Amitabh arrived in the UK in 1981, he quickly realised that everyone had trouble pronouncing his otherwise famous first name (Amitabh), so he improvised adapted and became "Ami". This flexibility and willingness to fit into groups of people has been one of his key success qualities in life so far. Ami first graduated as an Electronics Engineer from Brunel University, then as an MBA from Alliance Manchester Business School, and worked in Telecoms and Media throughout. He started working for Fortune 500 companies and then branched out into startups to try to help them become Fortune 500 companies. He has travelled extensively and ran companies with staff simultaneously in UK, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. One of his major life-successes occurred during lock-down where Ami transformed himself with a 30 Kgs weight-loss, reversing his drift to Diabetes and Obesity, helped by his rekindled love for cycling.
1. Which place, or city or country do you most feel at home in?
London wins hands down - having been lucky enough to live in each of Delhi, Paris, Brussels, Manchester and Atlanta. Other than the weather, public transport, independence, freedoms, organised & predictable rules for working and living, it is the huge breadth of diverse people that makes London unique for me.
2. What are your proudest achievements?
While the obvious choice could be my personal weight-loss success, that almost pales into insignificance when compared to the achievement (probably more of my wife’s) of having got both our kids to land on their feet with entry to wonderful universities and helping them take control of their own destinies through jobs and career choices.
3. What inspires you?
Helping others to discover their potential, break down borders and limits, to spread their wings and fly – inspires me. Currently I am excited to help friends and relatives with their weightloss ambitions having found the ADORE Trust formula of intermittent fasting and insulin control through two meals a day.
4. What has been biggest obstacle in your career?
Having embraced diversity as a teenager, I have been lucky enough to have never experienced any race bias, glass ceiling or corporate politics issues. The biggest obstacle has been battling my own mental limits of capability and potential holding me back from overcoming my fear of failure.
5. Who has been the biggest influence on your career to date?
My/our parents would win this vote, having relocated to UK, sacrificing many comforts in life, for a better future for their next generations. I would single out my mother for her courage to bring up the kids and starting a career in finance from scratch to still being an entrepreneur and fitness champion.
6. What is the best aspect about your current role?
The diversity of every day makes my role exciting, with an opportunity to touch and improve the lives of many families around the world. Telecoms helps make the world a smaller place and cost-effectively, and media helps to entertain and educate people, so a perfect combination for me.
7. And the worst?
The worst aspect of the role currently is that time is not on our side. With the current global restrictions on life, there are so many good-will projects that are unable to be accomplished and we cannot help a lot of people currently in dire need.
8. What are your long-term goals?
Having discovered that the only true wealth is our own health, my long-term goal is to help more and more people take control of their own health and well-being and enjoy the experience of the wings that this gives them to fly and enjoy with friends' family and the world more.
9. If you were Prime Minister, what one aspect would you change?
I would want to increase the patriotic and scenic exposure for our children by mandating participation in a national citizenship service with DoE experiences for our 16 year olds. Whilst making this compulsory will have challenges, I would implement a longer-term debate and create more opportunities.
10. If you were marooned on a desert island, which historical figure would you like to spend your time with and why?
I grew up enjoying Oliver Hardy’s (Laurel&Hardy) amazing ability to make people laugh at will so what better companion for a desert island. Having seen his biography movie, I was shocked to learn of the tragedies of his own life, and I would love to have the time to help him laugh too.
