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British talent celebrated at Asian Achievers Awards 2018

Top honours for inspirational Asian role models were presented in London on Friday 14th September.

Paraclimber Anoushé Husain, Met Police Asisstant Commissioner Neil Basu, Dishoom founder Adarsh Radia and Rishi Khosla, the CEO of unicorn start-up OakNorth, were among the winners announced at this year’s Asian Achievers Awards.

The awards celebrated outstanding British Asian talent across the arts and media, sports, community service, the professions, uniformed services and the world of business at a glittering gala ceremony hosted by Eastenders actor Nitin Ganatra and KissFM’s Neev Spencer.

The gala, held at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel in Park Lane, Mayfair was attended by some 800 guests including Indian-born British billionaire GP Hinduja, Deputy Mayor of London for Business, Rajesh Agrawal and an array of celebrities, entrepreneurs, MPs, industry leaders, senior professionals, titled dignitaries and members of the uniformed services.
Other winners at the Asian Achievers Awards, which are now in their eighteenth year, included mental health campaigner Poppy Jaman, Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu and BBC News presenter Babita Sharma.

The awards, which first launched in 2000, are well known as the premier event within the BAME community. They are hosted by Asian Business Publications Ltd., (ABPL), the owners of the 45-year-old print and online news weeklies Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar which invited readers to nominate individuals for consideration in 12 categories.
Speaking at the awards last night, ABPL founder-chairman CB Patel said: “The awards have grown in stature year after year and once again we received an overwhelming number of nominations, which is an indication that the success of the British Asian community in various fields continues unabated.”

“Our awards recognise all those unsung heroes within the Asian community many of whom arrived here as migrants. They have made great strides, not just within their communities and professional sectors but have made huge contributions to British society and the UK economy,” added Patel, who presented a special Editor’s Award to leading NRI hotelier and Chair of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in London, Joginder Sanger, for his contributions in the field of business and philanthropy.

The Asian Achievers Awards has helped to raise £1.5million for various charities since launching. This year it is raising vital funds for Oracle Cancer – a leading charity funding research into head and neck cancer. At last night’s ceremony, £100,000 was raised through donations and an auction hosted by Jeffrey Archer.
The high-selling auction lots for the night included a shirt signed by the Indian cricket team, which went under the hammer for £5,000 pounds, and a seven-night luxury tour aboard India’s ‘Deccan Odyssey’ train clinching £10,000.

Leading general practitioner (GP) and honorary secretary of the Welsh Division of the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO) Hasmukh Shah was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

The full list of winners
Professional of the year – Dr Anil Kumar Ohri – healthcare entrepreneur and CEO of Regent’s Park Healthcare
Sports personality of the year – Anoushé Husain – paraclimber and public speaker
Achievement in media, arts and culture – Babita Sharma – BBC News anchor and documentarian
Achievement in community service – Poppy Jaman OBE – CEO and co-founder of Mental Health First Aid England
Uniformed and civil services – Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu – National Head of Counter Terrorism and Head of the Met Police’s Specialist Operations
Entrepreneur of the year – Adarsh Radia – founder of Indian restaurant chain Dishoom and eyewear startup KITE
Woman of the year – Trishna Bharadia – multiple sclerosis and disability awareness campaigner
Business person of the year – Rishi Khosla – entrepreneur and CEO of unicorn start-up OakNorth digital bank
Lifetime achievement – Dr Hasmukh Shah BEM – the honorary secretary of the Welsh Division of British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO).
Business of the year – Atul Lakhani – Managing Director and CEO of Sanjay Foods
Editor’s Choice Award – Joginder Sanger – entrepreneur and hotelier
Pre-eminent personality of the year – Vraj Pankhania – property developer