An Iranian woman wins the best pub award in the country of pubs
In a country that some say has more pubs (bars) than bakeries, it is not easy for any pub owner to win the industry's most coveted accolade, the BII Licensee of the Year Award. BII is the professional body for the licensed alcoholic liquor retail sector in England. Their website recently announced that Iranian-born Mahdis Neghabian, by succeeding to impress judges at every stage of the award’s stringent judging process, with a forward thinking approach to running her pub, MBII of The Camden Eye, London has won through to become 2012 BII Licensee of the Year.
Ironically, Mahdis was born in the City of Mashhad in Iran, the city that attracts millions of religious (Shia-muslim) pilgrims every year. Mahdis parents immigrated to Sweden in 1989 and she excelled in English and Math. She considered a career in accounting but later decided to work in bars despite her parents' objection to alcohol. Despite hardships associated with her (Iranian) immigrant background, Mahdis proved herself in the UK as a capable and ambitious businesswoman.
In presenting the winner’s award to Mahdis Neghabian, Peter Thomas said, “Mahdis has shown us how she revived the fortunes of her business by combining innovation, strategic thinking, excellent customer care and a great deal of charm. She has inspired us with her ability to adapt to change, through her determination to always deliver what her customers want. Mahdis has engineered a remarkable and sustained turnaround in performance at The Camden Eye, it is a small venue and the business levels being achieved by a varied mix of clientele-pleasing initiatives are nothing short of phenomenal.
