Kazakhstan National Day in Greater Manchester

Every year, several member representative countries celebrate their national day, and last November marked the first time Kazakhstan did so in Manchester. The newly appointed Honorary Consul, Abid Latif Chohan, hosted a gala reception that was extremely well attended.

A diplomatic reception was held in Manchester to mark Kazakhstan Republic Day.

Manchester, November 22, 2025 Abid Latif Chohan, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Greater Manchester, held a gala reception to mark Kazakhstan Republic Day. The event brought together representatives of the diplomatic corps, British parliamentarians, local authorities, and the business community.

The reception was attended by British MPs Afzal Khan - member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Central Asia, Andrew Gwynne and Deputy Lord Mayor of Manchester Cllr Shaukat Ali.

The diplomatic corps was represented by consuls general from leading countries: Nicoleta Teodorovici, President of the Manchester Consular Association, Consul General of Romania,

Imtiaz Feroz Gondal Consul General of Pakistan,

Alejandro Polanco Mata, Consul General of Spain, and Dr. Wael Al-Robaaye, Consul General of Iraq. The event was also attended by Manchester City Council members, representatives of the local business community, and journalists. Aidar Mardenov, Counselor of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, delivered opening remarks, emphasizing the importance of strengthening bilateral relations at the regional level. Particular attention was paid to the potential for developing trade ties between Kazakhstan and the Greater Manchester region. Afzal Khan, Member of Parliament, noted: "Kazakhstan, with its stable economic environment, strategic geographic location, and favorable investment climate, offers significant opportunities for Manchester's business community. We are interested in deepening cooperation between our regions." Participants expressed special gratitude to Honorary Consul Abid Latif Chohan for his active work promoting Kazakhstan's interests and strengthening Kazakh-British ties at the regional level in Greater Manchester. The reception demonstrated the growing interest of British business and political circles in developing partnerships with the Republic of Kazakhstan.

MCA 143rd Annual Gala Dinner

The Manchester Consular Association held its 143rd Annual Gala Dinner at Manchester Hall on 21 November 2025. This year’s event was met with an exceptionally strong turnout, welcoming distinguished guests and partners from across the Manchester community. The evening was formally hosted by President, Consul General Nicoleta Teodorovici, accompanied by her Excellency Ambassador Mrs. Laura Popescu.

The evening, presented by Vice President, Consul General of Pakistan Imtiaz F. Gondal, featured a captivating performance by the renowned Pakistani violinist Raees Ahmad Khan, adding a memorable cultural highlight to the evening.

A charity raffle in support of the Lord Mayor’s initiatives was also held, offering an array of exceptional prizes, including an exquisite painting by acclaimed Romanian artist Lucia Carla Chirvăsuță.

AGM 2025

The Manchester Consular Association’s Annual General Meeting was held on 8 October and was very well attended. The event was graciously hosted by Jo Ahmed, Honorary Consul of Japan, at her Deloitte office, and the MCA extends its sincere thanks to her and her team for their hospitality.

Consul General Nicoleta Teodorovici of Romania will continue to serve as MCA President, with the newly appointed Consul General of Pakistan, Imtiaz Feroz Gondal, elected as Vice President. The committee also welcomed new members, with Honorary Consul of Kazakhstan Abid Chohan and Honorary Consul of Belgium Lorraine Worsley-Carter MBE joining the committee, succeeding Harald Loefller and Doreen Gerson, who will be co-opted into the committee.

Business Meeting - GM Police

MCA and Romanian Consulate hosted a productive meeting with representative from the GM Police Diplomatic Team on the 22nd of September. We would like to thank Sergeant Stuart Worthington our Consular Liaison officer and his colleague PC Joshua Witherstone for updated information from their team, continuing their support to the Diplomatic Community here in Manchester.

MCA represented in Manchester Pride

Led by the Irish Consulate and with large contingence from the Portuguese Consulate members of the MCA joined this years Manchester Pride. It was a beautiful day celebrating the LGBTQ+ communities in the city.

Manchester Central Library Visit

On 25th of June, members of the Manchester Consular Association (MCA) had the pleasure of visiting Manchester Central Library, one of the city's most iconic and culturally significant landmarks. The visit offered an enriching opportunity to explore the library’s vast historical collections, stunning architecture, and its role as a vibrant civic space serving the diverse communities of Greater Manchester.

Welcomed by senior library staff, members were given a guided tour highlighting the library’s heritage, including the magnificent domed Reading Room and the beautifully restored Archives+ Centre. The visit also included insights into the library’s extensive international collections, digital innovation initiatives, and educational outreach programs that support local communities and international visitors alike.

This visit reinforced the MCA’s commitment to fostering cultural understanding and collaboration between Greater Manchester and the international community it proudly represents. We extend our sincere thanks to the staff of Manchester Central Library for their warm hospitality and dedication to preserving knowledge and promoting inclusive civic engagement.

Huge thanks to Jackie Pugh, Archive and Access Manager for a very interesting tour which ended by our very own book featured nicely in the Archives Centre.

MCA Business Meeting - GM Business Growth Hub

On the 28th of May a business meeting took place with the Business Growth Hub authority, attended by members of the MCA, organised by the Consul General of Romania, in her capacity as the president of the association.
The event highlighted now Business Growth Hub supports companies by offering free development workshops, free access to financing and free consultancy for businesses in key areas: financing, innovation, human resources, sales, digital and sustainability.
Business Growth Hub plays a crucial role in identifying and harnessing companies’ growth potential by creating a connected and collaborative ecosystem which supports innovation and investments in key sectors such as advanced manufacturing, health, green technology, digital, and the creative industries.
The discussions outlined clear directions for collaboration and concrete initiatives, including:

• Facilitating access to investments and support for local businesses

• Creating a common framework to support entrepreneurs and start-ups

• Organising thematic sessions dedicated to international communities

• Establishing an efficient and sustainable model for economic partnership

At the end, guests enjoyed a tasting of Romanian Cheeses, meats and wines, set to the enchanting music of Gheorghe Zamfir, adding an authentic and refined touch to the event.

