Chamber’s Diwali celebrations light the way for innovation

The Asian Business Chamber of Commerce celebrated Diwali yesterday, exploring how the festival of light represents the power to ignite innovation.

Over 100 delegates attended the event held at Birmingham City Football Club, which was sponsored by Barclays and Birmingham Airport.

Diwali, also known as the festival of light, celebrates the victory of good over evil and light over darkness and is a time of year when families, friends and communities come together in a spirit of celebration and joy. It is an important celebration among Hindus, Sikhs and Jains.

The event was co-hosted by ABCC vice president Sunil Kumar Mahay and Daksha Parekh. ABCC president Monica Ghai welcomed the delegates by highlighting the values embedded in Diwali and the lessons businesses can learn from those values.

A panel discussion explored how to overcome challenges and turn adversity into opportunity. It was chaired by Sunil Kumar Mahay and featured a set of experts, including Sunny Vara, Dr Abhishek Gupta, and Dr Anitha Chinnaswamy

Sunny Vara, the Founder and CEO of Cybercy Group, spoke about the importance of cybersecurity. He was the victim of identity fraud, with substantial loans taken out in his name without his knowledge.

He said: “I fell into cybersecurity after discovering that someone had taken out loans in my name. It became personal. If it could happen to me, it could happen to my friends too.

“We store so much sensitive data on our phones. We need to understand how hackers think and be more aware of how much information we share online.”

“A key moment for me was when people started coming to my house to collect debts. That experience gave me a sense of purpose.”

“As a result of this, we now partner with local colleges and universities and invest in young people to help them get into cybersecurity and AI. We also educate individuals and businesses about cybersecurity, helping to build that ecosystem.”

Dr Anitha Chinnaswamy is a cyber security research leader and vice president of ISACA Central UK and director of the GRIIT Network, leading a multi-million-pound portfolio spanning research, policy, and innovation.

She spoke about CyberDIVA, a research project she leads at Aston University to investigate digital violence and abuse.

Its online-safety toolkit combines resources such as an emoji decoder and interactive phishing games to help educators, safeguarding professionals and others recognise and respond to online harms.

Dr Anitha said: “I started as a techie and a programmer, and later my passion started to shift towards making people understand how to protect themselves. CyberDIVA was a product of that passion.

“We now work with many charities and law enforcement agencies to progress developments in cybersecurity. I’m passionate about creating a new generation of cybersecurity.

“And when you find the passion, you find the time.”

For Dr Abhishek Gupta, innovation is about connecting scientific knowledge with entrepreneurship, collaboration and meaningful societal impact.

He is a scientist, academic, entrepreneur and innovator whose career spans pharmaceutical sciences, biomedical research, forensic science and technology-driven healthcare.

Dr Abhishek said: “I strongly believe there is an innovator in all of us. The journey to success is never smooth, but innovation means looking at things through a different lens. Think outside the box, prioritise and stay focused.”

He also discussed the possibilities for innovation in wound dressings.

The event also featured a speech from Dan Rodrigues, community ambassador of BCFC who spoke about work the club is doing for its community.

He said: “South Asian communities have a huge love for football, but there are only a few opportunities to be involved, whether as coaches, physios, or players.

“We have launched a survey to better understand the aspirations of South Asian people who want to get involved in football, as well as the challenges they face. The findings will help the club take action towards more South Asian representation in football.”

The event was catered by Mahirs Experience.

Pictured from left to right: Sunil Kumar Mahay, Dr Anitha Chinnaswamy, Daksha Parekh, Monica Ghai, Sunny Vara, and Dr Abhishek Gupta