Surinder Arora named speaker at IAB Awards
Top hotelier Surinder Arora is to be guest speaker at the Institute of Asian Businesses annual dinner and awards.
The event takes place on Saturday 19th February at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham.
Mr Arora is the founder of one of the fastest-growing, privately-owned hotel chains in the country, Arora Hotels.
The company, which specialises in hotels at airport locations, was launched in 1999, and now has seven hotels with more than 2,500 rooms, including the recently opened Sofitel London Heathrow.
The latter was voted ��Best Business Hotel in the World�۪ at the Business Traveller Awards 2009.
Mr Arora�۪s success as a hotelier at the luxury end of the market is all the more remarkable in that when he arrived in the UK from India at the age of 13, he was unable to speak a word of English.
Born in the Punjab in 1961, Mr Arora�۪s first job was with British Airways, where he spent 11 years as a customer services officer. Following that, he moved on to life insurance firm Abbey Life, where he was a sales manager.
He quickly made a name for himself at Abbey Life, and he was named as second best salesman after just a year in the job.
In 1993 he left Abbey Life to open a bed and breakfast aimed at airline staff at Heathrow, which was replaced by a hotel six years later.
This led to the launch of Arora hotels, which has since become the largest hotel company at Heathrow and Gatwick, employing 1,000 staff.
The company�۪s latest project is at the Brit Oval, where a 168-bedroom luxury hotel is being built in partnership with Surrey County Cricket Club.
Surinder Arora is a keen golfer ��� so much so that he holds a minority interest in Wentworth Golf Club, where he is also deputy chairman.
He is a member of the New Enterprise Council, a group of entrepreneurs that advises the Tories on business policy, and also a member of the London Skills and Employment Board.
Radio WM breakfast show host Phil Upton is to compere the IAB awards event.
BizAsia.co.uk��is the Official Online Media Partner at the event.
