Vikas Shah appointed to the IDAB

Vikas Shah has been appointed as a new member to the Industrial Development Advisory Board (IDAB) which provides advice to government on proposals to provide selective financial assistance to industry. Universities, Science and Cities Minister Greg Clark yesterday (11 February 2015) announced the appointmentment, saying "I look forward to continuing to work with the board whose business expertise helps us to make sure that public investment in private sector projects has the best possible impact."

About Vikas Shah

Vikas Shah is Managing Director of Swiscot Group, a Manchester based textiles and commodities trading firm, with operations worldwide. He is also Visiting Professor of Entrepreneurship with MIT Sloan on their European MBA programme. Vikas has built businesses in diverse sectors around the world for almost 20 years, and is also a consultant and advisor to numerous entrepreneurs and organisations globally. He is President of the North West region chapter of TiE (the world’s largest entrepreneurs network), and a respected speaker and commentator on entrepreneurship, business, and social issues. Vikas is an advisor to many civic and community groups, and is a trustee of Mustard Tree, Executive Patron of the Manchester Cancer Research Centre, and a member of the University of Manchester General Assembly.

Mr Shah's appointment is part-time, unpaid and will run initially for 3 years from 1 February 2015.

About The Industrial Development Advisory Board

The Industrial Development Advisory Board (IDAB) is a statutory body set up to advise ministers on their use of financing powers in the Industrial Development Act 1982. In practice, the board considers large applications from companies bidding into the Regional Growth FundScheme; it also advises on proposed new schemes.