Asian Achievers Awards 2018

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5-PM Thresa May.qxp_A4 Temp 07/09/2018 14:50 Page 5

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t is a great pleasure to offer my warmest congratulations to all those taking part in this year’s Asian Achievers Awards which celebrates the outstanding achievements of the British Asian community.

From education, politics, business, media, fashion and sport to those working on the cutting-edge of science and medicine, you continue to excel across all spheres of society, and your invaluable contribution to British life and culture cannot be underestimated. In so many ways, and now across multiple generations, you represent the best of Britain.

As Prime Minister, I am proud to have appointed people from a diverse range of backgrounds to leading positions. Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, is the first British Asian to hold one of the Great Offices of State and undoubtedly has one of the most challenging and important roles in politics. Transport Minister, Nusrat Ghani, made history earlier this year by becoming the first female Muslim Minister to speak from the dispatch box in the House of Commons. There is no question that we have much further to go, but I am determined to ensure the Government looks more like the country it serves, and to see a new generation creating opportunities for people across the whole of the UK. So I pay tribute to the organisers of this wonderful event and send my best wishes to everyone else taking part, and of course to the worthy award winners.

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Rt Hon Theresa May, MP Prime Minster of the United Kingdom

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7-Mayor of Lonodn.qxp_A4 Temp 07/09/2018 14:51 Page 7

MAYOR OF LONDON he Asian Achievers Awards is an inspiring event which highlights the important contribution the Asian community has made and continues to make to British society.

Congratulations on your 18th year recognising the excellent talent within the Asian community. I wish you all the best for the celebrations and I hope the awards are a fantastic success.

As the Mayor of London, I am proud to represent such a forward-looking and dynamic global city. We do not just accept our differences, we respect and celebrate them. London’s Asian community has made an unmistakeable impact on every aspect of life in the capital - from business to charity; media to sport. Thank you for the role you play in ensuring the achievements of the Asian community are recognised and celebrated.

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Yours sincerely, Sadiq Khan Mayor of London

ow in its 18th year, the Asian Achievers Awards ongoing endeavor to recognise and encourage excellence has been invaluable. British Asians’ hard work means that they continue to make huge contributions to numerous fields in the UK. Their commitment and drive have enabled them to turn adversity into opportunity.

I regularly meet British Asians whose entrepreneurial spirit and determination have improved the lives of people in the UK and abroad.

The Asian Achievers Awards, nominated by the public, serves to highlight not only the prominence of British Asians in British Society but also to provide role models to inspire young British Asians to excel.

I would like to pay tribute to CB Patel, one of Britain’s legendary Publishers and to the staff of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar, now in their 47th year of publication for their dedication to recognising outstanding British Asians. I would also like to congratulate all those nominated for the awards and wish them all the best in their inspirational endeavors.

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I hope you have a wonderful evening.

Rt Hon Keith Vaz, MP

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WILLS AND POWERS OF ATTORNEY

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Foreword

Welcome to the 18th Asian Achievers Awards he awards have grown in stature year after year and once again we received an overwhelming number of nominations which, if I may say so, is an indication that the success of the British Asian community in various fields continues unabated. When I say success I do not necessarily mean financial prosperity because these awards also value greatly those who give back to society in some way or the other. When the Asian community first arrived in the UK it was a matter of survival and providing for basic necessities. But today the community is relatively prosperous and is keen to give back to British society which should be a matter of great pride and a legacy that we should leave behind for future generations to carry on. The nominees for achievement in community service, for instance, have heartwarming stories to tell. The Asian community is doing tremendous work in tackling pressing issues such as forced marriages, poverty, homelessness and elderly care, seeking no public recognition or pecuniary gain.

In areas like sports barring a few, not so long ago, Asian representation was hardly worth mentioning. But that is changing and must change at a faster pace perhaps parents and community leaders can take the lead in accelerating that change. In the professions, science, finance, academia too Asian contribution is a matter to be proud of.

Other fields such as uniformed and civil services offer attractive career opportunities and the Asian community would do well to give serous consideration to them. The ones who have, have performed admirably.

In business the contribution of Asian owned companies to the UK economy is significant. As the UK looks to forge ties outside the European Union, India, a long-standing business partner will become a keen player. A recent research by a leading accountancy firm identified approximately 800 Indian companies operating in the UK, with combined revenues of £46.4 billion. They paid £360 million in corporation tax (£275.7 million in 2017) and employed 104,932 people (105,268 in 2017). This shows the continued importance of the contribution that Indian companies make to the UK economy. This can only augur well for British Asian entrepreneurs looking for tie-ups with their Indian counterparts.

Indeed the nominees of the Asian Achievers Awards provide a snapshot of Asian success in the UK and I must emphasise that this would not have been possible if not for the level playing field and equal opportunities that this country offers – a far cry from the rivers of blood that was predicted on 20 April 1968.

Putting together an awards ceremony of this magnitude would not have been possible without the generosity of our sponsors and I am indeed grateful to them.

As part of the awards we partner with a charity to raise much needed funds and this year we are delighted to work with Oracle Cancer Trust which is UK’s leading charity solely dedicated to funding research into head and neck cancer. I urge you to generously donate to them tonight and in the days ahead.

Lastly I would like to thank all my colleagues who have worked tirelessly to make this event another resounding success.

T

Have a wonderful evening.

CB Patel Editor / Publisher Asian Voice & Gujarat Samachar

Asian Voice & Gujarat Samachar 2018 - ASIAN ACHIEVERS AWARDS

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est known as the voice of British radio, Neev Spencer is a high profile British Asian female broadcaster in the UK with award-winning shows on KISS FM UK. A much sought after DJ, she has hosted some of the biggest international and UK brands like Nike, Adidas, Selfridges, London Fashion Week, Red Bull, Very Clothing, Grazia, and Cosmopolitan magazine. She is also one of KISS FM's most bookable daytime club DJ to tour across the country at major venues and last year supported David Guetta on his tours in India and Spain.

Despite her huge success, Neev's primary interest and passion lies in charity. She is a proud ambassador of five UK charities including HRH The Princes Trust and the British Asian Trust. Last year she embarked on a mental health awareness quest with the charity Heads Together and The Royal Foundation. Her involvement included speaking with the Duchess of Cambridge on maternal mental health at Kensington Palace, making a film on post natal depression with Heads Together, and hosting a debate on youth violence with HRH Prince Charles at Google HQ. This year, Neev was an expert panellist on the BBC 5 Live ‘Mum Takeover’ in Blackpool and hosted the UK's first ever Global Citizen Live.

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itin Ganatra has been a working actor in the UK for over 20 years and has appeared alongside actors such as Om Puri, Anupam Kher, Aishawariya Rai as well has Hollywood stars like Jonny Depp, Richard Gere and Donald Sutherland. He has been in dramas such as The Canterbury Tales, Peter Kosminsky’s The State, and Silent Witness and also films such as Charlie and the chocolate factory, Eaten By Lions and Hellboy.

After a 16 year absence from the stage, recently he was cast in a sell-out new play called “End of the Pier” for which he received overwhelmingly positive reviews.

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Panel of Judges

Dame Asha Khemka DBE DL

Lucy Mitchell

Vanessa Vallely OBE

Dame Asha Khemka DBE DL is principle and CEO of West Nottinghamshire College and the second woman of Indian origin to be awarded the female equivalent of knighthood since the order was instituted in 1917. She has worked with and influenced thousands of people in the UK over the last 30 years. She is also Deputy Lieutenant of Staffordshire.

She obtained a business degree from Cardiff University.

Soon after, she began her stint as a lecturer at the West Nottinghamshire College. She has received several awards including the Inspirational Woman of the Year Award by Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce, the Midlands Businesswoman of the Year award and the National Jewel Award for Excellence in Healthcare and Education.

Lucy Mitchell is Managing Director of the SeeWoo Group, an oriental food specialist with over 40 years experience in the import, distribution, retail and manufacturing of oriental foods.

The Group consists of SeeWoo UK Ltd (import and distribution), SeeWoo Chinatown Ltd (retail store established in 1975 in the heart of London's Chinatown), and Way-On Foods Ltd. It has a combined turnover in excess of ÂŁ20 million with 100 employees across its 3 London sites. After studying classics at Bristol University Lucy embarked on a career in the rapidly expanding and innovative IT Industry where she rose to the level of EMEA Marketing Manager for US software giant Siebel Systems (now Oracle). Lucy joined the family business in 2002 bringing her marketing leadership skills from the IT industry to wholesale, retail and manufacturing of specialist food.

Lucy is a co-founder of The Golden Chopsticks Awards the first Awards in the UK to celebrate outstanding contribution and diversity of oriental cuisine within the food sector.

Vanessa Vallely is one of the key figures in gender equality in the UK. An inspirational speaker, author, and entrepreneur, Vanessa has contributed to a variety of career-related topics for over 500 companies worldwide. She provides guidance and consultancy to government and corporate organisations seeking to attract, develop, and retain female talent. With a 25 year corporate career predominantly in technology and banking operations, Vanessa previously held a number of senior roles including as CEO for a leading bank. She also launched the award-winning WeAreTheCity.com in 2008 as a vehicle to help women progress in their careers. The platform has over 120,000 members and provides resources, conferences, awards, and jobs to women across the UK. Vanessa is also the founder of UK wide diversity forum Gender Networks. It brings together diverse leaders from 85 cross sector firms to share best practice on a quarterly basis.

Vanessa was awarded her OBE in June 2018 for her services to women and the economy.

Vanessa was in GQ UK's 2015 Top 100 Connected Women, and the Evening Standard's 1000 Most Influential Londoners. She has also received several other awards and recognition including Women in Banking & Finance's Champion for Women, Financial News Top 100 Rising Star, The International Alliance for Women's Top 100 Women globally and Brummell's Top 30 London Entrepreneurs.

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Sports personality of the year The Finalists

Amar Virdi Amar Virdi is a 20 year old cricketer who plays for Surrey, and made his firstclass debut for the county in the 2017 County Championship on May 26. He was one of the four Surrey players to make history when he made his third Championship appearance against Middlesex in 2017. An offbreak bowler, Amar made his England Under-19 debut in 2016 and a year later, graduated to the Lions squad on a tour of Australia where they were shadowing the Ashes senior squad. Amar has managed to serve several notable performance in his relatively young career.

