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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 9th August 2014
Harley Street doctor plunges naked to his death
Spriha Srivastava
IITians discuss the future of banking The IITUK Alumni Association (IITUK AA) held a panel discussion to discuss the future of banking and finance. Organised by these bright and well-established professionals from IIT who are now in the UK, at the wonderful premises of the Indian YMCA, the event saw active particifrom alumni pation across campuses and was very well received. The evening started with a brief networking session over snacks and coffee, followed by the panel discussion, which offered a detailed perspective on the financial industry and its future. The panel discussion was presided by Dinesh Gupta (Senior Vice President, Citigroup), Murthy Nuni (Owner, Marshal Fund Partners), Rajesh Solanki Director, (Executive UBS) and Amit Tripathi (Head of Technology, Customer Advocacy/ CRM Barclays Bank).
Let’s have a quick look at some of these illustrious profiles before I tell you more about the event. Dinesh Gupta is senior Vice President at Citigroup who started his career at Citi as a consultant in Ireland in 1989. Mr. Murthy R Nuni is the founder of Marshal Funds, which is a specialist Private Equity and Hedge Funds Business. Panelists also included Rajesh Solanki and Amit Tripathi, Rajesh is a banker and has spent 14 years in London and New York working at large global banks such as UBS, ABN AMRO, RBS and JP Morgan, while Amit works at Barclays and supports the CEO of client and customer experience within Barclays Private and Corporate bank in the area of customer servicing - such as Complaints, Queries, PPI etc. In the post-financial crisis era one keeps coming back to the discussion around the future of banking. Banking as a profession has always
IITUK panel discussion
been extremely lucrative, especially for dreamyeyed fresh graduates who think this profession could convert them into overnight millionaires. But things have changed post the big crisis of September 2008 and with so many regulations and restrictions that have been forced on the banking sector; the debate on its future is extremely well-timed. The panel covered a range of topics which the banking and financial services sector faces today, including the
scope and future of banking, key growth areas, the major challenges, regulatory requirements and macroeconomic / political factors. The discussion began with an overview of the global banking industry in general and how it has been adversely affected by the global economic crisis and the tougher regulatory environment. Fees have come down in some business lines (both structural and cyclical reasons) due to which banks have been forced to re-evaluate which businesses they want to remain in. Regulators and governments have put in place tougher capital requirements and measures to reduce overall risk and leverage, with a view to reduce the “too big to fail” mentality and reduce the risk to the overall banking industry. Various banks have exited areas they deem unprofitable or non-core, or in response to increased regulatory oversight.
Following which, the panel discussed emergence of technology solutions and the opportunities they offer to new entrants. Increased competition and tighter norms have provided a fillip to fin-tech firms. Today, technology is a crucial parameter for the success of financial firms, where technology is used for providing service excellence leading to client retention, providing competitive products and ensuring the firms stay ahead in the business; making themselves distinct from their competitors. After such an intense discussion, the focus shifted to the UK banking sector. Banking sector in the UK is dominated by a few large players, which has led to lower levels of customer service and satisfaction. The panel also had active interaction with the audience, who posed several interesting questions and insights to the panelists. Overall, the event was a great success, with everyone applauding the initiative and looking forward to more such events in the future. The IITUK Alumni Association is a longestablished organisation in the UK and provides a platform for alumni of this prestigious institution to interact and share knowledge for each other’s benefit. It organises various interactive sessions (seminars, conferences) and socio-cultural events. It is a charity organization and collects donations to fund scholarships for students at the IITs. It also runs the IITUK Mentoring programme through which it organises regular talks on topics related to mentoring, leadership, career and personal development covering various sectors including Technology and Consulting, Banking and Finance, Engineering and Academia etc.
