TiE UK Gala Awards 2011 to celebrate Entrepreneurship as the engine of global economic growth

The event will welcome more than 450 delegates with prominent management figures and charter members of TiE UK, encompassing both a burgeoning and highly influential group of enterprising individuals, global business stalwarts and laureates primarily from the Indian Subcontinent or Indus region, such as Asif Rangoonwala (P1 Power Boat Racing), Tom Singh (New Look), Vikrant Bhargava (Party Gaming),Rashmi Chandaria (Catisa, Manetti), and Dr Diwan Rahul Nanda (Global Chairman, TopsGrup).  In speaking about the underlying principles of TiE, Hon. Apurv Bagri, MD Metdist Group and TiE Global Board of Trustees, adds “Mentoring is the bedrock around which our activities are organised. It is the value differentiator that sets us apart from others.” 

As TiE UK continues to foster entrepreneurship globally, the wider context of the evening will reflect the organisation’s overall work in offering not only structured enablement and business networking, but also hands-on mentoring and coaching to its community of young and aspiring entrepreneurs, with keynote speakers drawn from the Who’s Who of the entrepreneurial community in the UK such as James Caan, CEO Hamilton Bradshaw (private equity) and serial entrepreneur; Lord Karan Bilimoria, Life Peer, Founder & Chairman Cobra Beer, and entrepreneur; Nick O’Donohoe, CEO, Big Society Bank. The UK chapter of TiE, TiE UK, was established 11 years ago and it has grown to more than 100 charter members and 450 members.

As the UK’s need for dynamic entrepreneurs has increased, over the past three years, charter members of TiE UK have mentored over 200 entrepreneurs at different stages of development across industry sectors. These business figures along with a new generation of entrepreneurs today represent the lynchpins of global and national entrepreneurialism, valued as key contributors to driving the country forward through the current economic climate and continuing to pave the way in industry and commerce.

The TiE UK Annual Gala Awards 2011 will also feature think-tank discussions with keynote speakers on the importance of the healthy exchange of ideas, principles and business theories, to help promote and precipitate the global economy’s recovery and establish stronger links between industry counterparts from across the world. In commenting about the inaugural TiE UK Annual Awards 2011 and TiE UK’s phenomenal work and contribution to the entrepreneurial business world, Dr. Sanjeev Ahuja, President, TiE UK says, “We are delighted to launch our inaugural awards ceremony to celebrate the achievements of some of our most deserving member’s entrepreneurial talent. These individuals are an example to other aspiring entrepreneurs and we look forward to catapulting them to greater heights using TiE as a platform. While debate will continue for some years yet about how to best rescue battered economies, rev up anaemic job markets and open up stifled liquidity around the world, the onus falls on non-profit organisations like TiE, philanthropists amongst us and private foundations to prime the engine of economic growth. TiE is unique in offering structured enablement, effectual networking, and hands-on mentoring and coaching to our members. Our refreshed strategy includes incisive programmes, an exciting events calendar, and unmatched networking opportunities for members, sponsors and partners alike; all aimed at the one value precept: don’t hand out a fish; instead teach someone how to fish. Through instructional, experiential, and lifecycle guidance, we provide vital support to entrepreneurs throughout their journey.” 

TiE was initiated by a team of highly successful Indian entrepreneurs in the Silicon Valley in 1992 led by C.K. Prahalad, a distinguished University Professor at the University of Michigan's School of Business Administration and a graduate of The Harvard Business School, whose transformative position paper, “The House of TiE”, laid down the vision for this unique organisation at the turn of the new millennium in December 2000. Over two decades on, the burgeoning TiE community has grown in stature and influence as the pre-eminent global community fostering entrepreneurship, expanding to 57 global territories, with more than 13,000 members in 14 countries spread across five continents. With the recent addition of TiE UK North to the network and a new chapter in the making in Hong Kong, TiE’s original goals and ambitions have gained momentum year on year.