Earlier in April this year, his spell of four wickets for 79 was instrumental in Surrey's 139-run victory over Hampshire.

In the next match, he produced another display of fine spin bowling, taking 4 for 80 against Lancashire. The performances were followed by an exemplary spell of 6 for 105 against Worcestershire. Amar had taken 14 wickets in three appearances at an average of 18.85 by May 7, 2018, becoming the most in-form spinner in the country at the time. He is keen to see more BAME representation in England and Wales cricket.

Maya Vio 21 year old Maya Vio is a footballer playing for Tottenham Hotspur Ladies as a midfielder. She has been with the team ever since her debut for the under 10s in 2006 and has contributed in taking the club to the heights of the FA Women's Super League 2 - the second-highest tier.

A combination of strong tackling and an eye for a pass, has made the energy-driven midfielder a crucial component of the team, especially in big game situations. Having captured six pieces of silverware since 2015, she continues to be an integral part of the squad and even broke more records last season with the Lilywhites by helping them scalp opposition from the FA WSL 1 for the first time in their history.

She claimed the inaugural Women's Player Award at The Asian Football Awards 2017. Maya is also an aspiring doctor and is currently enrolled at St George's, University of London as a fourth year medical student. One of her memorable moments is scoring the winning goal in the 120th minute of extra time in the 2015-16 National Premier League cup.

Anoushé Husain Anoushé Husain, 30, is a paraclimber who is currently ranked 2nd in the UK with just over a year's worth of training.

Born with a missing right arm below the elbow, she is also a cancer survivor, and lives with multiple health conditions. However, she has never let society dictate the direction of her life and each day, breaks the mould and challenges her own beliefs about her own potential. Anoushé openly talks about her life, and how she remained resilient in the face of adversaries. She also talks about issues that society is yet to address enough.

The civil servant and policy advisor highlights the plight of those stigmatised by society in a bid to change the misconceptions around such groups. The climbing wall has been a catalyst for her physical, emotional, and social change. Anoushé still battles with Ehler Danlos Syndrome, a rare disorder that affects the tendons and soft tissue around joints, and yet concentrates on conquering the climbing wall. She is an Ambassador for LimbPower, a leading charity for amputees and those with limb differences. She is also one of the faces of the ‘This Girl Can Climb’ campaign.

Parag Patel A sport shooter, 42 year old Parag Patel has represented England in several Commonwealth Games including its most recent edition in Gold Coast, Australia, where he won the gold medal in the 'Queen's Prize Pairs' category.

He has previously won three gold medals in earlier versions of the games. Parag won a gold medal in the Fullbore Pairs in the 2006 games that was held in Melbourne, following it up with a gold in the Fullbore Individual at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games.

He also won gold in Queen's Prize Pairs at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, and is the recipient of three bronze and a silver medal.

Also an ear, nose, and throat consultant at Kingston Hospital, London, Parag won the prestigious Gold Medal in the third stage of the Queen's Prize competition during the National Rifle Association's 148th Imperial Meeting, held at Bisley Camp in Surrey. In addition to general adult and pediatric ENT, he also has a special interest in otology and skull base surgery. Parag often speaks about the similarities between sports and medicine and identifies common themes between them.

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Achievement in Community Service The Finalists

Aina Khan OBE A leading lawyer specialising in International Family Law, Aina Khan runs her own law firm in London and offers speedy and cost-effective settlements working closely with a divorce coach and hypnotherapist when needed. A world-renowned specialist in divorce, child arrangements and finance settlements, and a leading expert in Islamic and Asian issues, Aina works with teams of personally curated expert lawyers in over 45 countries and prepares Expert Reports for courts and individuals on Family Trusts, Property, Inheritance, Alleged Fraud, and Family Law. She was honoured with an OBE by Her Majesty The Queen in the New Year's Honours List 2018. With over 25 years of experience in 5000 cases, Aina has made profound contribution in dealing with the most sensitive and challenging cases concerning the well being of society. Aina is the Advisor to the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Defence, Home Office, Foreign Office, Department of Communities and Local Government and other Government Departments, Parliamentarians and International Universities. She works closely with leading academics in the UK and abroad, and is a sought-after speaker at universities. She is also the author of 'Islamic Alternative Dispute Resolution'.

Poppy Jaman OBE Poppy Jaman is regarded as a pivotal figure in the mental health campaigning community. As CEO of the Central Mental Health Alliance (CMHA), she is working with senior leaders of London businesses to share good practice on reducing the stigma and improving the literacy of mental health in the workplace while identifying practical steps that businesses can take to help their people remain well. She was CEO and founder of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England for nine years and is now an ambassador. MHFA England is a training organisation that provides tailored programmes to raise awareness of mental health and offers practical support to a range of communities including businesses, schools and the armed forces. Poppy helped develop mental health programmes in Sylhet and Dhaka. She’s also assisted the development of Youth MHFA in India and supported initiatives in Pakistan and Tanzania. In 2018 Poppy was awarded an OBE in recognition of her services to people with mental health issues.

Anwar Khattak BEM He is the figure behind Birmingham Youth Sport Academy (BYSA). Anwar Khattak gave up on his football career due to life-altering injuries. Founder and welfare officer of the academy, despite his busy schedule at K Legal solicitors based in Alum Rock, he successfully runs a club of 150 young boys aged eight to eighteen. BYSA is a voluntaryrun organisation promoting football in an attempt to keep underprivileged children occupied and spend time constructively with peers.

Sprouting from a small idea when Khattak involved his nephews to play in the park, the organisation soon grew to 30 with his nephew’s friends. In no time, interest began pouring in into the weekend club and in response Khattak formally opened BYSA at the Small Heath Leisure Centre. The club also offers educational advice, mentoring and job-hunting tips to youngsters. While the initiative did not expect or want attention, Khattak was extremely happy when his years of labour in voluntary service and education was recognised. Khattak was awarded Volunteer of the Year for Birmingham region in 2011, and his initiative was recognised with a British Empire Medal (BEM).

Mohammed Ishaq MBE Owner of the South Shields based business Punjab Kitchen, Mohammed Ishaq found a place for himself in the Queen's Honours List with an MBE. The business was begun specially for patients who required special or convalescent meals. Ishaq initially used simple recipes he picked up from his mother. The kitchen later expanded and met with profound success over the years.

In 1996, Ishaq and wife Jasmine began preparing ethnic recipes for patients undergoing treatment in hospitals. He made food items for patients with special dietary needs, and those who had difficulty swallowing. A journey that began with a humble and dedicated team of 10, soon grew to 100, and now serves 120,000 patients a week throughout the UK. Ishaq's kitchen even sends meals to hospitals in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. While the customer base was exclusively ethnic in the earlier days, Mohammed now makes meals for all those with limitations in swallowing regular food. He conducted extensive research that helped him develop altered techniques in the manufacturing process. He developed a wide range of pureed food that look identical to fully formed food.

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Achievement in Media Arts & Culture The Finalists

Babita Sharma Babita Sharma is a documentarian, TV presenter, author and news anchor for the BBC. She has written a book on the history of the corner shop in Britain due to be published by Hodder Press in Spring 2019. It follows her documentary Booze, Beans & Bhajis: The Story of the Corner shop broadcast on BBC Four, BBC News Channel and BBC World News to critical acclaim.

Most recently, Babita co-presented Supermarket Shopping Secrets for BBC One and Dangerous Borders: the story of India and Pakistan on BBC Two. The documentary series took her to the India and Pakistan border 70 years after partition and she followed in the footsteps of her family who were directly affected at the time of partition. For seven years, Babita has presented Newsday on BBC World News, covering major global news events including the Trump-Kim Summit in Singapore, the Royal Wedding, the EU Referendum, Rio Olympics 2016 and the award winning BBC 100 Women series.

Babita is passionate about diversity and mental health issues; mentoring BAME journalists and also working with charity Mind to raise mental health awareness in schools.

James Krishna Floyd

Saurav Dutt Saurav Dutt is British Indian author and novelist, independent film producer, graphic novel writer, journalist, and philanthropist. He is known for his novel The Butterfly Room which was inspired by the documentary 'India's Daughter'. Born in Kolkata and educated in London, Dutt was shortlisted for Outstanding Contribution to Arts & Culture Awareness at the 2014 British Indian Awards.

He is the Guardian Books and LA Times Books shortlisted novelist of fiction and nonfiction works. His The Butterfly Room was the Notable Book of the Year in The Los Angeles Times, and The Indian Express.

Dutt's books have been often shortlisted and featured at the London and Frankfurt book fairs, Kolkata Book Festival and BookExpo America amongst media outlets as varied as Sky News, BBC, Marie Claire, Russia Today, CNN, IB Times and The Hollywood Reporter, amongst others.

As co-writer and associate producer of independent film 'Live Life Dearest', he is also a Gothenberg Independent Film Festival winner. Engaging in philanthropy, he has forwarded proceeds of his book sales to charities like Amnesty International, Joyful Heart Foundation, Southall Black Sisters, and Muhammad Ali Center and Refuge.

Nomia Iqbal

Photo credit: Joseph Sinclair

A British Independent Film Award nominee, James Krishna Floyd, was named 'a star in the making' by The Independent and 'reminiscent of Robert De Niro' by The Daily Telegraph for his lead role in Sally El Hosaini’s acclaimed debut feature MY BROTHER THE DEVIL. The role also got him selected as a BAFTA Breakthrough Brit and a Screen International Star of Tomorrow whilst The Hollywood Reporter noted that it should put Floyd on the casting map. Further to the BIFA award, James also won ‘Best Actor’ at the Milan Film Festival and was nominated for the ‘Most Promising Newcomer Award’ at the Evening Standard Film Awards.

James is currently revisiting his leading role of ‘Dr Gabriel Varma’ in THE GOOD KARMA HOSPITAL for ITV. His film credits further include the lead role in the spy thriller NEWCOMER alongside Golden Globe winner Anthony LaPaglia, a key role in BBC Films' CITY OF TINY LIGHTS, and an acclaimed performance in EVERYWHERE AND NOWHERE. James’ television work includes his portrayal of 'Freddie Mercury' in the BBC’s BAFTA winning biopic on the life of Kenny Everett BEST POSSIBLE TASTE.

