Iqbal Wahhab

Iqbal Wahhab, OBE (Bengali: ইকবাল ওয়াহাব; born 22 August 1963) is a Bangladeshi-born British businessman. He is the founder of Tandoori Magazine, and restaurants The Cinnamon Club and Roast.

Iqbal Wahhab OBE
ইকবাল ওয়াহাব
Born	22 August 1963 East Pakistan, (now Bangladesh)
Nationality	British
Education	Business Administration
Alma mater	London School of Economics
Occupation	Businessman
Years active	1991–present
Notable work	Tandoori Magazine Cinnamon Club Roast
Style	Indian Cuisine
Website	iqbalwahhab.com

Background and career

Wahhab was born in East Pakistan, (now Bangladesh) and arrived in the United Kingdom at the age of eight months. He was educated in London and is a graduate of the London School of Economics.

After working as a journalist in the national press for three years, in 1991 he set up his own PR firm which specialised in food, drink and restaurants and then in 1994 he launched Tandoori Magazine.

In 2001, Wahhab sold out of the magazine to launch The Cinnamon Club, an Indian restaurant and bar aimed at changing the way the British view Indian dining. The opening of it was troublesome but it became at the time the world's most successful Indian restaurant in terms of revenue.[1] In 2003, he co-authored The Cinnamon Club Cookbook with Chef Vivek Singh and in 2005 opened Roast,[2] a restaurant in Borough Market presenting traditional British food with an emphasis on "using the best of British seasonal produce".[3]

From 2012, Wahhab became chair of the Department for Work and Pensions' Ethnic Minority Advisory Group,[4] set up to discuss ways to reduce ethnic minority unemployment levels; he sat on a task force with six ministers to formulate policies to this end. In 2012, he was invited to Gordon Ramsay's Bad Boys Bakery lunch at Brixton Prison. He is patron of a social enterprise set up at Pentonville Prison, Liberty Kitchen.[5] He currently chairs Equal www.equalcjs.org.uk which addresses ethnic disproportionality in the criminal justice system.

Awards and recognition

In 2009, Wahhab was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours for his public service and services to the hospitality industry.[6] In 2010, he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts. In 2019 he was made High Sheriff of Greater London.

Personal life

Wahhab is connected in the restaurant industry and he keeps a regular blog about the places he visits. He also shares his interests on politics, race and current affair.[7]

See also

• British Bangladeshi
• Business of British Bangladeshis
• List of British Bangladeshis

References

1. "Iqbal Wahhab: The restaurateur reveals all about his investment woes, blowing budgets and winning landlords over". startups.co.uk. 23 July 2008. Retrieved 25 May 2010. Taken from the book Starting Your Own Restaurant (Crimson Publishing)
2. "'I slyly tap out emails under the table'". The Guardian. 13 December 2007. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
3. "Iqbal Wahhab: Why can't I be proud about British food?". The Independent. 23 February 2006. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
4. Wahhab, Iqbal (6 September 2009). "Why will no one help the unemployed minorities?". The Observer. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
5. "Our Board". www.libertykitchen.org. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
6. "New Year honours list: OBEs". The Guardian. 31 December 2009. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
7. "Iqbal's Blog". Retrieved 20 April 2012.