60 seconds with Pinky Lilani
As well as her extensive philanthropic work, Pinky is the force behind several prestigious awards including the annual Asian Women of Achievement Awards, which marks the successes of other remarkable women. We were honoured to speak to Pinky about what inspires her to keep doing this work, as well as her support of the British Asian Trust.
What has been the biggest highlight of your career to date? And some of the challenges?
My biggest thrill is travelling with my wok and cooking spicy Bombay potatoes, in the most unlikely of locations including The Oxford Union and BBC Radio 4 studios. A big highlight was when Asda came on board and stocked my spice boxes and books, because of a talk I gave at their head office, where I had mentioned my dream of having a supermarket stock my products and voila – it happened!
The challenges include trying to keep being relevant.
How do you stay passionate about what you do?
I try to be creative, there is nothing like boredom to kill passion.
What inspired you to become a champion for women and found awards marking their achievements?
The exceptional women I meet who are super bright but so full of warmth and kindness, they are my inspiration, together with my 18-month-old granddaughter for whom I want a wonderful future.
What are some of the challenges to success still faced by Asian women? And what is your advice to other talented women out there?
The challenges are often those of lack of self-belief and good role models but also there is sometimes an element of discrimination. The advice I would give is love what you do, be tenacious and curious, build a formidable network and be kind.
Philanthropy and giving back is a big part of your life, what approach to philanthropy have you adopted over the years?
I do everything from the heart, so I should own up to not having had a great vision, but I just support projects that touch me, and where I feel I can make a difference.
Next year marks the 10th anniversary of the British Asian Trust, which was founded by HRH The Prince of Wales and a group of visionary business leaders to make a lasting change in South Asia. Why do you think this work is so important? And which issues are you interested in supporting?
I think His Royal Highness has an incredible vision and the ability to make a difference, which translates into being able to champion projects with the long game in mind. To ensure we make lasting change in South Asia, we cannot choose instant solutions. It will only happen by ensuring that projects are not abandoned when the going gets tough. I think the British Asian Trust has the resources to be able to bring about valuable changes by being resilient and tenacious. As ever, supporting the empowerment of women will always be at the forefront of what I like to support.