Presidents' Column: Business remains resilient in tough climate

It has been just under two months since we were appointed as co-presidents of the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce (ABCC), write Omar Rashid and Amina Hussain.

It was actually the same time as Liz Truss and thankfully our performance in this time means neither of us will be tendering our resignations!

Over the last two months, ABCC has been busy with events and announcements. We held another successful ABCC Social at The Masala Merchant in September and last week we hosted our Diwali festival event at the fabulous Edgbaston Park Hotel and Conference Centre.

We have recently announced our shortlist for our annual dinner and awards which will be held on 19 November at the National Conference Centre celebrating 35 years of the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce.

We are excited to share that we have chosen the President 's Award who will be announced on the evening and we have a shortlist for the charity. A huge thank you to our headline sponsors to Aston University, Doug Wright T/A McDonalds and Lioncroft.

Away from the celebrations, we cannot avoid issues that our country is currently facing and the impact it has had on local businesses. We are still facing challenges as inflation rises to 10.1 per cent in October. The war in Ukraine is still having an impact on energy and food prices. This is resulting in an increase in costs for business services and other products coupled with continued recruitment challenges.

Whatever our thoughts on politics, one potential positive is the next prime minister being from an Asian background with Rishi Sunak being appointed. We cannot hide away about the imbalance of Black, Asian and minority ethnic leaders.

During the last two months we have come across many businesses who are showing great resilience in the current climate. They are eager to meet other businesses to learn, share, gain insight and feedback and we are so pleased that the ABCC has given that platform to enable businesses to network and connect with the right contacts.

Omar Rashid and Amina Hussain are co-presidents of the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce