YABA aims to support growing Asian businesses in region
THE Yorkshire Asian Business Association (YABA) has been officially launched to connect the region’s Asian business community with other firms and service providers across Yorkshire, the UK and internationally.
A host of entrepreneurs and business leaders attended last night’s launch at BT’s Sovereign House in Leeds along with dignitaries and trade commissioners from countries including Japan, Malaysia and Turkey.
YABA aims to be an intermediary in Yorkshire to connect and assist diverse, entrepreneurial and fast growing Asian businesses in the region.
More than 150 people attended the event and heard from Unal Cevikoz, Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey, Shinichi Kuriyama, deputy director general of the Japan External Trade Organisation and Raja Badrulnizam, trade commissioner at the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation.
Other speakers include Eric Hawthorn of the Leeds City Region LEP, Leeds North East MP Fabian Hamilton, Mark Robson of UKTI, Caroline Pullich, head of strategic partnerships at Barclays and Uday Dholakia, chairman of the National Asian Business Association.
Guests were welcomed by YABA president Zulfi Hussain.
The Asian business community makes up around 10% of the UK’s 4.5m SMEs and also generates 10% of the country’s GDP despite making up less than 6% of the population.
The event was organised by Sharon Jandu of Global PR and Daniel Langton of Microsoft.
