Current and former member of Parliament gather to mark Bestway’s landmark year
CURRENT and former members of Parliament have gathered to mark the life of Sir Anwar Pervez as part of his 90th birthday celebrations and Bestway’s 50th anniversary.
The cross-party event, hosted in the historic Churchill Room of the House of Commons by Lord Choudrey CBE, was attended by the Rt Hon Sir Brandon Lewis, former Lord Chancellor and former ministers Tom Tugendhat and Rt Hon Lord Maude.
As well as this, Nigel Huddleston MP and co-chair of the Conservative Party, Labour Member of Parliament Afzal Khan CBE; Liberal Democrat Peer Lord Qurban Hussain; former foreign office minister Lord Tariq Ahmed; Lord Dolar Popat and Lord Philip Smith among others were all in attendance.
Guests at the event paid tribute to Sir Anwar’s remarkable life story – from its humble beginnings in a remote village in Pakistan, to immigrating to the UK in 1956 at the age of 21.
Sir Anwar worked in various jobs across Bradford before moving to London and setting up his first retail store in 1963. He would then go on to form Bestway in 1976.
Under Sir Anwar’s vision and leadership, Bestway has grown into a diverse, multi-billion pound group which employs over 47,000 people globally, including leadership positions across food, pharmaceutical, cement and banking sectors.
In addition to this, Sir Anwar also introduced the Bestway Foundation which has donated over £44million to charitable causes in its time, with a focus on social mobility support as a theme that is very personal to Sir Anwar.
Former ministers Tom Tughendhat and the Rt Hon the Lord Maude thanks Sir Anwar for his considerable contribution to British society at large, marking him as a “living embodiment” of everything that is good in British society.
Rt Hon Sir Brandon Lewis, former Lord Chancellor, shared his own personal experiences with Sir Anwar and how Bestway helped his family’s small business to grow and thrive throughout the 1980s. Both Lord Maude and Sir Brandon also shared their experiences of visits to Pakistan that Sir Anwar organised for them as Chairs of the Conservative Party.
The High Commissioner for Pakistan to the UK Dr Mohammad Faisal and The Lord Khan of Burnley Minister for Faith both highlighted Sir Anwar’s contribution in ehancing relations between the UK and Pakistan as well.
2025 marks an important year for Bestway as a business. Not only will Bestway Group celebrate its Golden Anniversary this year, it also marks a landmark year for Sir Anwar as he celebrates his 90th birthday as well.
Bestway is set to host a landmark celebration at the Royal Albert Hall in July which will bring together colleagues, supply partners and friends of the business to commemorate five decades of the firm.
