PROFILE
TEES UP !
Name : Age : Born :
Ammar Mirza CBE Not far off half a century On the banks of the Tyne Lives : In a house in the country .
Organisation ( s ) & job title ( s ): Chair of the SME Centre of Excellence Group , various other public roles including a very proud Honorary Colonel of the Royal Artillery 101 Regiment
When I was at school , I wanted to be … a pilot - I always had a fascination with flight and travelling . My mother wanted me to be a doctor , but I never had the patience .
The best business decision I ever made was … starting my own company . It always seems like such a big challenge and risk , especially when I had a major role leading IT service delivery for a multi-national . But the bigger the risk , the bigger the potential reward .
The worst business decision I ever made was … starting my own company – not quite true , but on very rare days I do ask myself the question .
The best part of my job is … getting the chance to work with individuals and organisations of every size and seeing them realise their ambitions and raise their ambitions . I love seeing others succeed .
The biggest downside of my working life is … having to juggle and deal with other people ’ s grenades . I am naturally a multi-tasker . However , I realise that sometimes this isn ’ t the best or most efficient approach , especially when contending with unplanned and unanticipated activities enforced by others .
If I could change one thing to help my organisation it would be … to clone myself so that I could give everyone more time and energy .
Four words to describe me are … positive , ambitious , caring and supportive .
My business mantra is … what goes around comes around and it ’ s nice to be nice .
My greatest achievement is … personally , marrying my wife . Professionally , being the youngest and first North-East British-born Asian to be appointed a Commander of the British Empire ( CBE ).
The advice I ’ d give to business start-ups is … get the best advice you can afford as early as possible and reach out to as many people you can to develop your network . Make sure your business model is desirable , feasible and viable with a clear value proposition .
The biggest character on the Tees business scene is … Ben Houchen . He is leading the charge in helping platform and promote the region , supported by so many local people from across all sectors .
Teesside ’ s a great place for business because … of the people . We are an incredibly industrious region with amazing people , filled with passion and pride .
My biggest frustration about Teesside is … that people will talk our region down and we continue to hold ourselves back . We should be providing people with a hand-up rather than just a hand-out - empowering people to succeed through skills development and a growth mindset .
My favourite local charity is … my own charity , Primary Inspiration through Enterprise ( PIE ) Project Trust , which was the first to introduce vocational qualification and real enterprise challenges into primary schools . Sir John Hall is our patron and a number of local schools have won the PIE Enterprise Challenge , including Reid Street Primary in Darlington .
68 | Tees Business