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Bdaily talks to Bhanu Choudhrie

Bdaily talked to Bhanu Choudhrie, an entrepreneur based here in the UK. He is Executive Director of C&C Alpha Group which is a UK-based holding company with a diverse range of investments in Hospitality, Real Estate, Utilities, Healthcare, Aviation and Agriculture.

What is your career history to date?

I did all my schooling in India until I moved to the United states to attend the University in Boston where I studied International Business and Marketing. I then moved to the London in 2001 to become Executive Director of C&C Alpha Group.

What is your current job title and what does your role entail?

I’m currently Founder and Executive Director of C&C Alpha Group which is a UK-based holding company with a diverse range of investments within hospitality, healthcare, real estate, utilities, agriculture, aviation and cutting-edge technologies.

I unite companies and clients with their strategic goals, providing investment strategy and insight to assist individuals to incubate and grow their businesses maximising their business potential. I advise and source deals in emerging markets such as India, Russia and South-East Asia as well as guiding on potential markets and giving clarity on new markets. I continue to look at new business opportunities for the company and to help with the growth of existing companies already in the portfolio.

What will be the big success story for your business in 2012?

I believe that 2012 will be a tough year for everyone so working through this year is going be very important – I’m looking forward to successfully entering 2013 and seeing what it has to offer.

What has been your biggest business challenge to date?

The biggest business challenge to date would definitely be finding good and competent managers to execute and then further implement business plans and bound decisions. I believe in today’s environment it is absolutely vital that mangers can deliver targets.

What do you believe will be your biggest opportunity in the next 12 months?

Hospitality: buying assets in the UK and across Europe that cannot meet debt funding and aviation: the growth of airlines in the UK and seeing how we can fulfil the demand of pilots.

What has been your proudest professional moment to date?

Investing in an American bank called Customers Bank in 2010 where I joined the board. The experience of sitting with world class managers and professionals and further bringing the institution from a failing bank to a healthy one in a short time frame has been my proudest professional experience to date.

Who, or what, has inspired you most in your professional career?

The most inspiring points in my professional career have been taking over a number of failing banks and turning them around in a very short space of time. It really proves that having just one good business model can really turn everything around.

Outside of the workplace, what is your main passion?

Spending time helping charities and not for profit organisations such as ‘Path to Success’ of which I am director, it is an umbrella charity dedicated to improving the lives of individuals with disabilities and health problems. The brilliant ‘St Wilfrids Centre’ in Sheffield which my wife, Simrin is Patron. St Wilfrids has statutory services with other agencies to support the homeless, the vulnerable and those who are socially excluded. The work St Wilfrids Centre and its team does is an inspiration.

If you weren’t in your current position what would you be doing now?

I love spending time helping others and it’s important to me so it would be hands on charity work which I don’t get the time to do anymore because of the lack of free time I get. I am also passionate about politics so you can never rule that out too.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .