Top header Banner
Top header Banner
Middle top Banner

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.

L-R: Faisal Islam, Yan Dhanda and Adil Rashid
L-R: Faisal Islam, Yan Dhanda and Adil Rashid

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