Nominees announced for 19th Asian Achievers Awards
The 19th annual Asian Achievers Awards returns on Friday 6th September, in a ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel on London’s Park Lane. Highlighting the achievements of South Asians in the UK, this year’s nominees include, footballer Yan Dhanda; BBC News Economics Editor, Faisal Islam; Amit Gudka, Co-Founder of Bulb Energy; England cricketer, Adil Rashid; human rights activist, Mandy Sanghera; Director of Communications for Pride London, Asad Dhunna; and star of Netflix’s Chef’s Table, Asma Khan.
Actor, Nitin Ganatra will be joined by Nisha Parmar, semi-finalist of BBC’s Masterchef UK to host the event, which this year brings to light the theme of ‘Inclusivity’, underlining the importance of pride, tolerance and the rich cultural diversity amongst all ethnic communities and groups of people.
Mr CB Patel, Publisher/Editor, ABPL Group says:“The shortlisted candidates of this year’s Asian Achievers Awards represent the spirit of multiculturalism and equality. They truly encompass our theme of ‘Inclusivity’ with their progressive beliefs and outstanding accomplishments that are having a significant impact on the way we view our community and the world. It gives us great pride to showcase their achievements.”
Since launching, The Asian Achievers Awards has helped to raise millions of pounds for various charities. This year, the chosen charity partner is Yuva Unstoppable, a youth movement in India that works towards educating underprivileged children. The organisation is spread across 30 cities and consists of nearly 100,000 volunteers.
Full list of nominees
Business Person Of The Year
► Neeraj Kanwar– Vice Chairman & Managing Director of Apollo Tyres
► Rooney Anand– Chairman of Casual Dining Group
► Vipul Vadera– CEO of Per-Scent
► Lord Waheed Alli– Fashion entrepreneur, former media tycoon, gay rights activist and Peer
Entrepreneur Of The Year
► Kush Kanodia– AbilityNet Trustee
► Herman Narula– Co-Founder and CEO of Improbable Worlds Limited
► Amit Gudka– Co-Founder at Bulb Energy
► Bankim Chandra– CEO Dotsquares
Woman Of The Year
► Anjali Ramachandran– Director, Storythings
► Ishani Patel– Co-Founder Lantum
► Neeta Patel– Chief Executive, New Entrepreneurs Foundation
► Asma Khan– first British Chef to star in Netflix’s award-winning series Chef’s Table
Professional Of The Year
► Asad Dhunna– Director of Communications for Pride in London and Founder of The Unmistakables
► Professor Dinesh Bhugra CBE– Emeritus Professor of Mental Health and Cultural Diversity
► Krishna Omkar– corporate lawyer and LGBTQ activist
► Prof Charanjit Bountra– Pro-Vice Chancellor for Innovation and Professor of Translational Medicine at the University of Oxford
Uniformed, Civil and Public Services
► Ranjit Lal Dheer OBE– Councillor, Dormers Wells, Cabinet member for Community Safety and Services and Deputy Leader of the Council
► Hafsa Qureshi– recruitment support for Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service
► Dr Rohit Shankar MBE, FRCPsych– Consultant Developmental Neuropsychiatrist and clinical director for the adult Intellectual Disability Neuropsychiatry services for Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
► Dr Rangan Chatterjee– physician, author, television presenter and podcaster
Sports Personality Of The Year
► Adil Rashid– England Cricketer
► Yan Dhanda– Footballer, Swansea City
► Kabir Ali– former cricketer
► Harjeet Singh Bhania OBE– GB Men’s wheelchair basketball Head Coach
Achievement In Media Arts & Culture
► Mukul Devichand– Executive Editor of Voice + AI at the BBC
► Asifa Lahore– Britain’s first Muslim drag performer
► Raheem Mir– Kathak dancer challenging the concept of gender roles within Kathak
► Faisal Islam– Economics Editor of BBC News
Achievement In Community Service
► Neelam Farzana MBE– Counsellor
► Onkardeep Bhatia– Founding member of City Sikhs Network
► Mandy Sanghera– International human rights activist and motivational Tedx speaker
► Naeem Rabbani Qureshi– Trustee of Ashiana Community Project