Hitherto local executive for the Buckinghamshire division of the Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce Group’s Ethnic Chamber, Saqib Karim, is to head up the region’s Ethnic Chamber of Commerce.

He is currently working on a trade mission to Pakistan in collaboration with UK-Pakistan Overseas Chamber of Commerce & Industry, taking a small delegation from various businesses from the UK to discover possible investment opportunities in 2005.

Karim says: “We have successfully passed the first two phases from the EU and are currently being evaluated for the third and final phase of the project. Our aim for the Ethnic Chamber is to get ethnic business working and integrating with the main Chamber activities but at the same time, we are aware and always looking to address the different needs of these businesses.

“The key to doing successful business is integration not segregation. There are so many benefits open to Chamber members and as local executive for the Ethnic Chamber I am keen to ensure my members are aware of these.”

Current projects include a website, which will contain links to a variety of useful information, allowing users to connect to a network of ethnic businesses right across the Thames Valley offering useful advice and tips to help ethnic business.

For more information visit www.thamesvalleychamber.co.uk

Andrew Leech, 01753 884216