Members of West Midland’s Sikh community celebrated Vaisakhi with the Mayor of West Midlands Andy Street.

The event, which was held at NatWest’s offices in Birmingham, marked the annual spring harvest celebrations celebrated by Sikhs. Mayor Street was joined by Bhai Sahib Bhai Mohinder Singh Ji, Chairman of the Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha and other local dignitaries for the festivities. Members of NatWest’s Sikh Network, an internal network for employees of the bank, were also in attendance.

The event included a roundtable discussion on the relevance of Vaisakhi and the importance of inclusive leadership. 

The Mayor holds a Vaisakhi  each year with and this year’s event was the first time the event has been held in person since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mayor Street said: “After two years of marking Vaisakhi virtually, it’s wonderful to be able to gather in person for this special occasion together with leaders from the region’s Sikh community and explore the essence of the teachings of Vaisakhi. I commend NatWest for playing host to this roundtable discussion and for their commitment as an organisation to championing the diverse array of communities who call the West Midlands home. There is a great deal we can learn from our faith communities to inform how we lead and how we ensure genuinely inclusive growth.”

Manjit Kaur Kang, Senior Relationship Manager and Diversity Ambassador at NatWest, said: “It was fantastic to see so many business and community leaders come together and mark Vaisakhi with the mayor and Bhai Sahib Bhai Mohinder Singh Ji. We also enjoyed sharing with our guests how we celebrated Vaisakhi at NatWest this year, by planting trees and how this fits with our purpose and focus areas of learning, enterprise and climate.”  

John Maude, Chairman of the Midlands and East Regional Board at NatWest, added: “It was a pleasure to welcome Bhai Sahib Bhai Mohinder Singh Ji and Mayor Street along with other key dignitaries to our offices in Birmingham for Andy’s Vaisakhi celebrations.”