Mideast Shipping and Trading’s Shabbir Baig and Steve Wansell celebrated their 50th birthdays in style at the Royal Exchange in central London.
Brokers, lawyers, underwriters, bankers and others turned out in force as managing director Baig and general manager Wansell also toasted more than nine years of working together.
Guests of shiprecycling cash buyer Mideast came from as far as Stockholm and Hamburg but included many familiar faces from companies including Clarksons, Braemar ACM, Howe Robinson Partners, Seasure and HFW.
A four-piece female violin quartet provided music during the evening, while other entertainment saw the surprise arrival from Dublin of impersonator Al Foran, who was “interviewed” by Brendan Battle, a former colleague of Wansell at Bank Mandiri.
Boxers Mike Tyson, Chris Eubank Jr and Floyd Mayweather were all subjects for the Irish comedian’s cutting impressions, along with Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho and Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte.
The “birthday boys” described the evening as “a great excuse to bring our industry together in a fabulous setting under the Mideast banner”.
Baig said: “This has been an opportunity for myself and Steve to reflect on 25 years in shiprecycling. It has been an exciting ride, which is not over yet.”
Also providing entertainment to the 100 or so guests was magician Michael McIntyre, whose sleight of hand has earned him membership of the Magic Circle.
Friends and family joined in the evening’s celebrations, including Wansell’s son, James, and daughter Ella, an English and Scottish National Indoor Championships 200-metre medal holder who is looking to run in the European Championships this year.
