Zoroastrians Abroad
Ethics and enterprise
The subject "Faith based Ethics in Business: The Cadbury and the Tata Way” was addressed by David Landsman, head of Tata in the UK and Sir Dominic Cadbury, former chairman of Cadbury Schweppes. They were the special guest speakers at "an insightful meeting” hosted by the Zoroastrian All Party Parliamentary Group (ZAPPG) in association with the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe on April 25, 2016, as per a report sent from the office of Lord Karan Bilimoria who along with Member of Parliament Gareth Thomas co-chairs ZAPPG.
Landsman discussed the influence of Zoroastrianism on Jamsetji Tata and how that shaped Tata’s business practices globally while Sir Dominic Cadbury detailed the impact the historic Quaker values have had on the Cadbury business. Both speakers emphasized the need for businesses to promote the welfare of workers and to give back to the community as was reflected in the creation of Jamshedpur (in Jharkhand, India) and Bournville (in Birmingham, UK) which were envisioned by Tata and Cadbury respectively to provide their employees with a healthy work/life environment which was unparalleled at the time.
The High Commissioner of India Navtej Sarna reminisced of his interactions with the Parsi community and recalled his early years when he worked for the Tatas as a young graduate. He named several Zoroastrians who had contributed to the freedom struggle, nation building, industrial development as also in the fields of sports and music, referring to his close friendship with maestro Zubin Mehta.
Landsman discussed the influence of Zoroastrianism on Jamsetji Tata and how that shaped Tata’s business practices globally while Sir Dominic Cadbury detailed the impact the historic Quaker values have had on the Cadbury business. Both speakers emphasized the need for businesses to promote the welfare of workers and to give back to the community as was reflected in the creation of Jamshedpur (in Jharkhand, India) and Bournville (in Birmingham, UK) which were envisioned by Tata and Cadbury respectively to provide their employees with a healthy work/life environment which was unparalleled at the time.
The High Commissioner of India Navtej Sarna reminisced of his interactions with the Parsi community and recalled his early years when he worked for the Tatas as a young graduate. He named several Zoroastrians who had contributed to the freedom struggle, nation building, industrial development as also in the fields of sports and music, referring to his close friendship with maestro Zubin Mehta.
At the Zoroastrian All Party Parliamentary Group meet (from left): Malcolm Deboo, David Landsman,
Sir Dominic Cadbury, Lord Karan Bilimoria, Zenobia Nadirshaw, Navtej Sarna, Rusi Dalal and Lord Indrajit Singh
As founding chairman of the UK-India Business Council and president of the UK Council for International Student Affairs, chancellor of the University of Birmingham and chair of the advisory board of the Cambridge University Judge Business School, Bilimoria continues to campaign on issues concerning skills, education, industries and economic growth in the UK:
On April 28, at the House of Lords debate, Bilimoria highlighted certain issues: "What has enabled this country, which was the sick man of Europe in the early 1980s to become the envy of Europe today? … The glass ceiling has been well and truly shattered. Just look at the number of ethnic minority Members of Parliament we have now compared with only a quarter of century ago when there were a handful…” He felt that the government should offer tax incentives to companies that invest more in innovation. He was concerned that if UK leaves the European Union the nation will lose a huge amount of research and development funding as also the high level of collaboration that exists between British and European universities.
Bilimoria is also the founder and chairman of Cobra Beer whose products won six more recognitions at the 2016 Monde Selection Awards, taking its Monde Selection awards tally to 89, among the highest in the world of beer, as notes a press release from the company. Monde Selection’s mission is to test consumer products and grant them a bronze, silver, gold or grand gold quality award, depending on the assessment by an independent professional jury. No less than 3,160 products, coming from over 82 different countries, are tested each year, as stated on the Monde Selection website.
On April 28, at the House of Lords debate, Bilimoria highlighted certain issues: "What has enabled this country, which was the sick man of Europe in the early 1980s to become the envy of Europe today? … The glass ceiling has been well and truly shattered. Just look at the number of ethnic minority Members of Parliament we have now compared with only a quarter of century ago when there were a handful…” He felt that the government should offer tax incentives to companies that invest more in innovation. He was concerned that if UK leaves the European Union the nation will lose a huge amount of research and development funding as also the high level of collaboration that exists between British and European universities.
Bilimoria is also the founder and chairman of Cobra Beer whose products won six more recognitions at the 2016 Monde Selection Awards, taking its Monde Selection awards tally to 89, among the highest in the world of beer, as notes a press release from the company. Monde Selection’s mission is to test consumer products and grant them a bronze, silver, gold or grand gold quality award, depending on the assessment by an independent professional jury. No less than 3,160 products, coming from over 82 different countries, are tested each year, as stated on the Monde Selection website.
Lord Karan Bilimoria with the Monde Selection awards
This year Cobra won five individual product awards including the prestigious grand gold accolade for Cobra Premium (Draught, Keg 50L) and King Cobra (Bottle, 75cl). Additionally it won gold awards for Cobra Premium Beer (Bottle, 66cl), Cobra Zero (Bottle, 33cl) and Cobra Premium Beer (Bottle, 33cl). It was also honored with an International High Quality Trophy for having achieved a high level of quality for three consecutive years for Cobra Premium Beer (Bottle 66 cl), Cobra Premium Draught Beer (Keg 50L) and Cobra Zero (Bottle 33 cl).
Taking pride in its smooth beer, Cobra has adopted the motto "Live Smooth,” and brews its products using natural ingredients and a traditional Indian blend of barley, malt and yeast with maize, hops and rice. Molson Coors is one of the world’s largest brewers with a market share of around 20% of the UK beer market and a portfolio that includes Carling, Coors Light, Cobra, Grolsch, Doom Bar, Worthington’s, Caffrey’s, Singha and a range of speciality beers. As commented Ali Pickering, brand director portfolio, Molson Coors, "We’re thrilled that Cobra continues to be recognized by the industry in what is a very dynamic and competitive category.”
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From the archive