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The year 2025 being the silver jubilee of the World Zarathushti Chamber of Commerce (WZCC) "we want to project it as the year of the youth,” announced global president Capt Percy Master. "For that every chapter should give the highest priority to the youth but WZCC alone cannot promote the youth. We want to create a global youth network to mobilize the youth in a sustained manner,” he addressed the 46 members who attended the global annual general meeting (AGM) on January 18, 2025, convened on the Zoom platform. 

While continuing its endeavor for joint collaborations between WZCC and other chambers of commerce, the latest tie-up is with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) where Lord Karan Bilimoria is the chair of its UK chapter. (ICC is the largest, most representative business organization in the world, states Wikipedia, with over 45 million businesses in over 170 countries.) It should be "a game changer for our members. Make the most of the best and the least of the worst. WZCC makes the impossible possible,” reminded the president. 

  Katayun Kapadia, Ratan Mistry, Behroze Daruwalla 

"To get the young generation involved and engaged would be very worthwhile,” stated outgoing WZCC vice president Perses Sethna of UK. The new vice president is Katayun Kapadia of the US who also heads WZCC’s Women Entrepreneurs wing.

Currently WZCC has 16 chapters but less than a thousand members, mentioned WZCC global corporate secretary Behroze Daruwalla. Three new chapters are envisaged in the coming year — in Hyderabad, California and one in Africa. There are 16 international board members who meet regularly and 13 earmarked committees committed to making "WZCC an economic engine for the prosperity of the community.” 

With the income for the year being USD 154,000 (Rs 1.33 crore) and the expenses USD 120,000 (Rs 1.03 crore), the global body was able to show a profit of USD 34,000 (Rs 29.45 lakh), reported global treasurer Ratan Mistry. The main contributors to the surplus were the India region and New York chapter, he clarified. While some chapters have been paying their membership share of 10% to the global office, he requested all chapters to comply with this requirement.

For the next WZCC global conclave (get-together of members for formal and informal deliberations) to be hosted by the Toronto chapter from April 29 to May 3, 2025, registrations are open and the organizers are hopeful that "a good contingent will be able to come from India although initially (on hearing of visa difficulties faced by Indians due to allegations of the Indian intelligence wing targeting assassinations of pro Khalistan proponents based in Canada) we felt a big rock had dropped on us.” With processing of visas taking an unduly long time due to strained bilateral relations between the two countries, Cyrus Patel, international director from Toronto commiserated, "I am so sorry that so many of you are in this predicament.”

In their eagerness "to put on a really good show,” several committees have been constituted and the team in Toronto is availing of the experience of erstwhile WZCC global president Edul Daver. When Daver reminded Patel to pitch for sponsors, Patel announced that they would "welcome more; there are a host of sponsorship options available on the website.” The official conclave sponsor is expected to contribute CAD 10,000 (six lakh rupees), with various other options available for diamond, platinum, gold, titanium, silver and the lowest bronze sponsorship for $ 250 (Rs 15,000). His colleague Dilnavaz Shroff referred to the "packed schedule” they have planned on the theme "The other side of business” with panel discussions, interactive sessions, Tiger’s Den (where startups make a pitch to prospective investors), visits to Niagara Falls and C. N. Tower (Canadian National Tower is a 553-meter-high communications and observation tower located in downtown Toronto), and the gala night.

Since Master’s first term on the global board was as international director and he could serve as president for only three years, the constitution committee suggested changes to the byelaws that were approved by the international board, extending his tenure by another three years. Henceforth all presidents would likewise be able to complete a full tenure of six years.

With the term of three international directors drawing to a close, Zarir Irani will now replace Meher Bhesania in the Middle East; Dr Meheraban Ardeshirian takes over from Bahram Partovi in Iran; Patel from Shroff in Canada. Additionally, three new directors have been elected: architect and Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America past president Arzan Wadia from the US; lawyer and WZCC India region president Zerick Dastur; and entrepreneur Shernaz Engineer from the UK.

This year, WZCC chose to confer honorary membership on "two distinguished individuals”: Zerbanoo Gifford, founder of Asha Centre in the UK, and Ronnie Irani, founder and chief executive officer of RKI Energy Resources Limited Liability Company headquartered in Oklahoma City. Irani is a passionate philanthropist who has donated millions of dollars to charitable causes and multiple universities. Thanking the WZCC team for conferring the honor on her, Gifford stated that she would be very happy to host dedicated youth at the Asha Centre.

Also announced were the names of the WZCC Award winners for 2024: Cyrus Katgara, partner of Jeena and Company, as Outstanding Entrepreneur, architect Hafeez Contractor as Outstanding Professional, Varun Balsara, co-founder of Let’s Level Up, a London headquartered AI-based platform for educators, as Outstanding Young Entrepreneur, Indian national car racing champion Diana Pundole as Outstanding Young Professional, and Rusi Bhumgara, past president of the World Zoroastrian Organisation (India) as Outstanding Zarathushti Social Entrepreneur.

While appreciating the trust reposed in him, Master remarked, "To an entrepreneur, the greatest regret is the risk he did not take. An entrepreneur should be a doer, not only a dreamer. An entrepreneur has the ability to create huge employment opportunities and to give back to society by creating philanthropic organizations... Zarathushti entrepreneurs are bold, enterprising, dependable, industrious, righteous.” As he further reminded, "Knowledge decides what to say; skill decides how to say; attitude decides how much to say; wisdom decides whether to say or not.” In his closing remarks Master added that the silver jubilee was an opportune time to promote and develop brand WZCC. Concerned with the reported brain drain from India, he observed, "We are at a very critical stage. We need to encourage the youth to remain in India, to create conditions for better prospects here. We need them to carry forward the Parsi legacy, one that cannot be permitted to be lost.”

Laudable leaders

"Good leaders use professional knowledge to take informed decisions. They are willing to take decisions and not procrastinate,” remarked Cmde Aspi Marker (retd) in his brief discourse on "Leadership” at the end of the AGM. "It is better to take a decision than not take a decision. According to the law of averages, in five out of 10 cases a decision will be correct. If it is an informed decision, in nine out of 10 cases it will be correct,” he added. 

In the case of military leaders used to a disciplined life, a leader expects instant obedience. "Crucial decisions that could impact loss of life and limb” are taken on the field/air/sea by those most in the know, not necessarily by those at the top of the hierarchy. That is not the case in civil matters where leaders cannot expect obedience. They take decisions affecting finance or economy in cosy, air conditioned offices,” observed the retired naval commodore.

According to him, persons can be groomed to be leaders if they demonstrate "optimism, willingness to work, a team spirit, empathy, impartiality and justice, possess courage and strength to say no to a superior, display exemplary character, are democratic rather than autocratic, and use minimal resources at their disposal to achieve the highest aims of the establishment.”