Bajloor Rashid

Bajloor Rashid, MBE (Bengali: বজলুর রশিদ; born 28 May 1962) is a Bangladeshi-born British restaurateur, philanthropist and humanitarian. From 2006 to 2012, he was the president for the Bangladesh Caterers Association UK.

Bajloor Rashid

MBE
বজলুর রশিদ
Born (1962-05-28) 28 May 1962
Balikandi, Chandnighat, Moulvibazar, Sylhet, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh)
NationalityBangladeshi
CitizenshipBritish
OccupationRestaurateur
Years active1978–present
StyleBangladeshi/Indian Cuisine
Spouse(s)Kaniz Fathema
Websitebajloorrashid.com

Early life

Rashid was born in the village of Balikandi, Chandnighat, Moulvibazar, Sylhet, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). In 1978, he came to the United Kingdom to further his education.

Business career

In 1980, Rashid opened his first restaurant Curry Garden, in High Street, Dover.[1] Between 1980 and 1993, Rashid and his brother set up a number of restaurants in Kent and London.[2] This gained him prominence in the early 1980s as a young entrepreneur in the curry industry, which led him to join the Bangladesh Caterers Association UK, the largest body of curry restaurant owners.[3][4] Rashid has property investments, owning a number of commercial buildings. In 1993, he was also involved in a wholesale business, selling rice and spices.[2]

From 2006 to 2012, Rashid served as the National President for the Bangladesh Caterers Association.[1][5] He established the BCA Awards and under his presidency (2007-2011), there were five annual awards. As a result of this the BCA Awards gained industry recognition.[3]

In April 2008, Rashid was at the forefront of the Trafalgar Square[6] demonstration, which was attended by tens of thousands of people. This led to a debate in the House of Commons about immigration rules. The demonstration was aimed at drawing government attention to the problems the curry industry[7][8] had over skilled chefs being included in the shortage occupation list of the UK Border Agency.

Rashid is known for building up a substantial support network of agencies, working closely with the UK Government, members of Parliament, UKBA, MAC and the Police. He was also a senior director of the British Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce which was created in 1991.[9] He is a chairman or director of 20 companies.[3]

In September 2013, he was elected as Chairman of the Progressive Life Insurance Company.[10]

In 2014, he became Founding President of the UK Bangladesh Catalysts of Commerce and Industry (UKBCCI), a post he held until July 2020. He is now a Director of the UKBCCI.[11] Bajloor Rashid was a key business figure in setting up this new chamber of commerce based in London. The UKBCCI is a leading umbrella organisation for successful British-Bangladeshi entrepreneurs in the UK and Bangladesh. As President of the UKBCCI, he was also the driving force behind the setting up of the UKBCCI Business & Entrepreneur Excellence Awards in 2016.[12]


Community activities

Rashid has been involved in assisting the plight of communities affected by some of the world's worst natural disasters such as Cyclone Sidr. He is a member of various community organizations.[13][14][15]

Awards and recognition

In 2012, Rashid was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2012 New Year Honours.[1][16] for his services to the catering industry.[17][18] In 2012, the BB (British Bangladeshi) Power 100 List, ranked him as one of the top ten most influential BB individuals in the UK.[19] The following year he was awarded first place in the Community Personality category in the BB Power 100 Awards 2013.[20] He has been recognised in the BB100 Awards 2016 and 2017 in the Networks and Associations category.[21] The British Bangladeshi Who's Who, has listed him a number of times in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014 for his work in catering and communications. In 2015 he was listed for his work in the Business & Community sector by them. In 2014 he was given an award by the BB Who's Who in recognition for his outstanding contribution.[22] Channel S Television awarded him Business Personality of the year in 2013.[23]

Personal life

Mr Rashid is married and has four children. His eldest son is a Solicitor, who has recently married. His youngest son and eldest daughter both work in the City, whilst the youngest daughter has just graduated from the University of Westminster with a Psychology degree.

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See also

References
  1. Westgarth, Adam (6 January 2015). "Queen to honour the king of curry". Ashford Herald. Ashford. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  2. "Bajloor Rashid". Restaurant Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 13 October 2008. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  3. "Bangladesh Caterers Association 1960". 22 August 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  4. "Profiles: Bajloor Rashid MBE". The Bangladesh Cuisine. Bangladesh Caterers Association (UK): 41. December 2012.
  5. Asthana, Anushka (2 December 2007). "Brick Lane losing its flavour as corporates squeeze out curry". The Observer. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  6. Saini, Angela (21 April 2008). "Curry houses angry at immigration rules". BBC News. London. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  7. "Opportunity for skilled Bangladeshi workers in UK". Bangladesh Today. 15 January 2009.
  8. Kazi Azizul, Islam (29 January 2009). "Bajloor Rashid expresses concern at manpower shortage". New Age Business.
  9. "Directors". British Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  10. "Bajloor elected Progressive Life Insurance chair". Dhaka Mirror. Dhaka. 22 September 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  11. "Plan to create young entrepreneurs in BD, NRBs in UK". Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha. Dhaka. 18 April 2014. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  12. "UKBCCI announces its Business & Entrepreneur Excellence Awards 2016". 23 September 2016.
  13. "I look back on my time as BCA President with Pride". The Bangladesh Cuisine. 12 (December): 20. 2012.
  14. "Celebrations at the BCA Annual Dinner". Curry Life. February–March 2008. p. 31. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  15. Rashid, Bajloor (December 2012). "Looking Back". Curry Life. p. 20. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  16. Scott, James (5 January 2012). "I am absolutely over the moon with MBE". Kentish Express.
  17. "Bangladeshi restaurant boss Bajloor Rashid made MBE". BBC News. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  18. "Queen to hand over MBE award to Bajloor Feb 14". Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha. Dhaka. 24 January 2012. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  19. "BBPI 2012" (PDF). British Bangladeshi Power & Inspiration. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 March 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  20. "British Bangladeshi Power 100" (PDF). British Bangladeshi Power & Inspiration. 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  21. "BBPI 2017". British Bangladeshi Power & Inspiration. p. 57.
  22. "BB Who's Who". British Bangladeshi Who's Who.
  23. "Bajloor Rashid MBE". Bajloor Rashid.
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