Thakrar named heart charity patron
ASIAN businessman Shane Thakrar has been named as a patron of the British Heart Foundation (BHF).
Thakrar is the CEO of Dallas Holdings, which owns and operates franchised food and beverage brands. The family has a history of supporting the BHF through the Thakrar Foundation.
Lord Hintze, a business leader who established the hedge fund CQS in 1999 and currently serves as its group executive chairman and senior investment officer, was also named as a BHF patron.
Both businessmen will use their positions to raise awareness about the BHF and help raise funds for research.
Thakrar said, “Heart disease affects nearly all of us, and has had a profound impact on my family and I.
“It is therefore a privilege to help the British Heart Foundation raise awareness of its cutting-edge research in areas such as AI, gene editing, and regenerative medicine so it can continue to raise the funds needed to power urgently needed scientific progress.”
Both have reportedly already made significant contributions to BHF’s cause by hosting events and supporting fundraising efforts for its £30 million CureHeart programme. It brings together scientists working on geneediting techniques that hold the potential to cure inherited heart muscle diseases.
The BHF chief executive, Dr Charmaine Griffiths, said, “In the wake of the pandemic, people with heart and circulatory diseases have never needed us more.
“But with leading philanthropists
like Lord Hintze and Shane Thakrar supporting us, our aim is to accelerate the pace at which our researchers turn cutting-edge
areas of science into new lifesaving treatments and cures. We’re extremely grateful for their continued and ongoing support.”