About Ash Verma

Executive Producer

As an executive producer, Ash provides consultancy, investment, production, and distribution support to independent film production companies and to businesses looking to grow and increase profitability, maximise brand awareness and reach out to customers globally through film and TV.

Ash collaborates with film, TV, media and entertainment sector partners to promote diversity and strength of cultural heritage through film and TV, especially the Global South Asian Diaspora.

His credits include The Effects of Lying – a dark comedy feature film about an Asian family produced by Bonaparte Films, and documentaries Aim High (South Asian success in the UK), Invest Harrow (inward investment), and A Stitch in Time (UK fashion industry).

Currently, Ash is working and supporting the investment, production, and distribution aspects of the following films.

• The Effects Of Lying – a dark comedy feature film about an Asian family produced by Bonaparte Films and currently screening on ITVX and all Emirates flights.
• Punishment – a bold, psychological horror feature film in development with Bonaparte Films that addresses relationships between men and women and is based on a short story by Rabindranath Tagore.
• Death By Powerpoint – a horror/comedy feature film in collaboration with Reel Fearz and Brunel University, London, to be filmed on campus, on Halloween night in 2025.

Strategy Consultant and Mentor

As a strategy consultant, and mentor, Ash undertakes organisational and business reviews, facilitates joint ventures for businesses looking to diversify into and/or grow in overseas markets, especially Global South Asian and East African countries. Ash helps SMEs to design and introduce health and wellbeing policies and practices in the workplace.

Ash is the architect of the following high-profile business and enterprise support programmes and initiatives targeted at London’s SMEs funded by central government, the EU, GLA and the private sector in the UK and overseas.

• Gateway Asia – a British Government/EU, and private sector funded B2B internationalisation programme for London’s SMEs, where he led and facilitated over fifty workshops and seminars on doing business in emerging markets (primarily Indian-Sub-Continent) and fifty in-and-out bound bi-lateral trade and investment delegations between the UK and Nepal, Sri Lanka, Germany, France, Czech Republic, Kenya, Mauritius, and the USA.
• Bollywood Connect and Actor Prepares – initiatives designed to support the growing influence and contribution of the Indian film, TV, media, and entertainment sector in London and promote the wider Global South Asian Diaspora, in general, and the Indian Diaspora in particular.  
• Business Start-Up Programme for West London – part of economic and community development.
• Business review and development of the former Harrow Mencap.
• Health and Wellbeing in SMEs – partnership research project with Brunel University, London to explore the implications of wellbeing on productivity in the workplace and propose co-design solutions.
• “Doing Business with India” – a series of webinars in partnership Brunel University, London, UK India Business Council and West London Business.
• Business Review of Capable Communities.
• “The Migration Menu” – an exciting new podcast series initiated by Brunel University, London that explores journeys of people of Global South Asian origin to West London, through food, culminating in a book and potentially a documentary in 2025.

 

Ash is also currently supporting the design and delivery of the Expansion to New Markets component of Growth Hillingdon Business Support Programme designed by Hillingdon Chamber of Commerce for Hillingdon Council, Mayor of London and UK Government – Levelling Up fund.

Non-Executive Director

In his non-executive director capacity, Ash chairs and/or advises the Boards of various companies and charities to shape growth, investment and marketing decisions.  He does this by sharing his extensive knowledge, experience and expertise of government policy and intervention in economic development, international trade and investment, business support and entrepreneurship, healthcare, community cohesion and organisational development.

As Chairman, non-executive director and/or adviser on various commercial companies and charities, Ash advises/leads on their strategic development, governance, investment and sustainability matters.

Ash’s current portfolio of non-executive and advisory roles cuts across various sectors in the UK and overseas, including film and media, regeneration, housing and property development, international trade, charities and healthcare.

• Bonaparte Films
• Reel Fearz
• Talnet Media
• Kaya Wellbeing Index
• Saloria Architects
• Mangla Stone Group
• Rajiv Rustgi and Associates

Former Civil Servant

For thirty-five years, Ash was a British civil servant and advised Ministers and top management across various Departments on a range of policy, funding and delivery matters, including race relations and equal opportunities, inner cities regeneration, economic development, business and enterprise support, international trade, community cohesion and healthcare.

Ash has written, led and implemented a range of strategies, policies and delivery plans for government and private sector funded partnership programmes, projects and initiatives across these areas, as well as a framework for quality assurance in education, employment and enterprise delivery by external providers (Local Authorities and the business community) in receipt of government funding.

Ash held various senior leadership and management positions and designed and led multi-faceted public/private sector programmes, projects and initiatives with budgets ranging from £5m to £200m and levered in £50m inward investment in some of these.  Key positions held include:

• Leader, West London Task Force
• Chief Executive, Heathrow City Partnership
• Project Director, Co-location of major Government Departments into a unified structure for the Government Office for London GOL
• Business Development Director, West London for GOL
• Training Quality Adviser, GOL
• Senior Adviser, Race Relations Employment Advisory Service, co-author of the “Review of Race Relations in the Employment Department Group”
• Group Manager, East Berkshire Jobcentres

Social Entrepreneur

Ash is passionate about “Bringing Business and Communities Together” and was acknowledged twice in the Asian Power 100 publications for his contribution to the economic, cultural, and social development of the UK’s South Asian community, and has cultivated an impressive network of people during his thirty-five-year professional career and twenty as a businessperson.
Ash has been engaged professionally and personally with the third sector and community development matters all his life, as “Giving Back to Society” and “Making a Difference” are an integral part of his heritage and philosophy.

The following are examples of his involvement in social entrepreneurship activities.

• Serving as a (former) Board Director of West London Business, which provides “the leadership for the world’s most connected place” and as a Member of its Leaders Forum.
• Chairman of Community Connex, a charity dedicated to supporting people with learning and other disabilities.
• Chairman (former) of Capable Communities, a CIC dedicated to supporting vulnerable and isolated adults.
• Looking for collaborative ventures in India with like-minded people and organisations to share Community Connex’s governance and service delivery models.
• Former Chairman and School Governor of primary schools in Slough.
• Governor of the former Ealing, Hammersmith, and West London College.
• Promoting responsible business practice.