Award-winner credits multicultural Derby for helping her build up business empire
A DERBY woman running a multimillion-pound business empire has said that growing up in the city played a key part in her success.
Pam Banwait, managing director of Banwait Group Holdings, won the Entrepreneur award at the Asian Women of the Year awards in London.
But the 38-year-old, who grew up in Stenson Fields and attended Sinfin Community School, has said that her upbringing in Derby taught her some key life lessons which have played a crucial role in preparing her for the challenges of running a care home business employing 250 people.
She said: “Derby is very diverse. My mum was an NHS nurse for 42 years, and in Derby there’s a real community spirit.
“I think that makes you value people and relationships and it makes you value the idea that it’s not just about opportunities, but it’s about equal opportunities.
“Because of the level of diversity that I think you have in Derby, it makes you take that forward in your everyday life.
“I’ve never been made to feel different. I’ve always been embraced by people in Derby. When you’ve grown up with that kind of treatment, It’s very simple - how you’ve been treated affects how you treat others.
“I feel fortunate to have been raised in Derby. It is a great city with so much diversity which really has helped underpin the ethos in my business.”
Raised in a Sikh household, Pam’s mother Surjit Dard spent 42 years as a nurse in Derby before retiring in 2014.
Pam, Surjit and her father Tarlochan Dard say they have all benefited from their time in Derby, which has taught them the importance of tolerating other peoples’ way of life.
She added: “It’s where I was born, it’s where my mum and dad are from. I think it goes down to the fact that there is always so much happening.
“We celebrate diversity in Derby, it doesn’t matter what race you’re from, what background you’re from, every ethnic minority, every, occasion is celebrated equally and I think that’s fantastic.
“I celebrate Christmas, I fully celebrate it, and in school, you’d have things like Diwali celebrations, you had Eid celebrations. There would be so many other celebrations you’d have. I’ve not grown up being limited to celebrating just one faith or belief, as it’s very multicultural.
“That’s what really helped me in my career to date, that’s what helped me win this award, and that’s how I run my business. Everybody is celebrated in my organisation.”
Pam’s business employs more than 250 staff, with its website boasting a portfolio worth over £50 million. The holdings company operates chiefly in the healthcare sector, managing four care homes across the Midlands and West Yorkshire.
Last year Banwait Group Holdings won the Great British Care Awards Home Employer of the Year award, and Pam has said her Derby upbringing also gave her the resilience needed to push through the worst of the coronavirus pandemic.
She added: “It’s been very challenging. We are often seen as a poor relative of the NHS, and it’s taken a pandemic for people to realise actually we’re just as important. I spoke to Sky News and BBC News quite a lot about testing. Now that we’ve got the testing regime going, now that workers are hailed as heroes, which they are, and to be able to lead them and motivate them to win this award and really come out the other end, it feels great.
“You could have just thought ‘I can’t carry on with this,’ but because of the sort of strong heroes behind me, and the strong personnel that I’ve got, I’ve been able to lead them. Invest in your people, as it really is worth it.”
The Asian Women of Achievement Awards is celebrates the successes of Asian businesswomen across the UK. There were 13 awards up for grabs, with Pam beating off five other nominees for the Entrepreneur prize.