A Leader in Sustainable Development

On Tuesday morning I arrived back in the UK from a fantastic visit to Pakistan. This was the third time I had been to this amazing country but my first visit as Chief Executive of the British Asian Trust.

The purpose of the visit was to meet as many people and organisations as possible so as to build momentum for the substantial growth of our Pakistan programme that we are planning. I also had the opportunity to visit some of our partner organisations and see, at first hand, the tremendous work they are doing to make a positive difference for some of the poorest and most marginalised people in the country.

Obviously you cannot become an expert in a week!  But this visit did enable me to improve my awareness and understanding of key issues in Pakistan.

It is clear that this is a country that is changing fast and, in the social space, embracing the concepts of social enterprise and entrepreneurialism.

This provides an excellent opportunity for the British Asian Trust and our more modern, dynamic approach. I hope I was able to establish some excellent relationships that will ensure that we can really scale up our work in the months and years ahead. It was a busy and hectic trip, eight days from dawn till midnight!  But absolutely wonderful and I can’t wait to go back!

Richard Hawkes, Chief Executive