Let us know what you think. Email Spriha at aveditorial@abplgroup.com
A Harley Street doctor has plunged naked to his death from his £700,000 penthouse flat. A passing doctor attempted to resuscitate the man but he was pronounced dead at the scene. On last Wednesday, Nazim Mahmood, 34, pictured, was seen standing alone on his glassenclosed balcony before falling in front of shocked passers-by in West Hampstead, London. After the fall, Dr Mahmood was left uncovered in front of the mansion block and a busy Barclays Bank for more than three hours. Police said there were no police tents available to ‘shield the body’ and apologised for any distressed caused. Dr Mahmood, a GP, ran Face Clinic London, a chain of medical clinics
providing wrinkle treatments such as Botox and chemical peels. He is understood to have moved into the property in West Hampstead three months ago with his partner Matthew Ogston. He was due to unveil another new clinic just yards from his home next week, as business apparently thrived. He already had two other clinics in Soho and Harley Street. He graduated from
It has emerged that HSBC is allegedly closing the bank accounts of several Muslim organisations, including a mosque previously linked to radicalism. The bank was reportedly accused of Islamophobia after writing to Finsbury Park Mosque in North London, where
the cleric Abu Hamza preached in the 1990s and 2000s. The letter, dated July 22, said: “The provision of banking services ... now falls outside of our risk appetite.” Similar letters were reportedly sent to others, including the founder of a Muslim think-tank.
University of the Birmingham medical school in 2003 and moved to London a year later. He worked in a number of teaching hospitals in different specialities including, accident and emergency, HIV medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology and paediatrics, before completing his specialist training as a GP. In 2009 he founded Face Clinic London with a colleague, Dr Anita Kapoor. She declined to comment on his death, saying: ‘In order to be respectful I would like to be left alone at this time.’ A Scotland Yard spokesman said: ‘The death is being treated as non suspicious at this early stage. Detectives from Camden are investigating. An inquest will be held at a later date.
HSBC closing bank accounts of Muslim organisations
Giving a deadline of September, the letter said: “You will need to make alternative banking arrangements, as we are not prepared to open another account for you.” HSBC however has denied that the decision was made on religious or racial grounds.
Air India set to introduce daily link from Birmingham with new Dreamliner jet Birmingham is set to have a daily air link with India providing an extra 1,500 seats a week from November. Air India commercial director Pankaj Srivastava announced the plans at a celebratory dinner to celebrate the airline’ first anniversary of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner service linking Birmingham with Delhi and Amritsar. Srivastava said: “Since starting our four times weekly Dreamliner programme from Birmingham Airport last year, we have handled more than 80,000 passengers on board 210 flights. Air India is committed to develop and grow in this market and once we have taken the delivery of our 18th Dreamliner aircraft in November, we hope to launch the daily operation from Birmingham Airport. This will provide an extra 1,500 seats a week and give passengers greater choice, flexibility and opportunity to travel from the convenience of Birmingham Airport to Amritsar and Delhi, and onwards on Air India’ extensive global network.” Paul Kehoe, Birmingham Airport’ chief executive, added: “We are extremely thankful to Air India for recognising the demand from travellers needing the
Celebrating first anniversary: Mr Wild; Birmingham Airport CEO Paul Kehoe; Mayor of Solihull Kate Wild; Air India Commercial Director Pankaj Srivastava and LordLieutenant for the West Midlands Paul Sabapathy CBE
flexibility of daily services from Birmingham. The West Midlands receives more foreign direct investment from India than any other region outside of London. It’s therefore not surprising that the route has been such a success in its first year and I am certain that a daily service would make the Birmingham route even more appealing to Midlands’ travellers.” Air India is also eyeing global aviation markets after India’s national carrier joined the 27member Star Alliance earlier this year. The debt-laden carrier has been working on measures to reduce the debt and loss burden by selling of aircraft and Air India properties in India and around the world.
The carrier will ‘pull all plugs’ to utilise opportunities and also face all the challenges arising from their Star Alliance deal. The alliance has 27 member airlines with 18,500 flights connecting 1,316 destinations across 192 countries, it was reported. Srivastava said: “The young fleet of Dreamliner and the world class Delhi airport as a hub can change the fortunes of Air India and Indian aviation sector. India has the potential to tap the growing global aviation market because of its cost effective systems and its access to the most populous region in the world. The addition of secondary hubs in Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Kolkatta will strengthen our network.”