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Arshad Chaudhry - Chairman Arshad Chaudhry is the Chairman and founder of ABDN. A dynamic professional with a passion for ICT, he is a director and senior consultant to the HCA Group of accountancy practices. He developed the HCA Group from humble beginnings 30 years ago to a substantial regional practice. He is director of HCA Arshad Chaudhry Ltd Chartered Accountants and director of Financial Management Partnership, a financial consultancy business.
He is Chairman of Spirit Resource an ICT company based in Leeds with its back office in the subcontinent. He was Group Internal Auditor for the Burton Group (now called Arcadia Plc).
He is a director of the Partnership Investment Fund and has been on the boards of several institutions in the Region, including the Leeds Chamber, Leeds College of Technology, the Training and Enterprise Council. Arshad helped setup CHEL, a flagship inner city regeneration company and was its Chair for a number of years. He is keen to develop international trading links and has recently led UKTI sponsored trade missions to India and Pakistan. Arshad is in the 2009 Yorkshire Power 100 as one of the most influential business leaders in the region.
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 Arshad Chaudhry
| | | | | | | Gurdev Singh Dahele MBE – Vice Chairman Gurdev has been involved with enterprise and regeneration work since 1986 when he was the Deputy Task Force Leader at Government’s Chapeltown and Harehills Task Force where he had successfully completed in the development of CHEL (Chapeltown & Harehills Enterprise Centre), a managed work space. He was posted to Bradford Task Force in 1989 and with his experience and knowledge of community and enterprise development work, he set up ABL, a community trust for the people of Manningham. He was the Chief Executive of ABL where he led in the development of Carlisle Business Centre. He is a Special Advisor to the Board of Development Trusts Association (DTA), London – an umbrella organisation of development trusts in the country. DTA is a practitioner-based movement with well over 500 organisations its members. DTA’s key objective is to support establishment of new development trusts and help existing development trusts to grow and operate well. He was recently appointed a Director on the Board of REEMAP. The mission of REEMAP is to eliminate educational underachievement of the black and minority ethnic young people living in West Yorkshire. He is a graduate of Bradford Common Purpose. He was awarded an MBE in 1996 for his services to the Department of Employment and services to regeneration. | 
Gurdev S Dahele MBE | | | | |
| | ABDN Directors | | Mark Goldstone - Director Invited to join the board as the representative for Leeds Chamber of Commerce & Industry where he holds the post of Membership Manager, Mark has extensive sales and marketing experience gained across a number of sectors. Prior to working with Leeds Chamber, Mark was an advisor for Business Link West Yorkshire assisting companies within inner City Leeds to reach their full potential and ensuring they receive maximum benefit from the support services available within the City. From personal experience Mark has particular understanding of the barriers to growth faced by businesses, especially start ups and is able to offer practical advice and guidance. A masters graduate of Birmingham University, Mark is a former professional rugby player and currently lives in North Leeds. | Mark Goldstone | | | | Lorraine Ellison MBE - Director
Lorraine has a wealth of international experience having travelled to and worked in over 70 countries around the world. Currently running her own international marketing business, Lorraine Ellison Limited, she works for a number of top international brands and clients. In Yorkshire & Humber she also works with UK Trade & Investment, managing their International Business Network and is also engaged as their Regional Sector Specialist for Textiles, Fashion & Design. Since the early 1980’s when she worked in procurement on a range of British Aid funded projects mainly in Africa and Asia, she has built a strong portfolio of international business contacts. From 1993 when she was appointed International Marketing Director with one of the UK’s largest Chambers of Commerce, she organised and led over 120 trade missions to developed and developing markets across the world. She has also worked with the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme in Chitral in the North West Frontier Province helping local women to market their organic textiles into Western Europe and the US. Lorraine is an Adviser to F1 in Schools, a Not for Profit Organisation, encouraging thousands of young people to develop a range of interactive skills using the F1 brand and international competition to forge links across the world. Lorraine was awarded the MBE for services to exports in the Queens Birthday Honours List in 2004. | 
Lorraine Ellison MBE | | Dave Clarkson – Director Dave Clarkson has 22 years experience in the communication industry and is Commercial Director for Osmosis, the UK’s foremost specialist brand communications consultancy. Working with a series of national organisations and regional businesses on how they look, act and deliver effectively through brand positioning and personal impact.
His most recent appointment is working with former Trade Minister Lord Digby Jones helping him to define his personal brand and communication materials.
He is a member of the Prince’s Trust regional committee in West Yorkshire and in 2007 won Arts & Business Yorkshire Skills Bank Advisor of the Year.
