Lord Karan Bilimoria elected president of Confederation of British Industry

Lord Karan Bilimoria, the founder of Cobra Beer, has been elected as the new president of the Confederation of British Industry.

India-born Bilimoria is the first British Asian to head the employer’s group that represents over 190,000 businesses.

Functioning as the vice-president since last year, the 58-year-old entrepreneur was elected president with an “overwhelming majority” during an annual general meeting of the organisation held on Tuesday (16 June).

“I am honoured to be president of the CBI during this hugely important time for UK business. As the four nations of our country embark upon an ambitious economic recovery plan, I will do all I can to help ensure we build back better through inclusive and sustainable growth,” Bilimoria commented.

“Ensuring the CBI is seen as a home for entrepreneurs and SMEs (small and medium enterprises) is first among my top four priorities during my time as president. Secondly, establishing the UK as a trading powerhouse, which is vital for our future prosperity,” he said, listing out his priorities in his new post.

“Thirdly, I will use my background in higher education to champion the UK’s unique soft power offer. And last but by no means least is the importance of acting to increase inclusive workplaces. Diversity drives better decisions. And it will be my aim to get better Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) representation in boardrooms across the country,” he said.

Bilimoria was also founding chair of the UK-India Business Council.

In 2014, he was appointed as the seventh Chancellor of the University of Birmingham. He is also Chair of the University of Cambridge Judge Business School Advisory Board and has been an Independent Crossbench Peer in the House of Lords for 14 years.

“We’re delighted Lord Bilimoria has been elected as CBI President. His experience, global outlook and tenacity will prove invaluable to the CBI and the UK business community,” said Dame Carolyn Fairbairn, CBI director-general.

Bilimoria takes over the president’s post from John Allan, who becomes CBI vice-president.