Foreign Office's Asif Ahmed, nominated in the British Muslim awards, on diversity at work and his response to typhoon Haiyan
We speak to Asif Ahmad, ambassador to the Philippines since July 2013, who was shortlisted as civil servant of the year in the British Muslim Awards.
Why do you think you were nominated for this award?My parents' generation in the 1950s concentrated their efforts to secure livelihoods in Britain either as migrants or as residents while studying. Few had the opportunity to be recognised by their peers let alone the wider community.
My generation benefited from education and opportunities not just to build careers but to make a positive impact on the wellbeing of Britain economically and as members of what is now recognised as a diverse society.
I have always believed in recognition and advancement through merit and consider myself a civil servant who happens to be a Muslim. The fact that fellow Muslims believe my work should be recognised shows that we, as a community, value public service.
How did you respond to the typhoon Haiyan that hit the Philippines in November 2013?My role was to report to cabinet ministers who wanted to know the impact of the typhoon and the most urgent requirements. It was clear to me that food, shelter and sanitation were priorities and that the Philippines would need help with airlift and transport logistics to reach remote areas.
As we had no military operational links with the Philippines, I had to ensure that our deployment of two navy ships, three RAF cargo planes and 1,200 military personnel were able to operate effectively and would be accepted by the Philippine government. We needed to integrate our response with other international donors including the UN. We also had to ensure that we were ready to respond to the needs of any British victims.
How did you feel at the time?As a 14 year old, I witnessed the cyclone that came in from the Bay of Bengal in 1970 that killed over 500,000 people. I was able to visualise instantly what devastation typhoon Haiyan had caused in the Philippines. I was also involved in mobilising relief for Cyclone Nargis which hit Burma when I was responsible for the region in the Foreign Office in 2008.
In the case of the Philippines, I was energised by the urgency of the need and was I determined to use my experience to deliver what became one of the largest contributions to the Haiyan relief effort by a foreign donor.
What has been your favourite experience as a British ambassador?If I had to pick one outstanding example, then it has to be securing investment in the Teeside steel plant by a Thai company, Sahaviriya Steel Industries, when I was ambassador to Thailand. This was, in 2011, one of the largest single investments into Britain that year and created 1500 jobs not far from Durham, where I went to university.
You spent much of your career in banking and business in the private sector. What made you decide to move to the public sector?I began my career at Natwest straight from university and had 18 great years working in corporate finance. I was Britain's first ethnic minority high street bank manager. Changes in Natwest's strategic direction which were less focused on international growth, and my desire to give something back to the community, drew me to the public sector.
I joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office after seeing an advertisement looking for middle managers wanting to make a career move.
What challenges have you had to overcome as a British Muslim working for the Foreign Office?I cannot think of any negative experiences in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office because of my faith. I have been able to use my knowledge of Muslim issues to good effect. When I first joined the FCO in 1999, consideration was being given as to how we could meet the consular needs of pilgrims who performed the Haj in Saudi Arabia.
I was able to take delegations of Muslim politicians to Iran, Malaysia, and Indonesia in periods when we were responding to global security threats. Here in the Philippines, I was responsible for securing the UK's involvement in the peace process of Muslim Mindanao in 2008 when I had responsibility for the region. That initiative has now culminated in a formal agreement that was reached last weekend and could finally resolve a 60-year-old conflict.
Or indeed, when working in the private sector?In my early career in the City of London, the issue was not whether I was a Muslim. There were, quite simply, no people in senior positions in banking from ethnic minority groups. I recall my first week working as a senior manager in Natwest's head office when colleagues stopped me each day thinking I was a tourist who had got lost in the corridors of power. I had a chuckle when I was touring the US with the bank's chief executive on an investors' road show when the general manager of a prestigious San Francisco hotel asked if I was the "Arab with an English accent"!
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