Dave also has 15 years martial arts experience under his belt and is a qualified EKO National karate coach working with both children and adults improving their confidence and approach to everyday situations. | 
Dave Clarkson | Faruk Miah – Director Faruk is currently a Prgramme Manger at Park Lane College Leeds. He is the Head of PLCL Brudenell Centre in Headingley, Leeds. He is also part of the College’s growing International Unit with responsibiity for the South Asia region which covers India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Faruk has been on some very successful trips in the region as part of the British Council - Education UK Exhibitions, UKTI Trade Missions as well as the general recruit visits. He is currently working on some very exciting projects on developing local partnerships to deliver UK qualifications locally.
Faruk is on the Board of Assist an International Student Recruitment Consultants with in-house services for international money transfer, travel, accommodation and legal services. He is currently the Chairman of the Bangladeshi Community Education & Training Centre & Al-Madina Masjid & Madrasha serving the local Bangladeshi Community in South Leeds. Faruk has served as a Governor at Hunslet Moor Primary School for the past 5 years and is the current Chair of Personnel. In 2006 Faruk was the winner of the prestigious Channel S “Community Award” for “outstanding contribution to the British Bangladeshi community”. The only young person from the Yorkshire & Humber region to have ever gained the award. | 
Faruk Miah | Abigail Musa – Director
Abigail Musa is the founder of 1st Resource Ltd, a multi faceted Recruitment Agency specialising in Medical, domiciliary care and International Education recruitment in Leeds. 1st Resource expanded into Contact Centre Management as well as Business mobile phone connections as part of its growing business.
Abigail is a Masters degree graduate from the University of Leeds and holds a Bachelors degree in Business Education from the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria. Abigail also has a diploma in NLP and Image Consultancy.
Abigail has gained valuable management experience by working in the Telecoms industry for 6years from junior to senior management level. She worked with 02 and also Caudwell Communications.
Abigail is involved in various voluntary groups. She is currently the Company Secretary of the Nigerian Community in Leeds, member of the Nigerian Business & Professional Forum, Ex Vice- President of the Federation for Small Business (FSB Leeds branch 2007).
Abigail achieved the Inspirational Success Award in 2007 by the LSC and Job Centre Plus. Abigail was also amongst three shortlisted nominees for the best female entrepreneur at the first Yorkshire Black & Ethnic Convention (YBEC) in 2007.
Abigail’s journey to starting her own business came with the birth of her twin boys. They continue to remain a strong drive to her success.
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Abigail Musa
| Claire Morley – Director
Claire Morley-Jones is Managing Director of hr180, www.hr180.co.uk - an HR support and advice service for SME’s and a Non Executive Director of Graduates Yorkshire. Claire started her business in 2006, employs 9 members of staff and utilises innovative working practices to secure the best employees and deliver to the highest standards.
Prior to setting up hr180, Claire had a very successful career working in a variety of industries from local government and charity to professional services and telecomms. Some employers have been O2, St John Ambulance, The Open University and Eversheds although Claire did take a year off in 2004 to travel the world! After securing the experience she felt she needed, she started her own business at the age of 28.
Claire’s business operates very differently from the norm (there is no office for a start!) with a caring, flexible and pragmatic approach to everything, employees and clients alike, and has grown from just £2,000 savings. Her managing director role encompasses many facets including managing the team, client account management, HR delivery, business strategy and marketing.
Claire has also ensured that hr180 is heavily involved in the community with every member of staff contributing in some way to various charitable efforts. Claire herself trains interview skills to refugees, is a member of the Leeds University CETL Project team, an Ambassador for Women in Business and a mentor on the "spreadlikewildfire" website.
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Claire Morley
| | | | ABDN Officers: | | Ibrar Hussain - Officer
Ibrar Hussain is a highly experienced BME community worker with over 8 years experience of informal and formal community education, including, youth development projects, employment and training initiatives, organisation development and project management within community settings. He has extensive experience of working with disadvantaged groups, in an educational setting with experience gained from working with many of the F.E Colleges in the district. As a qualified ICT lecturer and IAG worker he has supported many hard to reach groups and non-traditional learners into first step learning and progressed them into mainstream education employment or training.
He aims to utlise his extensive networking skills and partnership approach in the education arena to work with many of the local schools, sixth forms, colleges, connexions centre’s, local and national employers and the local council in the forthcoming months to raise awareness about apprenticeships and work based learning initiatives.
A key part of my role will be working directly with the community of Leeds and I look forward to seeing you all.
|  Ibrar Hussain
| | Hamieda Begum – LEGI Enterprise Co-ordinator
Hamieda graduated from the University of Leeds with a LLB Law degree in 2005. She has gained experience in working in the fields of Equality and Diversity, Immigration and Community Cohesion. Since then, she has been working on the Sharing the Success programme for nearly two years, encouraging people from the most deprived areas of Leeds to set up in business. Now she is working with ABDN to raise awareness about business and enterprise, through a series of events and publications. |  Hamieda Begum
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