Leadership

Message from our Chairman

I recall fondly the excitement I felt when preparing for the opening of our first wholesale depot in Acton in 1976. I did not think then that more than four decades on we would be the largest independent wholesaler in the UK. Let alone that Bestway Group would grow to become a diversified multinational business with interest across multiple sectors.

At the heart of our family and corporate philosophy is the desire to support and empower the communities we operate in. I am heartened that in addition to operational success we have also been able to give back to those less fortunate through our operating businesses as well as our charitable trust, Bestway Foundation.

I am confident that the fundamental strengths of our business model, our experienced Board and our long-term objectives puts Bestway on course for a successful future.

Message from our CEO

We have come a long way since Sir Anwar’s venture in the UK wholesale sector. Today we have grown to become a global business with annualized turnover in excess of £4.5 billion and provide employment to over 28,000 individuals worldwide.

We are the UK’s largest independent wholesaler and the UK’s largest independent retail pharmacy chain. However, the success we have achieved is not confined to the UK and we take great pride in the being the largest overseas investor in Pakistan. We hold strategic stakes in the country’s 2nd largest cement manufacturer and 3rd largest bank.

As a Group we are forward looking and are continuously looking to build on the magnificent platform we have both within our existing business units as well across potentially new ones.

Our journey so far would not have been possible without the support of the wider Bestway family – our Board, dedicated staff, customers and partners and I thank them all for their continued support and commitment.

Board of Directors

Sir Anwar Pervez, OBE H Pk
Chairman, Bestway Group

The Lord Choudrey, CBE SI Pk
Chief Executive Officer,
Bestway Group

Bestway Wholesale Chairman Younus Sheikh

Younus Sheikh, BSc
Chairman,
Bestway Wholesale

MAP Trading Managing Director Rizwan Pervez

Rizwan Pervez ACA, BSc
Managing Director,
MAP Trading

Bestway Wholesale Managing Director Dawood Pervez

Dawood Pervez BA (Hons), FRSA, MA Oxon, Solicitor
Managing Director,
Bestway Wholesale

Haider Choudrey ACA, MA (Hons) Cantab
Chief Financial Officer,
Bestway Group

Chairman of Bestway Group
Founded Bestway Group in 1976, when he opened the Wholesale business’ first depot in Victoria Road, London
Chairman of Well Pharmacy, Bestway Cement Limited and United Bank Limited
Chair of the Board of Trustees of Bestway Foundation and Patron-in-Chief of Bestway Foundation Pakistan, the Group’s charitable trusts
Awarded Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Her Majesty the Queen in 1992
Conferred the title of Knight’s Bachelor by Her Majesty the Queen in 1999
Awarded the “Hilal-E-Pakistan” (Crescent of Pakistan) by the President of Pakistan in 2000
Awarded “The Grocer Cup” for Outstanding Business Achievement” by the Institute of Grocery Distribution in 2005
Awarded the “Sitara-E-Essar” (Star of Sacrifice) by the President of Pakistan in 2006
Received an Honorary Doctor of Law Degree from FC College University, Lahore Pakistan in 2011 and from the University of Bradford in the UK in 2012

Chief Executive of Bestway Group
Joined Bestway Group in 1984 and has held a number of roles including Financial Controller and Group Finance Director
Led the Group’s expansion into Pakistan through the setup of Bestway Cement Limited and acquisition of United Bank Limited
Led the Group’s diversification into pharmacy through the acquisition of Well Pharmacy
Chief Executive of Bestway Cement Limited and a Director of Bestway Wholesale, Well Pharmacy and United Bank Limited
Founding Trustee of Bestway Foundation and Chairman of Bestway Foundation Pakistan
Fellow of the ICAEW and a graduate of the University of Kent
Chairman of the Conservative Friends of Pakistan
Chairman of the UK Advisory Council of HRH’s The British Asian Trust
Received an Honorary Doctor of Civil Law degree from University of Kent in 2014
Awarded “The Grocer Cup” for Outstanding Business Achievement” by the Institute of Grocery Distribution in 2015
Appointed Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Her Majesty the Queen in 2015
Awarded the “Sitara-E-Imtiaz” (Star of Excellence) by the President of Pakistan in 2018
He was nominated for a life peerage and made Baron Choudrey of Hampstead in 2019

Chairman of Bestway Wholesale
Founder Director of Bestway, with over 50 years of experience in the UK’s independent wholesale sector
He is also a Director of Bestway Cement Limited
Previously held a number of roles within the Wholesale business, including Trading Director and Managing Director
Trustee of the Bestway Foundation UK and Bestway Foundation Pakistan
Awarded the “Outstanding Achievement Award” by the Federation of Wholesale Distributors in 2015

Managing Director of MAP Trading, the Group’s ethnic foodstuffs business
Joined the business as Financial Accountant and has accumulated over 27 years with Bestway Group
Previously held a number of roles within Bestway Wholesale, including Operations Director, Marketing Director and Business Development Director
Director of United Bank Limited and UBL Insurers Limited
Trustee of Bestway Foundation
Member of the ICAEW and a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh

Managing Director of Bestway Wholesale
Joined Bestway in 2002 and was appointed to the Group Board in 2004
Previously led a variety of departments within Bestway Wholesale including Legal, HR, Learning & Development, Property, Health & Safety and Marketing
Company Secretary for Bestway Group’s UK companies
Director of Bestway Wholesale and Bestway Cement Limited
Trustee of Bestway Foundation, GroceryAid and the Batleys Retirement Benefits Scheme
Prior to joining Bestway, worked at Linklaters
Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales
Degrees from The University of Manchester in Politics & Modern History and also from Oxford University in Jurisprudence

Group CFO with financial and strategic responsibility for all business units
Joined Bestway Group in 2012 and was appointed to the Group Board in 2018
Previously held a number of roles within Bestway including Financial Controller and Head of Group Finance
Director of Bestway Wholesale, Well Pharmacy, Bestway Cement and United Bank Limited
Trustee of Bestway Foundation
Member of the Vice Chancellor’s Circle at the University of Cambridge
Graduate of the University of Cambridge, with a degree in Economics
Member of the ICAEW having previously trained with KPMG UK

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