An accomplished presenter for the BBC World Service's Newsday, Nomia Iqbal has a post graduate diploma in Broadcast Journalism at the Leeds Trinity and All Saints College. Her work experience include working as a producer at BBC Media Action where she worked in challenging locations like Zambia, Tanzania, and Zanzibar. She has also worked as a multimedia reporter presenter and editor at Radio 1 and 1 Xtra Newsbeat, as an output editor for Newsbeat online and on air content.

Nomia Iqbal is renowned for her efficient coverage of elections.

She is the BBC UK's news-gathering correspondent for national TV and radio covering home affairs, and was appointed as the main correspondent for UK Election 2015. Nomia has covered the UK election of 2017 by presenting and hosting at National Live Radio and TV debates. She is also presenter in popular live discussion show, 'The Big Debate' on the BBC Asian Network. Nomia also discusses and analyses international issues concerning British Asians. Her recent coverage on the Rohingya crisis earned significant credit and public appreciation. She was also part of the team that won the National News Team of the Year in 2008.

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Uniformed & Civil Services The Finalists

Chief Supt Raj Kohli Born in London in 1966, Raj Kohli moved to Glasgow when he was six years old, making it his home until 1992 when he moved back to London and joined the MPS. His first posting was in Hayes, west London before he got promoted to the rank of Sergeant and moving to Hammersmith in 1995.

In 1999 he was promoted to Inspector, remaining at Marylebone as the Inspector in charge of police operations before being asked by Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur to work within his private office. In 2001 Raj completed the Senior Investigators Course and moved to the Borough of Brent as the Detective Inspector in charge of pro-active operations before moving into the investigation of major crimes. In 2006 Raj was promoted to Chief Inspector and was made the operational lead for the policing of South Brent.

Shortly after that he moved into a central policy unit before being promoted to Superintendent (2008) and moving to Camden, where he oversaw significant reduction in youth crime and gang-related violence.

Raj played a key role in helping deliver the London Olympics in 2012, being in charge of policing 16 boroughs.

Chief Supt Bas Javid A Gulf war veteran and the senior-most officer in the West Midlands Police Force (WMP), Bas was promoted to the rank of Superintendent and currently sits as an executive member of the WMP Branch of the Police Superintendent's Association for England and Wales. Brother of Home Secretary Sajid Javid, he had joined the Royal Navy just a few weeks before his 17th birthday and qualified as a helicopter engineer in 1988. Over the span of his career, he has served in various locations, however, his main service was on a ship called HMS Brilliant.

He was named Uniformed Services Person of the Year at the British Muslim Awards in 2017. Bas undertook multiple operational roles including Operation Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf, for which he received a commendation for teamwork and bravery.

In 1993, Bas joined the Avon and Somerset police, at the age of 25, and gained valuable experience in roles involving neighbourhood policing, criminal investigation and critical incident management. When he was transferred to WMP in 2007 as Detective Chief Inspector he took the lead in several sensitive investigations including historic child sexual abuse and organised crime.

AC Neil Basu Head of UK's counter terrorism policing, Neil Basu is the first officer of Asian heritage to hold the post in the UK. One of the toughest policing roles in the country, Basu was appointed as the Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations (New Scotland Yard) in March 2018, and is in charge of the force's National Lead for Counter Terrorism (CT) and Head of the MeT Police's Specialist Operations.

Graduating from the University of Nottingham with a degree in Economics, in 1989, Neil subsequently worked at Barclays as a Corporate Analyst till 1991.

The following year, he entered the police force as Uniform Police Constable at Battersea, and in 1996, he was transferred to Brixton as a Uniform Police Sergeant and was later promoted to Detective Sergeant Brixton and Streatham. He held the position till 1999, until he occupied the role of Detective Inspector Merton till 2000. By 2003, he was a homicide SIO and was part of high-profile operations like Trident. Between 2006 and 2008, he served as Detective Superintendent within the Serious and Organised Crime Unit, where he gained invaluable operational experience in areas dealing with kidnapping and covert policing.

Kuldip Singh Bhamrah East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) technician, Goodwood Ambulance Station-based Kuldip Singh Bhamrah has been in the service for 37 years and is well known throughout Leicestershire as ‘the singing ambulanceman’. He began his ambulance career as a member of the non-urgent Patient Transport Service in 1981 based at the then Welford Road Ambulance Station.

In 1982, he successfully trained and qualified as a technician and has responded to thousands of 999 calls, receiving several commendations from the public for his professional and compassionate conduct.

Earlier this year, he attended Buckingham Palace in London where he received the Queen’s Ambulance Service Medal for Distinguished Service as part of the New Year’s Honours. The medal recognises ambulance personnel who have shown exceptional devotion to duty. Most recently, Kuldip was actively involved in the NHS70 celebrations - featuring on a charity single recorded at Abbey Road Studios with dozens of celebrities and appearing in a 60-minute documentary on ITV. When Kuldip is not responding to 999 calls, he works with his local community and raises awareness about the ambulance service, teaching emergency first aid skills and fundraising.

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Professional of the year

The Finalists Dr Kailash Chand OBE A high profile GP in the UK, Dr Kailash Chand OBE is known as a vociferous campaigner for safeguarding the NHS and challenging inequalities within the system. Having devoted all his time to the NHS and the medical sector, he has held senior roles in the National Health Service, the British Medical Association (BMA), the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO), and a number of other organisations.

Dr Chand's illustrious career began as a GP in the deprived community of Tameside, after which, he took on the position of Chair of Tameside and Glossop Primary care NHS Trust. It was under his leadership that a PCT that was under serious financial debt, to a £25 million surplus. He has been behind many key initiatives in the British Medical Association Council (BMA), and gained respect and influence when he became the first Asian elected as its Deputy Chair in 2012. He was awarded an OBE in the 2010 Queens’ Honours List for his services to the NHS and has regularly come up in the list of the country’s top 50 most influential GPs.

Dr Anil Kumar Ohri A medical doctor with 25 years of healthcare and business management experience, Dr Anil Kumar Ohri is the CEO of Regent's Park Healthcare (RPH), a specialist cardiac services company he founded in 2002. RPH today, is the UK's leading independent cardiology services provider with diagnostic and treatment facilities penetrating to 42 UK locations. His company holds a staff of over 180 people and has performed over 100,000 cardiology procedures across its facilities.

With a splendid case record, the company has received multiple industry awards for disruptive service innovation, Public Private Partnerships and entrepreneurship. RPH is also the recipient of personal awards like the inaugural London Business School (LBS) Entrepreneurial Achievement Award in 2010, and the Healthcare Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2011.

Personally, Dr Ohri has also won several accolades.

He is the 2018 winner of Director of the Year award by the Institute of Directors, London & South Region for Innovation, and received the award at a prestigious ceremony at the IoD headquarters in Pall Mall, London.

He was also invested as a Freeman of the City of London in September 2018 becoming a Liveryman in the Guild of Entrepreneurs.

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Dr Shafi Ahmed An acclaimed doctor, Shafi Ahmed has several roles. He is a surgeon, teacher, futurist, innovator, and entrepreneur.

He pioneered single incision laparoscopic colorectal surgery (virtual scarless surgery). While his main clinical interest is colorectal cancer, and performs radical pelvic surgery for primary and recurrent disease as well as multi-visceral resections, he also works with liver surgeons to perform simultaneous laparoscopic liver and bowel resections for cancer.

In 2007, he was appointed as a Consultant General, Laparoscopic and Colorectal surgeon to the Royal London Hospital and St Bartholomew's Hospital, Bart Health in 2007. Last year, he became an honorary professor at the University of Bradford. He has been awarded four Honorary PhDs from Udabol University Bolivia, SIISDET Colombia, University of Peru of Science and Informatics and EXIBED, Spain.

Shafi works in the Academic Centre of Surgery and has established minimally invasive colorectal surgery at the Royal London Hospital. His other interests include diverticular disease, inflammatory bowel disease and pouch surgery, coloproctology and the modern management of haemorrhoids. He also has a clinical interest in advanced stage 3/4 endometriosis, and performing laparoscopic surgery with gynaecologists.

Priya Guha A business executive who currently works as the Ecosystem general manager of Rocketspace in London, Priya Guha is the first woman to hold the post of a diplomat at the British Consul General in San Francisco. After her appointment in August 2011, she responsibly executed the Consular General's delivery of the UK Government's foreign policy as well as service delivery objectives in six states of the US. Priya used her position to help women excel in the business sector. She initiated annual delegations of UK female tech entrepreneurs to Silicon Valley.

Guha is also an Advisor to Merian Ventures, a venture capital firm investing in women led innovations. She has spent four years of her career in the British High Commission of India as the First Secretary for political and Bilateral Affairs between 2007 to 2011 with her core area of competence being Indian politics and UK India bilateral relationship. Her current company Rocketspace was founded in 2011, and has accommodated over thousand tech companies, 13 of them being unicorns exceeding a valuation of GBP 820 million. She intends to plug UK startups into their ecosystem and close the gap between the UK and the Silicon Valley.

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Woman of the year The Finalists

Trishna Bharadia After a life-altering diagnosis in 2008, Trishna Bharadia has suffered through Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and today, lives with several long-term health conditions. She has dedicated her life to negate stigmas and inhibitions and restore dignity to those affected by rare conditions and fight for their share in mainstream society. Trishna works full time as a Spanish-English translator/analyst for a business intelligence company, and uses her spare time to bring patient voice into the healthcare journey, improve education and enhance awareness about disability and chronic illness and support BAME communities in the context of disability.

She has successfully brought MS, chronic illness and invisible disability into the spotlight, helped raise awareness and improve education and services for patients, as well as helped pharmaceutical and healthcare-related companies to better engage with their patients in all stages of development. Trishna has particularly been monumental in raising awareness and education among Asians about MS. She has won multiple local, national, and international awards like Eye for Pharma International Patient Advocate Award 2018, Women of Achievement 2015, Southern Women of Achievement Award 2015, and We Are The City Top 100 Rising Star (Charity) 2017, amongst others.

Dame Pratibha Laxman Gai A British microscopist and Professor and Chair of Electron Microscopy, Dame Pratibha Laxman Gai is Director at the York, JEOL Nanocentre, Department of Physics and Chemistry at the University of York. Creator of the atomic resolution Environmental Transmission Electron Transmission (ETEM), she is an outspoken advocate for women with careers in science.

Since her childhood days in India, Dame Pratibha aspired for a career in science, and was influenced by the works of Marie Curie. While back in her days women rarely took up careers in Physical Sciences, Gai went against social trends and studied Chemistry.

She was selected as a national science talent search scholar in her teens. The scholarships helped her excel in science. Pratibha was awarded damehood, female equivalent of a knighthood, in the Queen's New Year's Honours List 2018, making her the fourth Indian-origin woman conferred with the honour since it was instituted in 1917.

Her expertise includes development of novel chemical processes, nanomaterials, reaction mechanisms and novel in-situ environmental electron microscopy in gases and liquids, surface science and catalysis for healthcare, and energy and climate control.

Sonali Naik QC Sonali has worked for over 25 years as a barrister and is a true leader in her specialisms of public law, immigration and asylum. Within these areas she has built a diverse practice covering human rights, lawfulness of detention, national security and naturalisation. A large amount of her work concerns strategic litigation, often challenging Home Office policy requiring considerable skill in evidential analysis, creative and innovative thinking and written and oral persuasion. Many of Sonali’s cases concern very vulnerable clients and involve highly complex, sensitive and difficult issues, often requiring urgent action due to the circumstances of the case. Sonali’s work has helped to shape and develop the law and includes work for asylum-seeking children, victims of rape and torture. She currently chairs Liberty, and is a trustee of Freedom from Torture, an Advisory Council member of JUSTICE, a trustee of the Immigrants Aid Trust and a Patron of the Clean Break theatre company working with women ex-offenders. She became a QC in 2018.

Heidy Rehman Heidy Rehman is an accomplished e-commerce executive with a domestic and international experience in operations, product evolution, marketing, HR and IT. With a brilliant track record of increasing sales and growing bottom line while spearheading operational improvements, she is also Fellow of the Association of Chartered & Certified Accountants. Heidy is the founder of fashion label Rose & Willard. The company's motto is to empower women in the labour force. Inspired by the deficit of women's suitable and affordable clothes in professional sectors, she felt determined to introduce a change.

She acted as a research analyst for her own enterprise and hence, Rose & Willard started off with a lot of input from background research. Initially based in Dubai, she had already registered the company, secured a logo and begun the trademark process.

She carefully selected a group of highly efficient creative staff and started working from a studio. She intends to empower women with her clothes so that with sense of confidence, they can deliver and achieve in an increasingly competitive professional world that is primarily male dominated.

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Entrepreneur of the year

The Finalists Sheeza Shah Sheeza Shah uses technology to launch and fund companies creating transformative social and environmental change.

As Founder and CEO of UpEffect, she combines her background in Computer Science with her passion for social entrepreneurship to work with revolutionary founders on UpEffect, a crowdfunding and support platform launching companies doing good in the world. Sheeza has driven UpEffect’s 100% success rate at securing funding for their campaigns, launching thousands of ethical products and impacting lives across worldwide.

She was named in Computer Weekly’s ‘Most Influential Women in Tech’, Asians in Tech’s ‘Top 100 Asian Stars in UK Tech 2018’ and CauseArtist’s '37 Social Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2017’. She’s also an Asian Women of Achievement Nominee.

Her work has been featured on Forbes, Buzzfeed, BBC, The Guardian, Huffington Post and various other media outlets. She is often found championing conscious capitalism and social entrepreneurship at universities and business leadership events. Sheeza also had the honour of opening the London Stock Exchange in 2017.

She received an MSc from The University of Nottingham in Computer Science and Entrepreneurship and currently lives in Kent, UK.

Adarsh Radia Following an Economics degree at The London School of Economics, Adarsh started his career as a Fund Manager before pursuing his dream of being an entrepreneur. Since then he has started several businesses across a range of industries from restaurants to eyewear to venture capital. In 2010, Adarsh together with his brother and 2 other cofounders, launched the highly acclaimed Dishoom, a collection of independent Irani cafes in London and Edinburgh which have claimed the top spot on Yelp’s user survey for UK restaurants among other accolades. When he’s not creating businesses, Adarsh is passionate about sustainable development and is an active sponsor of organisations such as Mama Hope and The AlphaBet Club. He is equally passionate about personal growth around an exponential mindset and affiliations with Singularity University, Abundance 360, Burning Man, Summit, help him fulfil these interests. On a more casual basis, Adarsh is a fee proclaimed bio-hacker with a very strong interest in personal nutrition and is also an MSA license holder and races in various motorsport events in Europe.

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Akshay Ruparelia Akshay Ruparelia, 20, is Founder and Managing Director of Doorsteps.co.uk.

His sole mission with Doorsteps is to offer a branded, well serviced proposition to the residential resale market.

Having started the business during school, now worth £12m+, he is dubbed by business publications and worldwide media as the new Mark Zuckerberg. He has a clear passion for property and democratising the way homes are sold in the UK. With the lowest cost service Doorsteps is one the largest estate agents in the UK. So far, the business has taken on 1,500 homes and sold £120 million worth of property, saving customers over £1 million in fees in just over a year. Doorsteps has been highly successful in dealing with clusters of properties outside London and in cities like Liverpool, Manchester, Cardiff, and Edinburgh. Akshay’s future ambitions are to continue providing ‘the best customer service at a great price’ and propel Doorsteps towards being the number one estate agency in the UK (it is currently the 18th largest in the UK).

Sai Lakshmi Sai Lakshmi is the co-founder and CEO of Echo, a free app enabling patients to order NHS prescriptions and get medication delivered right to their door. Established in 2015, the app was launched in November 2016. Echo circumvents issues arising from “forgetfulness” and in the process, prevents wastage of medicines. The app raised £7 million in funding led by White Star Capital in 2017, and was previously backed by a funding of £1.8 million by LocalGlobe.

After a DPhil in Engineering Science from the University of Oxford in 2007, Sai worked as Associate Consultant at Bain & Company and later as Business Development Manager at Apple. Soon, along with the co-founder of Echo, Stephen Bourke, he created the app as a response to a shared frustration of outdated processes involving the ordering and obtaining of repeat prescriptions. Sai's vision has truly revolutionised medicine management by eliminating extended waiting times for users whilst alleviating the burden placed on overstretched GPs and the wider NHS system. Echo was chosen as one of the companies on the Digital Health London Accelerator Programme, and is picked as the 'Best British Mobile Startup 2018'.

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Business person of the year The Finalists

Ajith Jayawickrema Founder and managing director of Caribbean restaurant and bar chain, Turtle Bay, Ajith Jayawickrema also founded the popular Latin American restaurant chain Las Iguanas in 1991. After studying economics at Birmingham University and an MBA at Sheffield University, he did a short stint at accounting giant KPMG. Ajith started the first Las Iguanas with a £10,000 bank loan, gradually growing the business to a valuation of £27 million. The chain currently has 35 sites across the UK and continues to grow. In 2009, he joined Aqua Italia Restaurants as a non-executive Director.

The upmarket Italian restaurant currently has 4 sites in the South West, and a recently opened venue in Milton Keynes. During his tryst with Las Iguanas, before he sold his stakes in 2009, he successfully concluded three venture capital deals with 3i, Piper Private Equity and Bowmark Capital. Las Iguanas grew from a regional operator of four restaurant into Britain's market leading Latin American chain. Offering an authentic Caribbean experience, Turtle Bay plans on opening 8 sites a year.

Raj Manak Managing Director of Stanmore Contractors Limited, Raj Manak who had joined the construction industry as a labourer, today leads UK's leading Plastering, Dry Lining, and Facade Contractors. It is his vision that has transformed a traditional plastering and dry-lining contractor into a multi-skilled specialist with a range of services embracing interiors, architectural metal work, glazing, and building envelope engineering and construction.

Under his leadership, Stanmore has achieved steady growth for the last six years, and pegged a turnover of £123.29 million in 2016. Last year, the company featured on The Sunday Times list for 'Top Track 250 companies' for the second year running. Raj himself holds up to several credentials. He was part of 'Britain's Top 100 Entrepreneurs' list published by Management Today in 2014. Before he invested his time in the industry, he spent substantial time learning all aspects of the sector, and the company. Having entered the world of construction with his father, they both joined Stanmore in 1991. Pursuing his ambition to become an engineer at the time, Raj later traded his tools for a role in management by 1993.

Rishi Khosla Rishi is the co-founder of ACORN OakNorth, a fintech firm focused on unlocking the potential in bespoke SME lending globally using its data and technology platform, ACORN machine. In the UK, the firm operates as OakNorth - a bank that Rishi Khosla and his business partner, Joel Perlman, founded in September 2015 to address the mid-market funding gap in the UK. In less than three years, the bank has managed to build a loan book of £1.7bn, directly contributing to the creation of 8,500 new homes and 8,000 new jobs in the UK. Outside of the UK, the business operates as ACORN machine, a data and technology platform being licensed to other banks and lenders, enabling them to replicate OakNorth’s success with SME lending in the UK, in their own markets. In total, the business has raised over £364m, achieving a valuation of $1.4bn in under three years. Rishi is also an active venture investor and has provided early stage funding to several companies, including two multi-billion dollar companies: Indiabulls and PayPal.

Sheazad Hussain Sheazad Hussain is the director of Medina Dairy Limited, an independent dairy company that produces and supplies dairy, eggs, and bakery products. The company’s vision is to be the leading independent national supplier of liquid milk, dairy, and bakery products to the full spectrum of UK retailers, wholesalers and food service operators. Medina generated a group revenue of £160.9million for the 52 weeks to 30 April 2016, up from £156.8m a year earlier, reflecting volume growth generated with existing customers.

Its products include milk, cream, milk shake, yogurt, butter, cheese, bread, morning goods, eggs, dressings, conserves, fruit juices, and drinks. The business originated in 1980, by Sardar Hussain and his family.

In 1992, Medina Dairy Ltd was established to focus on the supply of milk and bread, operating from depots across London and Birmingham. It is under Sheazad's directorship that the company started a food service operation in 2003, supplying a range of chilled and ambient food products to national accounts and the catering & hospitality sector. They acquired further processing capacity in 2007, at Denby Dale Dairy near Huddersfield.

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Charity auctioneer of the evening

LORD JEFFREY ARCHER

Jeffrey Archer has topped the bestseller lists around the world with sales of over 270 million copies in 97 countries and more than 37 languages. He is the only author ever to have been a number one bestseller in fiction (eighteen times), short stories (four times) and non-fiction (The Prison Diaries).

He gained a Blue in athletics at Oxford, was President of the University Athletics Club, and went on to run the 100 yards in 9.6 seconds for Great Britain in 1966.

Jeffrey has served five years in the House of Commons and twenty-two years as a Member of the House of Lords.

His latest novel Be Careful What You Wish For, (book four of The Clifton Chronicles series) spent twelve weeks in the top 10 - four of them at #1 on the Sunday Times Best Seller list, and also went to #1 in Australia, India, and South Africa. www.jeffreyarcher.com Follow Jeffrey on Facebook and Twitter @Jeffrey_Archer

LOT 1

SIGNED AND FRAMED SHIRT FROM THE 2018 INDIAN TEST CRICKET TEAM A shirt signed by the Indian team in a presentation frame.

Kindly donated by Asian Business Publications

LOT 2

SEVEN-NIGHT LUXURY TOUR ABOARD INDIA’S “DECCAN ODYSSEY” TRAIN Each journey on the Deccan Odyssey is an exploration of India's diversity and exotic locales where you breathe in the sounds and colours of India's cities and countryside. This prize entitles the winning bidder to choose from any of the six 8 day/7 night journeys for two which are available at www.thedeccanodyssey.com/journeys.

This luxury train treats its guests to unprecedented luxury with the help of 21 superlative, luxury coaches. Each cabin is equipped with double beds, en-suite bathroom, air conditioning and an attendant to offer around-the-clock service. Spacious, elegantly designed cabins radiate the various eras of the Deccan dynasties.

Kindly donated by Cox and Kings Travel www.coxandkings.co.uk Includes full board in en-suite twin/double accommodation with soft drinks, tours, valet service.

Travel to be taken before 30tt March 2019

LOT 3

CHELSEA MATCHDAY HOSPITALITY FOR THREE GUESTS TO SEE CHELSEA V MANCHESTER UNITED ON SATURDAY 20TH OCTOBER 2018 Enjoy matchday hospitality in one of the club’s top hospitality suites, Drakes Club, located in the West Stand at Stamford Bridge. Your day includes a full drinks package (wines, beers, soft drinks, liquers) and three-course fine dining package 2.5 hours before kick-off.

Access your padded seats directly from the suite which are located by the Directors box.

Enjoy half-time canapes and post-match buffet with drinks for one hour after the game.

Kindly donated by Prestige Cars and Couriers www.prestigecarsandcouriers.co.uk Valid for Chelsea v Manchester United game only. Not to be re-sold or exchanged.

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LOT 4

“HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU” LIVE SCREENING FOR FOUR WITH POST-SHOW GREEN ROOM DRINKS Enjoy a round-trip luxury car transfer to drive you and three guests in style and comfort to attend a live screening of the hilarious TV show “Have I Got News for You” at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire. Following the show you can mingle with the guests and presenters in the famous “Green Room” for drinks.

Kindly donated by Hattrick Productions and Prestige Cars and Couriers www.hattrickproductions.com and www.prestigecarsandcouriers.co.uk Car transfer within M25 only with one collection and drop-off point. Vehicle S-Class Mercedes/Viano or equivalent.

LOT 5

EIGHT-DAY SKYSAFARI KENYA “CONNOISSSEUR” EXPERIENCE VISITING FOUR 5* BOUTIQUE CAMPS WITH PRIVATE EXECUTIVE AIRCRAFT TRANSFERS Staying at a selection of Elewana’s elite collection of properties, enjoy the comforts of personalised service, luxurious accommodation and authentic African safari experiences, transported in supreme comfort aboard SkySafari’s own 9-seater executive class aircraft.

An 8-day safari from the rugged wilds of Meru, to the rolling plains of Loisaba offering exciting safari activities, to the spectacle of nature’s greatest theatre, the Masai Mara.

Kindly donated by SkySafari www.skysafari.com Excludes international flights. Includes return airport car transfers from Nairobi Airport, half-board accommodation with drinks at Hemingways in Nairobi, domestic flight transfers aboard the executive 9-seater jet, full-board accommodation with drinks at all game reserves, laundry services, shared game drives with experienced English-speaking guide, bush walks and Masai Mara village visit, sundowners, massages, farewell dinner. Valid 20th October to 19th December 2018 and 5th January to 30th June 2019

LOT 6

PRIVATE DINING EXPERIENCE FOR TEN WITH A VIEW AT THE PENTHOUSE AT GRANGE ST PAUL’S OR GRANGE CITY HOTEL You and up to nine friends will enjoy a Champagne reception and five course dinner in either the Presidential Suite in the Grange City Hotel or the Royal Suite in the Grange St. Paul's Hotel, with specially prepared signature dishes from the hotel's acclaimed awardwinning chefs.

The suite offers unequalled luxury with every amenity and stunning views over London.

Kindly donated by Grange Hotels Group www.grangehotels.com Valid to 31st March 2019

LOT 7

LUXURY TEN-NIGHT STAY AT THE STUNNING CAPELLA MARIGOT BAY IN ST LUCIA FOR FOUR Relax in a luxuriously appointed two-bedroom apartment with private plunge pool and enjoy world class service at this 5* resort set on the west coast in the island paradise of St Lucia. The apartment sleeps four. The resort includes spa, fitness, several swimming pools and bars and restaurants to suit the most discerning traveller.

The adjacent Capella Marina is one of the Caribbean’s most exclusive yachting destinations and can arrange charters and berthing. Nearby Marina Village offers wide range of boutique shops and cafes.

Kindly donated by Mr and Mrs Alan Bennie Limited availability over the Christmas, New Year and Easter period. For December to April, six months’ advance booking required, other times three months’ notice. Excludes flights, food and drinks. Subject to availability.

LOT 8

SIGNED DRUM BY THE ROLLING STONES One of the World’s most iconic bands, The Rolling Stones have donated a signed drum, Charlie Watt’s signed shoes and a range of concert memorabilia for tonight’s event. Says Charlie “This snare drum is very special to me and one that I have used on various tours. It is my personal gift and is signed by all of The Rolling Stones band with a letter of authentification. I hope that someone will want to share the pleasure of owning it and at the same time give a generous donation to Oracle Cancer Trust"

Kindly donated by Mr Charlie Watts of The Rolling Stones

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Media's lack of diversity a cultural conundrum?

BBC was recently criticised by Ofcom for the lack of diversity and failing to lead the way in creating more opportunities for the ethnic minority community. The report by the media regulator said that the community is under-represented by broadcasters and reportedly criticised for creating a 'cultural disconnect' between programme-makers and viewers, as older generations and people from the ethnic minority background complained that they felt that they were 'portrayed negatively or incorrectly', much because of cultural ignorance. hile absence of opportunities and existing bias is apparent and increasingly controversial, an important question remains, if this lack of equal representation is culturally motivated or is it because of an overall lack of connectivity, education and opportunity.

Poorna Bell, author and a journalist who writes for newspapers such as The Guardian, told the Asian Achievers Awards, “I think the lack of Asians in mainstream media is for two reasons.

The first is that media isn't necessarily a profession or industry that culturally, the Asian community values highly. I can see why that may be- the pay and job security for instance isn't on par with being a doctor or a lawyer - so as a result, children haven't been necessarily encouraged to see journalism or writing as a career to aspire to. As a result there haven't been as many Asian people in media and that has a knock on effect on the next generation, because of the whole 'you cannot be what you cannot see' ethos. You also have to have grit to stick it out, and that can be tough when you don't have the right support as journalism is highly competitive. So visibility is hugely important.

“Moreover connections do matter,” she added. “At the moment journalism is overwhelmingly white - especially the higher up you go in a company and we know that a lot of those early connections are made for instance in places like Oxbridge, which do not have a high intake of students from Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority (BAME) backgrounds. What needs to

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happen is more places of industry employing the Rooney rule like ITV is doing, and for every BAME person in the industry to do what they can to inspire and bring along the next generation with them, whether that's making introductions or speaking out about it as a representation issue.”

In a report published by journalism research news for the UK's National Council for the Training of Journalists, Mark Spilsbury, a research consultant, explored the reasons as why there is a lack of diversity within the British media. The report also looked at various studies and statistics concerning the UK media and higher

education. He came to a conclusion that journalism students are less likely to be privately educated than their colleagues at universities and are from similar socio-economic backgrounds compared to other students.

Considering the workforce six months after graduation, the report states that journalists are more likely to be employed if they are male, not disabled, white, went to a privately

funded school and are from higher socio-economic backgrounds.

The report also argues that the lack of diversity is caused by several other reasons such as individuals from minority groups not being interested in becoming journalists, employers having selection bias, the employers recruiting graduate-only workforce etc.

However, Vidya Ram, the London correspondent for The Hindu and Business Line thinks the situation is slightly better now, though “much of the responsibility lies with the industry, which is often seen as too out of reach to many, who rarely see figures they can relate to.”

She told us, “Prominent faces in the media as Amol Rajan and Ritula Shah at the BBC and Faisal Islam and Krishna Guru Murthy at other broadcasters does show a slight shift but we need to see much more and encourage young men and women from a range of backgrounds.

“I often talk to young people who have considered journalism but are hesitant because they feel it is difficult to break into and doesn’t pay the bills. There are interesting initiatives for example the job share done by Anushka Asthana and Heather Stewart at the Guardian which highlighted how institutions can, with the right mindset, attract working parents.

“More such willingness to think creatively and look beyond the obvious circles is necessary, if journalism is to diversify and make itself relevant to modern multicultural Britain.”

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Startups- the new face of British innovation and invention UK's new entrepreneurs can be a great inspiration to people who are interested in starting up their own businesses. With more than one new startup being launched every minute and SMEs contributing over £1.8 trillion a year to the UK economy, it is becoming more and more important that one understands these entrepreneurs first as people. However many believe that becoming an entrepreneur is strongly linked to not just accumulation of wealth but the motivation behind setting up and running businesses are much more multidimensional. uk Tuk chai is one of such innovations, that tells a lot about the couple behind the initiative, who started brewing chai after chai to create this 'perfect' ready-to-drink tea from a blend of black tea, whole spices, milk and sugar. Rupesh Thomas was born and brought up in Kerala and arrived in London in 2002 with £600 in his pocket. He worked up to become the Director of Sales for a telecom start-up which he helped to grow nationally. Later he went onto building his own telecom business, which he still runs alongside Tuk Tuk Chai.

