, and speaks Norwegian, Danish, Swedish and French.

Richard served on the Metropolitan Police Authority from 2000 to 2008, and was Deputy Chair between 2000 and 2004. On the London Assembly, he has been a member of the Health Committee, Audit Panel and was leader of the Conservative Group. Throughout his career in local government, Richard has maintained a keen interest in financial structures and processes, and ensuring value for money.

Richard chaired the 7 July Review Committee, the only public inquiry into the 7 July 2005 bombings in London, the report of which has been downloaded over 170,000 times since publication. He also produced a report promoting business continuity to small businesses entitled “Prepared For The Worst?”

Dr Surinder Hundal – Director at Principles for Responsible Investment

Surinder Hundal has over 25 years multi-faceted international business management experience gained from leading influential senior roles in the technology sector.

She is currently a director on the executive team at the UN-backed Principles for Responsible Investment where she heads its communications and marketing practice. Prior to that, she led policy and public affairs at the International Business Leaders Forum, a global not-for-profit leadership organisation working with global business leaders on corporate responsibility and sustainable development initiatives world-wide.

Surinder is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) in the UK. She has a postgraduate certificate in Cross-Sector Partnerships from the Cambridge University Programme for Industry. She holds a MBA from Cass Business School in London; and a BSc Honours in Life Sciences from the University of
Westminster. Surinder was awarded her PhD in pharmacology from the University of London.

She sits on the Advisory Board of MBA at the Cass Business School in London. She is an advisor to the Board of Trustees for Project Mosaic, an Anglo-American educational charity set up to promote interfaith and intercultural tolerance and multicultural good citizenship.

Surinder is a member of the City Women’s Network, UK’s premier senior businesswomens network, where she was on its Board in 2008. She was nominated for Asian Women of Achievement Awards, Business Woman of the Year, Corporate category in 2005.

A British Sikh, Surinder is actively engaged in catalyzing thought leadership with her peers on the role of modern Sikhs in global issues as well as promoting through her personal commitments, an understanding of Sikh cultural, faith and military heritage. She was a judge on the world’s first Sikh Awards in 2010.

Surinder was born in Tanzania, raised first in Kenya and then in England. She has lived and worked in Singapore, Finland, Japan, the United States, China, India, South Africa, South East Asia, the Middle East and continental Europe.

Her interests include travelling the Silk Road(s), lion conservation in Botswana and expressing her identity as a global citizen through her eclectic interests in music, arts, literature, architecture and landscape of many lands.

Dr Surinder’s talk is titled “Realising your Personal Vision: Key Factors for Success”

Sukhi Wahiwala – CEO of Wahiwala Group of Companies

36 year old Sukhi Wahiwala took over a family business whilst still in his teens, becoming a millionaire at the age of 21, and a Multi-Millionaire by the age of 25. He credits his parents as his greatest teachers and mentors. Sukhi was schooled in business by his father, a phenomenally successful Entrepreneur, who ensured that a privileged background would not provide a shortcut to his son learning business at grass roots level. A solid grounding that invariably shaped a refreshingly modest Multi-Millionaire, whose down to earth qualities and exceptional interpersonal skills drove a business empire that had grown into a formidable dynasty.

With an extensive property portfolio, and commisioning single developments of over 23 properties along with his other diverse businesses; internet online e-tailing business, retail outlets, importing, manufacturing and retirement homes, make up just a few of Sukhi’s multiple businesses & experiences; all of which he has transformed into stunningly successful business ventures. Earning a reputation as the man with the Midas Touch & vision, he was riding high when disaster struck with his Health in 2006 at the tender age of 31 years old.

Two days after returning from a family holiday Sukhi collapsed contracting Hepatitis A. Despite being a strict non-drinker, his condition dramatically deteriorated with the onset of liver failure, bringing him perilously close to death. It took over eleven months of intensive medication and rehabilitation away from his business both physically and in mind, before he was recovered enough to be able to pick up the reins of his business once again. Whilst still equipped with his amazing business acumen, he became aware that something had changed. No longer feeling the same fulfilment or satisfaction he previously felt taking a business from zero to a multi million pound turnover, he reassessed his life and sense of purpose. He also learned the valuable lesson; you have to build a business around a Team and not make yourself the key player. Some of his business ventures suffered a loss during his illness and unpredicted absence.

Following his return he folded two companies and re-established them. During a twelve month transition period he put in place a highly skilled management team to ensure he could work both in the business and also out of the business, without being reliant on as the key man. His father had always told him Son always try to work with people who have lost money themselves, as they will value money correctly. Experiencing his first ever financial business loss and cash flow challenges taught Sukhi the importance of building a business around a team, giving him the knowledge and experience to also recover companies.