Diplomacy Week at Asia House

Diplomacy Week kicks off at Asia House, commencing with a Reception for H.E. Liu Xiaoming, Chinese Ambassador to the United Kingdom on Monday 30 April.  Over the course of this week, Asia House will host 11 British Ambassadors from the Asian region, ranging from Indonesia to Pakistan to Turkey, to speak about the respective economic climates, political reforms and opportunities for British Business.

Contact Vladka Paligova at vladka.paligova@asiahouse.co.uk for more information.

Asia House Fair returns 27-29 April 2012

Asia House opens its doors 27-29 April to all for this popular event now in its third year. With the new studio gallery providing more space for exhibitors, visitors can explore three floors of a lively and colourful marketplace.

The fair champions the work of Asian artisans, showing the skills and talents of craftspeople, cooperatives and designers who are engaged in creating fine handmade products.

Global Institute for Tomorrow (GIFT) Programme in Mongolia

The Global Institute for Tomorrow (GIFT) is a social venture think-and-do tank based in Hong Kong.  GIFT is a partner of Asia House and organises executive education leadership programmes for experienced professionals in remote parts of Asia. 

Would you like to be sponsored by your firm to attend this 2-week Programme?  The next Young Leader's Programme (YLP) will take place in Ulaanbatar, from 23 July - 04 August 2012.

Find out more about the YLP in Mongolia here.

Big Society Capital Bank Launched

The launch of Big Society Capital (BSC), a social investment bank in the UK, took place this week.  BSC will eventually be capitalised with about £600m ($955m).  The goal of BSC, which will be run independently from government, is to create a market for social finance, a hybrid investment class that delivers a mixture of social and financial returns.

Could this model work in Asia?

Find out more about social investment at the Signature Conference on "Social Innovation in Asia" on 18 April 2012:  http://socialinnovationinasia.eventbrite.co.uk

Asia House Literature Festival Featured in Eastern Eye

Festival of Asian Literature 2012 Programme announced

Welcome to the sixth annual Asia House Festival of Asian Literature - the first and only Festival in the UK celebrating the writing of Asia and Asians. It is the destination for the culturally curious to engage in debate and discussion about literature, trends, issues and events from the Persian Gulf to the Pacific Global events of the past year have provided us with a wealth of topics to discuss, debate and dissect. This year's festival takes a look at power and change throughout Asia and beyond, with events focused on Arab Spring and its repercussions in Asia, how oil is shaping the region's geo-political map, the after affects of Empire and the power of political women. On the lighter side, food, love, dance and humour have not been forgotten. Our Saturday programme sees children and their parents cooking, reading and stretching  together on yoga mats. With writing spanning over 16 countries, this is truly our best Festival yet.

Alpesh Patel to speak at "Entrepreneurship & Innovation in Asia" Conference (24 May)

Alpesh Patel is the founder of an asset management company, Praefinium Partners, which launched a hedge fund in 2004 (US) and Private Equity funds in 2009 (investing in India).  He is a past member of the Advisory Board of ICICI's private banking division.