Rupesh told the Asian Achievers Awards, “Tea is the most consumed beverage in the UK. 60.2 billion cups are drunk yearly, out of which 98% is taken with milk. Additionally, global demand for ready to drink is growing and is estimated to reach more than $84 billion by 2024.

“We have witnessed that entrepreneurs setting up start-ups are fully passionate about their products and place a great emphasis on transparency, authenticity and sustainability. The food and drinks industry has seen the emergence of many innovative products which are transforming our relationship with the ready-to-eat/ drink products.

“The new generation of

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entrepreneurs in the food and drinks market take absolute pride in developing quality products. It’s a very exciting time to become an entrepreneur!”

Rupesh is also known as the 'real Slumdog Millionaire' who went on to win £100,000 in Dragon's den, and Peter Jones offered for a 33.3% stake in the business.

Similar is the story of passion for Aneeka Patel. A former legal eagle she turned professional matchmaker and set up matchmaking agency Project 143 when she was struggling to meet someone through conventional means whilst working long hours in the City.

While she believes the matchmaking agency model works for lots of people, she knows that not everyone has the time to commit to the process or dating on a regular basis in search of ‘the one’. So she has come up with the pay-per-date model. With no annual fee to pay, clients can say no to a date if they are not interested or too busy.

Aneeka said, “Many British-Asian singles are second, third or even fourth generation, struggling to balance a world of traditional expectations, like religion and family background, with a modern approach to meeting someone new. For Asian professionals the

struggle is greater because by investing in their education and career they often cannot find the time to trawl through online profiles.

“Furthermore, they are intelligent, cosmopolitan and progressive, they have a vast range of interests and are well travelled – and they want to meet like-minded people who are equally ambitious and open-minded and like them are looking for good strong matches which lead to real dates and a better chance of success.”

Dreaming of 'creating a hero', Srikanth Tanguturi and Christy Kulasingam have designed a new smartphone-based mentoring app that gives budding amateur cricketers opportunity to get their games reviewed and advised on any chance of improvement by their cricketing heroes.

Proatar is a revolutionary new sports coaching and mentoring app platform which helps passionate amateurs to get more out of their game through insights and inspiration from the elites of the game. It has assembled an unrivalled squad of top cricketers, coaches, and commentators, who give personalised and tailored advice to amateurs through video consultations.

Christy Kulasingam, co-founder of Proatar said, “My dream is that in five years’ time, an international debutant will mention Proatar, that the nugget of wisdom they got from an elite through the app was ‘what did it’ — the inspiration that motivated them, kept them working hard to fulfil their dream of playing for their country.”

The app also has a charity and corporate social responsibility element built into it, that offers people and companies the chance to sponsor budding talent from villages in India.

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Filling in the cracks that divide societies Community service by British Asians has never been confined to giving back only to the communities of its residence or origin. The nature and value of the generosity of UK’s migrant and minority groups in terms of time, dedication and resources cannot be measured, but it calls for an acknowledgement and support. A sense of community responsibility is the need of the hour, given the turmoil that the country’s social fabric is going through. rom raising awareness about grave issues like sexual assault, homelessness, elderly care, mental health, and FGM to promoting contributions of highly-skilled personnel, fostering inter-faith dialogues, and fighting for human rights – every act of ‘giving back’ is helping citizens realise their potential, thereby making Britain a better place to live and thrive in.

British Asians have been working tirelessly to contribute to their community and their thoughts and experiences make it clear why their work is so critical to our society.

Mandy Sanghera, an international human rights activist, has been supporting victims and survivors of honour based violence and cultural abuse such as female genital mutilation, forced marriages, faith-based abuse and witchcraft since 1990.

Mandy, who has supported over 200 disabled adults who have been forced into marriage, shared her thoughts with Asian Achievers Awards. She said, “For me it’s all about lifting the next generation off the sticky floor as I’ve smashed the glass ceiling and it’s now a floor for others. We need to create real opportunities. I love mentoring and empowering others. It’s important we become the change we want to see.” The role of mentoring is an incredibly empowering activity that

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keeps so many individuals, working in this field, going.

As of 2018, the Asian community is more in need of such people than ever before. People working to give back to the community recognised the cracks that existed within the community and are consistently striving to keep society united. For example, despite increased discussions about the issue faced by LGBTIQ, same sex legislations, and talking about antibullying strategies in educational institutions, we as a society have still not been able to help our fellow countrymen and women to achieve

the equality that they deserve.

Activist and speaker Khakan Qureshi founded the Birmingham South Asians LGBT – Finding A Voice and put his heart and soul in the LGBTIQ cause. Speaking to Asian Achievers Awards about his experience and contribution to the community, he said, “I have worked with vulnerable adults for the past 20 years from elderly care, to mental

health to homelessness. It only seemed to be a matter of time before I addressed issues which affected my own identity as a Gay Muslim. In the hope of changing the negative narratives and stigma associated with being LGBT, I set up Birmingham’s first South Asian LGBT social support group”. He believes that, “It is important to connect, share personal stories and support each other, no matter how you identify yourself or what your background is. Within the tapestry of life, let's embolden the diversity, highlight issues which provide colour and push to make progress. Strive for acceptance and equality".

London lawyer and LGBT activist Krishna Omkar sharing this thoughts with us, “Dating back to the first millennium BCE, the Mahopanishad famously states that the entire world is a family: so live the magnanimous.

Almost 2000 years later, poet Allama Iqbal wrote, ‘Faith does not teach us to be divided.’ This philosophy is firmly ingrained in South Asian cultures.

“Instead of separating the world and our communities, our duty of care is to society and humankind at large, and this brings us together. In the wake of the rise of nativism, populism, and xenophobia the world over in recent times, this ethos has become even more important. Immigrants as a whole are net-contributors to the British society and economy. The example set by British Asians of selfless service and generosity beyond parochial lines is testament to that.”

People involved in the service of the community have a challenging yet rewarding task ahead of them and we must extend our support to them.

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Tackling deeper issues through cultural creation Arts and culture have always been a part of British critical discourse that its inhabitants have seized upon in proud and troubled times. Artists and writers have been performing, creating and articulating the times that we live in. Asian heritage has bestowed them with an intense identity that they have used beautifully time and again to make sense of the world. Tackling deeper issues and complexities of the current times, artists of Asian origin are facing myriad challenges. ate, rage, political turmoil, love and communal harmony, have never been neglected by artists and writers, but a fascinating learning would be to know how people connected with art and culture are making a sense of it in the current context.

Nikesh Shukla, writer, editor, screenwriter and columnist, whose work, dealing with race and immigration, has caught the nation’s attention. Nikesh told the Asian Achievers Awards, “All art is personal and all art is political. Just by the very nature of being an artist from a marginalised background, the moment you create something is political. The moment it is put into the world, it can create tiny mirrors for all of us to see ourselves, each other, learn from each other and better understand yours and my place in the world. In bleak times, speaking truth to power is important. In bleak times, finding joy and humour and boundlessness is just as important. We shouldn't always talk of our pain. But our deep deep joy as well.”

But how does heritage contribute to art in terms of cultural interplay for artists of Asian origin? Soumik Datta, British-Asian musician and composer, firmly believes that “art must reflect the world around us”. Explaining the significance of cultural amalgamation, Soumik shared with us, “I play the sarod, a rich, deep, resonant, stringed instrument from India. I also grew up in London listening to jazz, progressive electronica and orchestral music. Over the years, these two educations have helped shape my personal aesthetic.

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Is that necessarily Asian? Is it British Asian? All I know is that in the face of chaos, I have a drive to create. In times of adversity, I hear melodies. Of late, I’ve been collaborating with visual artists, painters, film-makers, dancers and poets from across the world. It’s made me realise that regardless of nationality or creed, many artists feel the responsibility to unify people and bring order to chaos. Heritage is one of the pillars that can create this new order. For me, the rest is perseverance and the will to do better.”

What sets these artists apart is how in the face of chaos, they have a drive to create. Their contribution to a nation is what makes a society ‘feel’ and ‘transform’. Himali Singh Soin is a contemporary artist based in London who is also a poet an explorer. Her artwork has been widely exhibited and her poetry has been published in global journals. She said, “Susan Sontag reminiscing upon a time when we knew the value of a work of art said, ‘from now to the end of

consciousness, we are stuck with the task of defending art.’

“We do what we do because we are inside a contemporary moment and in all its shifting anxieties, we watch and bruise as its ironies unfold. Art and culture has to do the work of critique via metaphor or symbolism, since those that speak out overtly have been silenced. Art and culture has to do the work of rendering the omnipresent invisibilities- carbon, surveillance, undocumented migrantsvisible. Artists locate themselves in their particular suffering - examining injustices as broad as pan-Asian and as microscopic as plankton. We despair while holding on to the lightness, the light.”

The value of arts and culture to people and society has largely been understood as nutrition for our emotional world. It is time we recognise this field as a strategic national resource.

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Uniformed services need to reflect the UK of today Ethnic minorities make up around 14 per cent of the UK’s population, which is projected to double by 2050. But the equivalent figure in the British armed forces is less than 3 percent, much lower than UK Government's target. Even recently, they have been branded “too white” after failing in their pledge to hire more black and Asian officers. But why is it still so hard to attract ethnic minorities to uniformed services? r Balissa Greene, the Ministry of Defence’s Principal Occupational Psychologist based at the Army’s Recruiting and Training Division in her PhD findings wrote about some clear issues in relation to race and rank. Dr Greene said, “The experience of the Army is very different according to rank and ethnicity. Rank is the main factor but race also plays a part in how personnel are treated.”

Another factor is the pay structure.

A report by the Greater London Authority said BAME officers in the Metropolitan Police earn up to 16 per cent less per hour than their white colleagues- a reason that holds back minority representation in this sector.

Currently only 5.5% of the police force is Asian, 85% remains essentially white.

The issue of lack of diversity and perception of racism within armed forces or any other uniformed or public services is not only about differential treatments. Many times, this block is

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created by one's family and community, said Jay Singh-Sohal, a writer and communications specialist who has served as a British Army Public Affairs Officer in the Middle East.

In 2017, a data by the government revealed that although the Army had more ethnic minorities than other armed forces, it made up only 2.4% of officers in the UK regular armed forces and 8.6% formed ranks below officer.

However, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) told Asian Achievers Awards that 5% of Royal Air Force personnel now come from BAME backgrounds.

This is an increase from even two years ago, with a stated target of achieving a figure of 10%, which is representative of the UK population.

Warrant Officer Balbir Flora explained how improving the understanding of the RAF’s role in the defence of UK and in career opportunities has had a positive effect on recruitment from Britain’s various BAME communities.“The RAF has a

specialist engagement team which regularly visits not only schools but all sorts of community groups to explain the wide range of careers on offer in the service,” he said.

“Much of this engagement work is with parents and guardians in order that they should understand more about life in the RAF and build their confidence to find out more on behalf of their your people.

“We believe a slow up-take in recent years was partly due to people’s preconceived ideas about what the Air Force is and how it is made up and it does take a lot of effort to bring people’s thinking up to date. Now we are getting more role models climbing, in some cases, to very senior ranks in the RAF, I think the message is beginning to get through.”

The MoD has also taken positive initiatives in actively engaging BAME communities over the past decade by introducing events like Rakshabandhan, Vaisakhi, Eid and Diwali. They have recruited faith chaplains for amending cultural or religious requirements as per the choice of those who want to serve.

But poor BAME representation is not just restricted to uniformed services. According to a recent government report, Black and Asian civil servants also believe they face routine discrimination by an “old boys network” running Whitehall. Even those who make it to the senior ranks felt it was largely because of their Oxbridge or middle-class background.

Similarly only two of Britain’s security and intelligence agencies have members from the ethnic minorities in senior ranks. Although 'significant progress' has been made in making MI5, MI6 and GCHQ and other services more inclusive, the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) found “at senior level in particular the intelligence community does not fully reflect the ethnic makeup of modern Britain.”

Resonating the same sentiment, Dominic Grieve, Chairman of the ISC said, “It is essential that these organisations reflect the UK of today with a diverse and inclusive workforce.

Diversity encourages challenge, drives innovation and ensures better decision making – whilst this is important in any organisation or sector, it is an operational imperative for the intelligence community.”

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0-Business.qxp_A4 Temp 07/09/2018 15:23 Page 36

Carrying on the legacy of British Asian entrepreneurs Countless stories of great businesses illustrate that empires can be built from the most modest amount of savings. Writings on the significance of businesspersons are in thousands, if not in millions, and more are being written as you read this. Amongst the business giants in Britain, several of Asian origin are known to have rebuilt their businesses after being deprived of their political, economic and social rights. his year’s Rich List, released by The Sunday Times, placed London-based brothers, Srichand and Gopichand Hinduja, and Lakshmi Mittal, CEO of ArcelorMittal respectively in top 5 spots. It is no surprise that an observed trend in the impressive catalogue was the rise of the selfmade entrepreneur. There were at least 83 Asians in this year's rich list out of a thousand. So, what makes British Asian businesspersons stand out? And how does their legacy affect their future generation?

Sir Anwar Pervez and family, whose estimated fortune is £1.31billion as of last year, started their business with £2,200. Born in Pakistan, he grew up in a village in Punjab and would walk eight miles to school and back every day. Sir Pervez, who also worked as a bus conductor, built Bestway Cash and Carry and his fortune from scratch. The zeal and the survival instinct is the spirit of British Asian business owners. Another common characteristic is humility. At an exclusive interview, Mr G P Hinduja, Indian-born billionaire businessman

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and co-Chairman of the Hinduja Group told us, “My children who have learnt to keep a low profile said, ‘dad, we should not be there on any magazine or paper’. Our parents have taught us one thin- when you are doing something for society, or humanity, do it and forget it, don't publicise it”.

It indeed is a challenge to preserve this survival instinct that has made this community stand out in the business world. The current ones are giving way to their children, nurturing the young entrepreneurial minds from tender acorns to sturdy oaks. As Virraj Jatania, son of Danny Jatania, told FT about second-generation Asians keen on taking professional jobs, “lot depends on the father giving them the freedom to go out and try it”. Theirs is the tenth-richest Asian family in Britain, and standing on the shoulders of giants, these young guns develop business acumen at a young age.

But the legacy of British Asian entrepreneurs is best exemplified through businesswomen of the community. Nim’s Fruit Crisps CEO and Founder Nimisha Raja sold her home

to finance investment in her new factory. Speaking to Asian Achievers Awards, Nimisha shared how she risked it all for her passion, “When I first had my daughter I used to run a wine bar, but I had to give this up because it meant working nights.

Thereafter, I opened a coffee shop which had much more civilised hours. I was lucky to have been able to set up a business that allowed me the freedom to do this but since setting up a production factory for Nim’s, I’m regularly doing 16-18-hour days and hardly see my daughter. Although she was 16 when I first started spending so much time at work (now 18 years of age), and she can manage, it’s difficult sometimes to see her going through adolescent problems and not always being there for her. The greatest challenge for the past couple of years has been home and work life balance”. The business landscape is still dominated by men, especially manufacturing, and Nimisha added, “I have learnt a lot over the years with various businesses including handling machinery/equipment. I think in any field, whether male or female, it’s your state of mind that determines success.

At times I have been given advise by men on certain aspect of manufacturing that perhaps they may not offer to their peers. I don’t mind that, as if I know it anyway, then they are just reinforcing what I know and if I don’t, then I’ve learnt something”.

British Asian businesspersons emphasise on the trend of businesses changing from product to performances. However gender inclusivity still has a huge scope for improvement. The community cannot succeed as a global business power if passionate and talented women continue to face unequal barriers. The future looks promising.

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A woman is what a woman does Every person who is passionate in fighting for women’s issues, dreams of a day when their pursuits are not needed any more. People have not been able to dampen the indomitable spirit of women, especially when it comes to their career growth and development. In the corporate world, successful women are either referred to as “survivors” or "bossy" but never ever acknowledged as "go-getters".

It is time we see our women not as survivors but forces-tobe-reckoned-with in the professional world. very person who is passionate in fighting for women’s issues, dreams of a day when their pursuits are not needed any more. People have not been able to dampen the indomitable spirit of women, especially when it comes to their career growth and development. Ambitions, challenges, opportunities, you name it, women are not only mastering but writing the rulebooks. British Asian women have double the struggle. Even after breaking the gender glass-ceiling, they are struggling to break another glass ceiling- the one owing to their heritage. In the world of finance, Cranfield University’s report showed a steep drop in the number of women occupying top roles such as CEO, CFO and other executive roles on FTSE 250 boards, and static numbers at FTSE 100 companies, with discouraging diversity numbers.

In 2015, Baroness Ruby McGregorSmith CBE, the former CEO of Mitie

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Group PLC, the only one Asian female who headed an FTSE 250 company, said, “No one has ever asked me about the challenges of race, they've only ever asked me about the challenges of being a female.” Given how deep this discrimination runs, the question remains: What are the challenges faced by British Asian that are not discussed in the mainstream?

Asma Khan, founder of London restaurant Darjeeling Express, author of an upcoming cookbook, holding a PhD in law, told the Asian Achievers Awards, “As a woman of colour in a predominantly white male industry, I feel issues about race have been ignored by most restauranteurs for too long. We are now catching up and there is a debate in the media and social media on racism on how the hospitality industry needs to respect all members of staff irrespective of their racial and religious heritage”.

Referring to the recent incidents where two London chefs were sacked by restaurant owners for making racially insensitive comments, she said, “We need to do a lot to promote racial equality in hospitality.”

Preet Kaur Gill, currently a British Labour-Cooperative politician and the first female British Sikh MP said, “Not only do Asian women have to overcome countless barriers in society, but British Asian women also have to break through glass ceilings to break into business. Despite the challenges, they contribute positively across all segments of society. It is time that we get behind British Asian women and applaud their achievements. As the first female British Sikh member of parliament, I know just how important it is to have resilience in the face of adversity. Having the help of a mentor was immensely beneficial in providing

support and assistance to me, and this is a cause that I have championed in parliament in my position as Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group.”

In an example of academia, the women of Asian origin are still abysmally low in number in the country, even though their work in terms of research and mentorship has been exceptional and has contributed significantly to Britain in becoming the academic hub that it is. Dr. Sunny Singh, a senior lecturer in creative writing based in London and an internationally acclaimed author, shared, “As a woman of Asian origin, I face the usual structural barriers based on race and gender. Some are clear, for example, we know women, especially women of colour, are paid less for the same jobs. Some are more subtle, such as people refusing to use my title (it's Dr.), or assuming things about my life, profession, background and career based on stereotypes. It can be tempting to write these off as unimportant but they do have an impact on my life, professionally and personally.”

Dr. Aarti Jagannath, an Associate Professor at Nuffield Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Lecturer at University of Oxford, said, “Academia has been dominated by an old boy’s club for centuries. But I can see the glass ceiling breaking as we speak, the current vice-chancellor and head of department at my University are both inspiring women. We have a long way to go, but I have great hope for the future”. It is time we acknowledge these challenges that prevent British Asian women from optimising their potential and unconditionally support them in their professional endeavours, if we hope to see Britain as a shining example of collective success.

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Professionalism at its peak As emphasised by Yash Hindocha, Chartered accountant and owner of a popular restaurant, “work ethic based on diligence, dignity and dedication” has always been a defining principle amongst British-Asians, making them the quintessential professionals.

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rontrunners in a rapidly changing tech and finance age, South Asians in the UK have been innovating, especially in the exponentially growing fields of business, medicine and banking, rising in their specialised industries, and achieving unparalleled status and acclaim.

Akash Kumar, the youngest individual to be appointed Vice President at Morgan Stanley, India, told the Asian Achievers Awards, “It’s not the job you do, it’s how you do it that matters. Many people can play football, not all can play and have the temperament. Professionalism is believing passionately in what you do, and never knowingly compromising your standards and values.” Akash was part of the legendary team to garner a record asset under management of $1 billion in the very first year of operation.

His past experience also includes advising some of the wealthiest Fortune 100 Families.

Hindocha shared his overview of success as an adept business strategist: “I’ve enjoyed developing fantastic relationships with business partners and our entire team in Blue Ginger over many years who each bring a unique skill set to create restaurants providing exemplary service, high quality, creative and consistent cuisines in a welcoming ambience.”

