Networking... a great feed for business leads

I’M all for networking: you invariably get fed which, for a single bloke like me, is a major consideration.

Last Tuesday evening I was in the company of some good friends in the banking hall at the Union Street branch of HSBC for a Talking Business event, hosted by area business manager Paul Sharples.

HSBC has targeted many of Oldham’s growing Asian businesses and lots of old friends from the now defunct Asian Business Association were present for a talk by Afzal Khan, a former Lord Mayor of Manchester and a solicitor with oldham practice Mellor Hargreaves.

He spoke with gentle humour of his rise from the mill floor in Briarfield, Lancashire, to becoming the first Asian Mayor of Manchester, a year when he completed more than 1,000 engagements and was named national Mayor of the Year.

He was an officer with Greater Manchester Police before quitting to gain a law degree and then taking up full-time politics with the city — all with the blessing of his wife.

It was a fascinating tale of rise through the ranks to the higher echelons of commercial and public life which left many of the audience humbled that a 12-year-old who arrived in this country from Pakistan, without any notion of an education, could become a role model for young people everywhere.

Less that 24 hours later I was lunching with colleagues from the Chamber of Commerce at one of its regular networking events, this one hosted by Chambers Business Centre at Hollinwood.

The Yousaf family, from Burnley, has invested millions in converting the former Holmes wallpaper factory into a business centre and self-storage facility.

At its peak the wallpaper business employed around 2,000 people — today the centre in Chapel Road is home to 30 companies employing around 250 people.

Adnan Yousaf pointed out to more than 40 delegates that in time, the centre could be home to more than 150 companies of varying sizes, employing up to 1,000 people.

“In six years we have transformed this six-acre site. We have invested everything in the project, selling up all our interests in Burnley to finance our plans here in Oldham,” he said before hosting a tour of the premises.

Oldham is open for business — and a lot of people are working extremely hard to make Oldham work.