AROUND THE BCC WORLD
Here is a first glimpse of some images from the world of BCC from photographs of employees (members of the BCC family), people, events, and memorable moments in BCC's history published in the bank's in-house magazine, BCC International. The selection includes photographs contributed by BCC employees and their families and those obtained from other sources. Some are duplicated in other section pages where photographs are immediately associated with specific subject matters.
France: The staff of BCCI Paris branch with Mr Cliff Twitchin, a Director of BCC, Mr Iqbal Rizvi, Regional General Manager BCCI Francophone Region, and Mr Feroze Deane, branch manager.
Italy: BCC President Agha Hasan Abedi with His Holiness Pope John Paul II at the Vatican, 1981
United Kingdom: At an Eid Reunion party arranged by BCC staff members in London on 24 October 1981 at Regent Palace Hotel. Mrs Dinaz Madon (on left), Mrs S Runi Khan (seated second from right), along with Mr Mairaj Baig (both standing in the centre playing the harmonium), rendered excellent songs in the presence of a large audience.
Lebanon: The destroyed branch premises of BCC (Lebanon) in Beirut, in war-torn Lebanon. A civil war began in 1975.
Niger: A more traditional aspect of African commerce in a village in Niger. BCCI began operations in Niamey, the nation's capital, in March of 1984 and had three branches in the name of BCC (Niger). Niger is a former colony of France; the country is a landlocked nation in West Africa where the dominant language is French.
United Kingdom: Mr Phiroze Gutta, senior executive at BCCI central office in London. Ex-chairman of the Central Bank of India, he was also principal union negotiator on behalf of the Indian Banks Association, and chairman of the Indian Banks Association.
United Kingdom: The ladies on the Switchboard at BCCI Leadenhall Street London. There were 374 extensions. Four telephonists and one switchboard supervisor were responsible for relaying the 50,000 or so calls that came in every month. They had to know everything about the organisation, locate the right employee when so many have the same surname, and routing many of the 800 overseas calls that left BCCI U.K. Region, Central Office, Leadenhall Street branch everyday - yet remain polite and informative.
United Kingdom: Mr. Y. Nlimi, of the Central Marketing Division, central office in London, with special responsibilities for the huge Japan market.
Zimbabwe: BCC (Zimbabwe) team together with BCC President and senior executives from central office London visiting Zimbabwe for the inauguration of the bank on 16 July 1981.
BCC Card and BCC Travellers Cheques offered a very full financial service to BCC customers.
United Kingdom: Mr K Q Din, head of BCC academy in London that served as a Regional Training and Development Centre. Founded in March 1977, the academy was situated in Trafalgar Square in the heart of London's West End
USA: Mr S M Shirazi, senior executive in BCCI central office London (on the right) with Mr M Jacques de Larosiere, managing director of the International Monetary Fund. This photo was taken at the IMF annual meeting in Washington in September 1981. Mr Shirazi had a very distinguished career in banking. He was vice governor of the Bank Markazi, the central bank of Iran when BCCI decided to establish a presence in Iran. He helped to found the Asian Clearing Union and was later its director. He was active in initiating the dialogue between the developing countries of the South and the industrialised North during the time of Henry Kissinger,
United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor. In 1978 Mr Shirazi became president of the Iran Arab Bank, which was partly owned by BCC. It was nationalised by the government soon after and he moved to BCCI central office in London.
United Kingdom: Yearly ranking of the 500 largest banks in the world for 1981 published by The Banker magazine, one of the most widely read and influential publications in the banking profession and part of the same publishing group as The Financial Times of London. Based on total assets, BCC was 188th at the end of 1981 in world raking, as opposed to world ranking of 241st in 1980.