Renowned British Pakistani business magnate and Bestway Group Chief Executive Zameer Chaudhry has received Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) from Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales.
At an official ceremony held at the Buckingham Palace, Zameer Chaudhry received his investiture as a commander of the Order of the British Empire from His Royal Highness Prince Charles.
In acknowledgement of his services for the British economy and social contribution, Zameer Chaudhry was awarded his CBE as part of the Queen’s New Year 2016 Honours List. It was cited that Zameer Chaudhry has been awarded “in recognition of his contributions to advancing Britain through his services to the UK Wholesale industry and the wide array of philanthropic work he passionately engages in both the UK and abroad”.
After receiving the honour, Zameer Chaudhry commented: “I cannot begin to express how honoured I am to have been included by the Queen in her New Year’s Honours List and to receive this recognition from His Royal Highness Prince Charles. At Bestway, we strive to support a wide cross section of UK businesses and citizens – whether that be by providing healthcare and medicines though our Well Pharmacy division; providing daily support to our thousands of local shopkeepers and caterers through our Wholesale business; or providing charitable and social care support to those in need through Bestway Foundation and its charitable work – we aim to be at the heart of the communities we serve.”
During his tenure as chief executive of the group, Zameer Chaudhry has led the group to invest almost £300m into the UK wholesale and retail sectors. He has overseen the takeovers of Batleys, Martex, Bellevue and most recently Sher Brothers in addition to establishing a greater footprint for Bestway in England and Scotland. His latest acquisition of Co-op Pharmacy – the UK’s third largest retail pharmacy group which has since been rebranded to Well Pharmacy – was finalised in a deal worth £620m in October 2014 and has set the company on yet another pathway to growth.
Zameer Chaudhry said that his group will continue to increase investments in Pakistan. He said he will ensure that his group’s philanthropic contribution increases further in Pakistan, especially in the areas of education and commerce.
