Prominent business figure leads effort to tackle health inequalities in South Asian communities

Prominent West Midlands business leader Amina Hussain has been appointed as CEO of a new British Heart Foundation (BHF) fundraising partnership to help tackle health inequalities in South Asian communities.

Ms Hussain, a former co-president of the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce and a board member of the Greater Birmingham Global Chamber of Commerce, is the first CEO of the Asian Business Board (ABB).

ABB has been set up with BHF to raise awareness and essential funding for research into pioneering treatments for heart and circulatory disease, which disproportionately affects people in South Asian communities.

Risk of coronary heart disease is approximately 50 per cent higher for people of South Asian heritage compared to the wider population.

Ms Hussain has a very personal reason for becoming involved in the partnership.

Her son, Junaid, now aged 13, was diagnosed as a baby with a rare life-threatening heart condition called Co Triatriatum. 

He underwent major open-heart surgery aged just 9 months old at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

BHF Business Boards are made up of groups of business leaders in cities across the UK, harnessing the power of the local business community to raise funds and help make heart and circulatory diseases a thing of history.

The Asian Business Board will form part of a growing network which already includes Heart of the Tyne and Heart of Oxford

Ms Hussain, who runs her own accountancy firm said: “I am delighted to take this position as CEO and look forward to creating boards around the country predominantly where South Asian Community are based. 

“It is important to get the message to our community, raise awareness and fundraise that will go to research aimed at people of the South Asian heritage background living in UK. “

Balvinder Kaur, BHF partnership/fundraising manager said: “We are so pleased about the development of an Asian Business Board, as the first of its kind we are hoping to accelerate much of the focused research with a huge impact in time to come for the benefit of the south Asian Community.

“We hope to tackle inequalities head on raising awareness and saving lives. A big thank you to Amina for leading this initiative with tenacity and commitment to cause.

“We look forward to our work together with the Business Community in making a tremendous impact going forward”.