Writing for City AM, a business daily, Lord Bilimoria argues that the latest uncertainty concerning the Chinese markets provides the ideal reminder of the importance of trade with India, whose economy continues its rapid growth.
Lord Bilimoria was recently interviewed by the Editor of UK Asian , Poonam Joshi, about the government’s approach to immigration. During the interview, he talks about his own experiences of immigration as an international student, notes the faults with the government’s current immigration rhetoric, and discusses the immigration policies that should be introduced.
Monday saw Lord Bilimoria share his thoughts about the growth opportunities for beer in India in an article for Indian news magazine, Indian Outlook. The piece identified the substantial discrepancy between the consumption of beer and spirits in India, despite the recent rise in popularity of beer in the country, and made the case for reforming the taxation rates in India so that they better reflect the alcoholic potency of the products being sold and help to reduce the health and social problems associated with easily available cheap liquor.
Lord Bilimoria, Chancellor of the University of Birmingham, recently spoke about the need to invest in higher education in the UK in an article for the Telegraph. He stressed the discrepancy in funding received by US universities, compared to their UK counterparts, and argued that the neglect of Britain’s universities has contributed to the productivity gap currently facing the UK.
It was recently announced that Lord Bilimoria will succeed his long standing friend and colleague, Baroness Prashar, as President of the UK Council for International Students (UKCISA), the UK’s national advisory body for international students.
Speaking about the appointment, Lord Bilimoria noted the excellence of the UK’s universities on the world stage and praised the significant contribution that international students provide to our economy and to Britain’s society as a whole. As a previous international student to the UK, Lord Bilimoria is certainly well placed to represent the concerns of students travelling from abroad and he has vowed to represent all international students to the best of his ability.
On 3rd July, Lord Bilimoria was invited to be the Chief Guest Speaker at the Annual India Link Awards. He spoke about India-British relations and their smart power on the world stage, and his comprehensive speech (a transcript of which is available below) was extremely well received by all those present.
To cap off a wonderful night, Lord Bilimoria was also awarded with the India Link International Indian of the Year Award 2014-15, which recognised his significant achievements in the business and education sectors.
Following the spectacular scenes in Delhi last Sunday, where the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, led the largest Yoga demonstration in a single venue in history, Lord Bilimoria today led the First Annual UN International Yoga Day Celebrations in the UK Parliament to demonstrate the benefits of the ancient practice.
A number of MPs and Peers took part in the event, including the former Defence Secretary, Lord King of Bridgwater, former Managing Director of Marks and Spencer, Lord Stone, former surgeon and professor, Lord McColl of Dulwich, Virendra Sharma MP, Chairman of the Indo-British All Party Parliamentary Group, and Bob Blackman MP, Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group for British Hindus.
The event saw Yoga teachers from around the country discuss the history of the discipline and deliver demonstrations on meditation and mindfulness, breathing exercises, and office yoga.
This week, Lord Bilimoria, in his role as the founder of Cobra Beer, launched a national campaign that will see some of Britain’s best chefs share their knowledge and expertise with chefs from across the UK’s curry restaurant community.
The Chef Initiative campaign was announced by Cobra in response to the challenges faced by many in the curry industry, which have been exacerbated by a sharp decline in the number of highly-skilled chefs entering into the industry from abroad, as a way to give back to the ethnic restaurant community. The campaign was unveiled at an event in London’s Cinnamon Kitchen, and was co-hosted by award-winning chef Vivek Singh – one of the six chefs leading the training sessions over the coming months.
The initiative will see workshops taking place across the country, which will be led by Alfred Prasad, former chef at Tamarind, Vivek Singh, The Cinnamon Club & Cinnamon Kitchen, Cyrus Todiwala OBE DL, Café Spice Namaste, Mehernosh Mody La Porte des Indes, Vineet Bhatia, Vineet Rosi, and Atul Kochhar, Benares.
In an impassioned speech in the House of Lords, Lord Bilimoria raised serious concerns about the strength of the British armed forces going forward. Citing a study conducted by PwC, he also stressed the overwhelming public support for the armed forces and detailed the impact that continued cuts to the UK’s defence budget would have on Britain’s capability to project power abroad.
Speaking in the House of Lords, Lord Bilimoria celebrated the rise of entrepreneurship in the UK since his arrival as a student in the 1980’s. He noted the thriving industries which are often overlooked and taken for granted in Britain, and welcomed the foreign investment that the UK continues to attract, while outlining the action that is needed to improve the UK’s flagging productivity.