We thank Business Growth Hub for their time, openness and commitment to developing business in Manchester.

Gala Dinner Donations

Our President Consul General of Romania Nicoleta Teodorovici paid GM Mayor Andy Burnham a visit to officially hand over donations made by our members and guests at our Gala Dinner last November. We raised £1500 to be donated to his charity GM Mayor’s Charity - more details about their work can be found on their website LINK

The National Graphene Institute

The MCA, arranged by our President Consul General of Romania Nicoleta Teodorovice, accepted an invitation from The National Graphene Institute and were welcomed by Professor Vladimir Falko, Director of the Institute on the 16th of April. Members were introduced to the groundbreaking research being conducted and given insight into potential areas of collaboration in graphene related technologies. We were also given an extensive tour around the world leading facilities, established in 2015.

New President

With President Consul of Italy Matteo Corradini leaving his post in Manchester before the end of his term Vice President Consul General of Romania Nicoleta Teodorovici has formally taken over as President of the Manchester Consular Association. The handover was marked and formalised at Mr. Corradini’s leaving party held at the Midlands Hotel on Friday 29th of March 2025.
The MCA would like to thank Matteo for his work as President and dedication to the association during his time in Manchester and wish him all the best for the future.
We would also like to congratulate Nicoleta on her Presidency and wish her all the best in her work within the diplomatic community in Manchester where she has already proved herself being a great leader and representative.

Meeting at MMU Institute of Sports

The MCA was kindly invited to visit MMU Institute of Sports on the 11th of February. Members were welcomed by Marie-France Pether and Ian Jones from the International , Partnerships of MMU before meeting with Professor Tim Cable the Director of the Institute of Sport along with Eric Lou Head of International, Faculty of Science and Engineering. Members were given overview of the Institute along with a tour of their facilities.

Gala Dinner

Current MCA President Consul of Italy Matteo CORRADINI hosted the annual Gala Dinner, this time at Manchester Hall. We enjoyed a tremendous evening with invited guests, including Mr. Riccardo Smimmo Deputy Head of Missions at the Italian Embassy in London, Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Manchester, guests from the FCDO and many others. Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham joined us for a welcome drink and spoke of the importance of the strong relationship the diplomatic community has with Greater Manchester and beyond. Funds were raised for the Mayors Charity, £1500. We would like to thank all our members and their guests for a fantastic evening and look forward to next year.

AGM 2024

Our AGM was held on the 8th of October in the beautiful new offices of Deloitte and kindly hosted by Honorary Consul of Japan Jo Ahmed. We would like to extend huge thanks to Jo and her team who looked after us so well.
Matteo CORRADINI Consul of Italy received the MCA Badge of Office with Nicoleta Teodorovici Consul General of Romania taking up post as Vice President. We wish the both the best of luck in their positions in the coming year and may the association prosper as ever before.

Chetham´s Library Visit

Members visited the medieval buildings hosting Chetham´s Library early September and were guided through the building by Librarian Julianne Simpson. A very interesting visit learning about the history of the buildings and its connection with Manchester history through the ages. More details of the Library can be found here:

https://library.chethams.com

Business Meeting at MMU and Manchester Fuel Cell Innovation Centre

The MCA members were delighted to accept an invitation from Manchester Metropolitan University to visit their Manchester Fuel Cell Innovation Centre, lead by Director Amer Gaffar. Meeting started with an Introduction from Alex Byars, Director of Business Engagement and Partnership about the University and their International Engagement. We were also joined by Annie Brunt, Director of the International Office and Marie-France Pether, International Partnership Manager. We enjoyed a generous buffet lunch before heading over to the Fuel Cell Innovation Centre.

Business Meeting with GM Police Consular Team

The MCA was delighted to be finally be able to host the GM Police Consular Liaison Team at the Austrian and German Consulates on the 22nd of May. Really well attended by our members we were given the up to date information from Consular Liaison Officer Stuart Worthington, Superintendent Nicola Williams and PC Luke Ellwood on increasing knowledge within their force about the cities growing Consular Community. This was a meeting to strengthen ties and share information and we hope to have further meetings in the future.

Bridgewater Hall Visit

A group of members of the MCA visited Bridgewater Hall recently and enjoyed a tour around the remarkable building. Tour guide Glynn enthusiastically took members through the engineering and architectural wonders of the building from top to bottom.

Gala Dinner Donations

Secretary Agusta Thorarinsdottir and MCA committee member John Meeus were welcomed at the Manchester Lord Mayors Office recently to hand over donation collected at our Gala Dinner back in November. The Lord Mayor’s charity We Love MCR received the donations with thanks and we were joined by the Head of the Charity Mr. Simon Wright.

AGM

The MCA held its AGM at Manchester Hall on the 11th of October. The meeting was well attended by members and following election of a new members of the board the outgoing president Honorary Consul of Japan, Jo Ahmed formally handed the rains over to Consul General of Iraq, Jawad Al-Shaheen.

Business Meeting - Manchester Airport

The MCA was delighted to be invited to Manchester Airport to learn about the future plans of the site, with Terminal 2 being the main focus on development at the moment. We had presentations from both Andy Clarke the Head of Corporation Affairs and Chris Woodroofe Managing Director of the Airport.
Maria Gonzales and Nicole Strickland from GMCA also presented information about the current Internatinal Strategy and future Trade and Business Plans for the Greater Manchester area.

The Event was held at the 1903 Lounge at Terminal 1 at Manchester Airport.