Webinar to address returning to prosperity with Covid-secure workplaces

Chamber members can hear the latest guidance on keeping staff, clients and customers safe as they emerge from the pandemic, during a forthcoming webinar.

Business as a Force for Good - Returning to Prosperity with Covid-safe Workplaces is a joint event between the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce and Birmingham City Council.

Birmingham City Council 's public health team will be joining director of the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce, Anjum Khan, to discuss the latest insights on the virus locally and provide evidence-based advice to keep your business Covid-secure and return to prosperity.

Speakers for the Thursday 1 July (10am to 11am) webinar are Asian Business Chamber president Dr Jason Wouhra (pictured) and public health consultant Dr Julia Duke-MacRae.

Dr Wouhra was director of his family business, East End Foods, which sold in November 2019 to private equity.

During the start of the pandemic, he was responsible for buying back three quarters of his family business personally from the private equity group which comprised the wholesale division.

Dr Wouhra rebranded the Wholesale division as Lioncroft Wholesale Limited, which at its inception was a £160 million turnover 'start-up ' company, and since the acquisition more than 50 new jobs have been created.

Dr Wouhra holds several prominent positions including president of the British Asian Trust, West Midlands.

He is currently the chairman of the West Midlands India Partnership, member of the Governing Council of Aston University and vice chair of the faculty of Sikh and Punjabi Studies at Wolverhampton University.

Dr Julia Duke-MacRae joined Birmingham City Council as a public health consultant in February 2021 and leads on Covid-19 surveillance.

Her main areas of expertise are in health care, public health and health improvement.

Between 2009 and 2012, she was medical director for the Kent and Medway Cancer Network.

She previously worked as a public health physician in Africa, where she was actively involved in maternal and reproductive health for several years.

She also worked in a referral infectious disease hospital. Dr Duke-MacRae is founder and chair of the Integrated Health Trust, a charity organisation in Africa that aims to improve and sustain the health of communities through an integrated and collaborative approach.

Emily Stubbs, policy and campaigns manager at the Chamber, said: “The rapid onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and changing economic conditions over the past 15 months have brought about unprecedented challenges for businesses.

“Amid rising cases in Birmingham and concerns regarding the Delta variant of the virus, this webinar aims to ensure that your business is equipped with the latest guidance and support to ensure that your people, clients and customers remain safe.

“We very much look forward to getting the latest intelligence on Covid-19 in the city from Dr Julia Duke MacRae, and hearing from Dr Jason Wouhra OBE on how Lioncroft Wholesale Limited have adapted to the pandemic and implemented new safety guidance, and his plans for the business as we emerge from the latest lockdowns. ”

This webinar will also feature guidance from the Chamber 's policy team on grant and other support available for businesses, a case study as to how local firms have adapted to the latest conditions of the pandemic and are now looking to rebuild and grow.

Click here to register for your free place.