Member Spotlight Salim Bhayat

Name:

Salim Bhayat

Position/company:

Director/Astwood Design

Describe your current role/company:

Astwood Design is a creative agency based in the Midlands serving clients nationwide for over 38 years. Services include design for print, branding, web design and development, video, animation, signage and exhibition works.

Being a Director I am the go-to for our clients, my role includes business development, account management, costing works, briefing the studio and ensuring we deliver the highest of creative standards when responding to any given brief.

My great passion is to help our clients achieve their communications goals, to captivate and engage their target audience.

I’ve been doing this effectively for the past 24 years with Astwood Design.

Previous roles:

• Design & Production Manager
• P/T Lecturer at Coventry Technical College, teaching ‘A’ Level Graphic Design module, as well as basic introduction to Graphic Design to adult learners.
• P/T Lecturer at Coventry University, teaching on the Design Foundation Course
• Design & Studio Manager

Other information (eg. Other positions held, charity roles):

1. City College Coventry – Visiting Speaker
2. Stratford upon Avon College – Visiting Speaker
3. Coventry Ambassadors Group – Ambassador
4. Age UK Coventry – Trading Board Member
5. National Cricket Association: Coach Level 1 – Warwickshire Country Cricket Club

Outside work (hobbies/interests):

Cricket, cycling, exercise, walking and travelling

How long have you been an IoD member?

Nearly a year.

Describe your role as an Ambassador:

I am extremely proud to be the Marketing & Communications Ambassador for the Coventry & Warwickshire branch.

• I attend networking events
• Support the branch Chair Abid Khan and members as required.
• I liaise with existing members, take on board their thoughts as to how best we communicate and grow as a branch.
• Promote the IoD benefits to non-members
• To help and advise members on their creative communication requirements
• To Network for the benefit of the branch.

What part of IoD membership do you value most?

• The camaraderie, the sense of belonging within a fantastic group of members.
• To offer and utilise my expertise for the benefit of the branch.
• Networking gives me the opportunity to meet some great business minds.

What are the top three things about your branch area?

1. Having an incredible pro active Chair of the branch – representing the BAME voice, and business communities
2. We are in the heart of the UK with an abundance of fantastic innovative global businesses who operate in our region. This in turn offers huge potential to expand and benefit our membership.
3. My branch of the IoD being in the heart of England enables easy connectivity to all parts of the UK and regions of the IoD.

What are you most looking forward to in the next 12 months?

• Greater exposure for our branch by becoming more pro-active in what we do
• Set up a greater number of events and socials to connect, develop and influence.
• Forge greater relationships with the branch membership
• Working closer with my Chair on how best to magnify our branch activities and exposure
• To utilise my expertise in creative communications to help and advise members to move forward with their business goals.

Looking back, what advice would you give yourself when you started out in business?

Looking back, I would have without doubt joined an organisation such as the IoD right from the outset of my career. The knowledge currently being gleaned by being a member of the IoD is invaluable and would have been of great benefit had I joined earlier.