However, as well as a keen focus on the industry and procurement of relevant formulas for financial growth, both these men’s illustrious careers at once exhibit the modern phenomenon of prioritising personal etiquette with a commitment to shared equanimity: no matter how demanding the workplace.

Akash, currently the Director and Co-Founder of Yes We Can Social Ventures, said, “Genuine professionals will show respect for the people around them, regardless of their role, position or situation. They exhibit a high degree of emotional intelligence (EI) by considering the emotions and needs of others, and they don't let a bad day impact how they interact with colleagues or clients.

In addition to becoming VP, a key achievement was building a strong team based on integrity, who have a deep desire to constantly develop, improving their professional skills and

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attitude to remain at the top of the game.”

No longer centred on old elitist ideals then, embodying an admirable work ethic has become as much about embracing social consciousness. “The longer I have worked,” Akash added, “the more I realised the impact the right professional attitude has on life: high morals combined with a will-to-win is more important than education, than circumstances, than money, than successes, than failures. It is more important than skill or appearance.”

This emerges at a significant time.

With Brexit on the highly vocational horizon, job stability is a widespread public concern, undoubtedly having a reverberating impact through all echelons of society. Dr Aroon Baskaradas, Head of Strategy and CoFounder at Eurekadoc.com, an online portal dedicated to matching prospective candidates with the best medical careers, commented that those working in the NHS will likely be affected by longer working hours and additional responsibilities, left behind from the dearth in EU nationals. As predicted across the UK’s job market, Baskaradas also stated immediate economic costs of leaving the EU with “prices of imported medicines going up and interruption of contractual supplies including for imaging machines and surgical implants.

“We help doctors design careers they love,” he added. Whether you are thinking of leaving medicine, diversifying your career or looking to start a business, you are in the right place. Our vision is to help you create the success and happiness you deserve and lead the career and lifestyle of your dreams.”

However, he has faith that “true human advancement can transcend geographical and political barriers,” addressing the necessity of forging new relationships and trade agreements with powerhouses such as “China, India and the US. This is perhaps one opportunity that will arise for the more entrepreneurial amongst us.” So, in the advent of a new-fangled cosmopolitanism, the notion of professionalism aptly extends from the localised and cultural to the democratic and infinitely evolving.

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Dream of breaking into mainstream still on a slow burner Professional players in the UK, at an international level, earn millions through endorsement sponsorship, prize money, government funding and corporate backing. A career in sports, if not at the mainstream international level, is still immensely popular due to the stardom, belongingness, energy and exciting challenges that it comes with. Sports aspirants dream of representing their countries, clubs, and communities and compete at a professional level that requires high level of skill and unquestioned dedication. ime and again efforts have been made to ensure young Asians get a much-deserved break into the mainstream and professional level sports. London Tigers, which began with a handful of dedicated volunteers with a passion for sports began a football team in the City of Westminster as a means of creating opportunities for young people, is now an expansive charity delivering projects across London. The Football Associations plan called ‘Bringing Opportunities to Communities’ aims to increase Asian inclusion in football. However, the representation is still unsubstantial in terms of the number of professional players, sports professionals within the hierarchy and structure of the game from Asian communities. Being a British Asian, it is important to justify one’s achievement constantly as parents still regard sports as a high-risk career. It is difficult to stand out in the crowd unless the ‘high-reward’ part of the sports career sees the light of the day. The pride in representing your team and the immense discipline of the Asian aspirants clearly ought to be rewarding. But is it?

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Saba Nasim BEM BCAv who was acknowledged for services to cricket and young people in London, says, “For many young Asian girls cricket is not only seen as an unwise career choice but it is also not seen as a sport that girls should play at all.

However, over the last 6 years, having coached over 1000 girls, I have seen thoughts and attitudes towards sports change. The key is physically being able to see Asian female role models doing well and aspiring to reach their level of success. Even now there is a tendency of Asian families to encourage their children to pursue a degree alongside playing sports, lest the sports career is not successful”.

So what will bring a change? She says, “The more aspirants see someone from their background being successful in the sport, the more the scenario is likely to change.”

Isa Guha, the former England cricketer of Bengali descent whose career highlights include England’s World Cup win in 2009, shared with us, “I was very fortunate to have very supportive parents who never saw

any barriers to becoming the best I could in whatever I did. I was able to continue my studies whilst playing for England and the message I always give to young aspiring British Asians who want to play sport at the higher level is that it is possible to do both.

You don’t have to quit education to pursue high level sport - in fact it’s a good thing to have balance”.

As we are moving on from the old times, more and more money is being pumped into sports which is encouraging the young people to take up sports in professional capacity. However, breaking into the mainstream for Asian aspirants still remains a distant dream. So, what is stopping them? Baljit Rihal, a British Football Agent (specialising in The Indian Super League), the CEO of Inventive Sports, and the founder of Asian Football Awards, says, “The numbers aren't great, but things are slowly improving across many sports.

Of course, people are focusing on football and yes more can definitely be done to help increase engagement levels. The Asian community in Britain still remains a vastly untapped talent pool for the stars of the future. Hence, it's important that we look at the positives and shine the light on British Asian success stories”. We look forward to supporting more of such flag bearers in the field of sports in the country and hope we can honour them with all we have.

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Ernst & Young EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services they deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. EY develops outstanding leaders who deliver on the promises to all of their stakeholders. In so doing, they play a critical role in building a better working world for their people, for their clients and for their communities. EY refers to the global organisation and may refer to one or more of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organisation, please visit ey.com.

Edwardian Hotels Edwardian Hotels London is one of the largest in the UK's hotel sector. The success story of the company goes back to 1977 when its current Chairman and Founder Jasminder Singh OBE bought the Vanderbilt Hotel in South Kensington.

While nine of the hospitality chain's hotels are within central London, it also owns the Radisson Edwardian Heathrow, New Providence Wharf Hotel in Canary Wharf and Radisson Blu Edwardian in Manchester. The group has also launched a number of successful restaurant concepts across several of its hotels – May Fair Kitchen, Scoff & Banter, Annayu and Steak & Lobster are some of them. Its 13th property and its first 5 star is The Hampshire – a prestigious 350-bedroom hotel, currently under construction in Leicester Square. With beautiful rooms and suites, it will contain an Odeon cinema, restaurant and bar concepts, meeting and event spaces. Says Jasminder Singh, “London offers visitors and the people who live here so much – from entertainment and culture, to architecture and education. I wanted to develop hotels in prime locations to not only take advantage of all that, but to become part of the fabric of the city itself.”

Starling Bank Starling Bank is a digital, mobile-only challenger bank based in the United Kingdom. It operates Current Accounts, Business Accounts, and a Payments Services scheme for merchants. Headquartered in London, Starling Bank is a fully licensed and regulated bank, founded by former Allied Irish Banks COO, Anne Boden, in January 2014. Since its inception, it has received significant funding, including an investment of $70 million in 2016. The bank currently offers a personal current account and business account with eligible deposits up to £85,000 protected by the FSCS. Starling is a member of Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, Garmin Pay and Fitbit Pay.

Axiom Stone Solicitor Axiom Stone is a successful legal practice based in London (Edgware, Middlesex & Mayfair).They represent clients both nationally and internationally and provide legal solutions to a myriad of issues.

Axiom Stone continues to grow from strength to strength. Indeed, have now becoming the preferred legal partner to many businesses within London, across the UK and internationally. Their friendly, yet robust approach allows them to innovatively provide strong legal advice and representation in numerous fields including litigation, property, corporate and commercial. They also specialise in legal matters related to the healthcare industry and provide a niche service to entrepreneurs and medium to large sized businesses.

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Regent Group Regent group has a passion for education; helping learners to excel personally, academically and professionally. Established in 2000, and based in north-west London, they are experienced providers, delivering quality education from nursery, through tuition services and full-time secondary school, to further and higher education and executive leadership courses.

Regent Group's aim is to build a 21st century education model for future world learners and their vision is to become a leading provider of quality education, enriching the lives of the students and the communities in which they live and work.

The group's learners benefit from a personalised study programme tailored to their needs and aspirations and their team has years of experience, sharing a passion for education with a strong desire to help learners achieve their full potential.

State Bank of India UK State Bank of India (SBI), with a 200-year heritage, is one of the top 50 largest banks in the world. It is thelargest commercial bank in India in terms of assets,deposits, profits, branches, customers and employees. The Government of India is the largest shareholder of this Fortune 500 company, with 58.60% ownership. SBI UK has been operating in the UK for almost 100 years, and has grown to become the largest Indian bank in the UK, as well being the largest international operation of SBI. It has ringfenced and subsidiarised its retail franchise as of 1 April 2018. SBI (UK) Limited has 12 branches across the UK at present which are open 7 days a week

DDO Solicitors DDO Solicitors is a dynamic young Mayfair Practice established in 2011. DDO prides itself on providing tailor-made solutions for its clients at competitive prices.

The firm specialises in property matters and acts for a number of well-known hotel groups and high street franchisees and franchisors. It also acts for many property developers. The Practice also acts for a number of stellar sporting personalities in the field of cricket.

As part of its commitment to service to the community, the Practice provides pro bona services to a number of charities and is very actively involved on the Monkey Foundation, the Beefy Foundation and YUVA as well as the English Schools Cricket Association and the Bunburys.

The Practice is multi-jurisdictional and has a wide network of clients, both from the UK and around the World.

Sow & Reap Sow & Reap was established in 2004 and has a track record sourcing, refurbishing, developing, renting and selling properties in central London for its clients. The company has recently evolved into land acquisition - assembling an excellent team to gain planning permission for its investors. In August 2017, for example, Sow & Reap was given the go ahead for the development of 92 apartments in North London. The Sow & Reap team include architects, an array of specialist consultants and planning experts as well as political lobbyists. Thus, in addition to its central London property experience, Sow & Reap is able to add tremendous value for its clients finding and developing land. The largest profits margins are often made at the land stage of a deal, so this expertise is very valuable to investors seeking strong returns.

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Editor/Publisher: CB Patel

Chief Executive Officer: L. George

Managing Editor: Kokila Patel

London School of Bollywood (LSB) skyrocketed to fame after reaching the semi-finals of Britain's Got Talent. Having received a 10/10 from Simon Cowell and Amanda Holden describing the performance as an ‘absolute spectacle’, the team have earned their reputation as the UK's most innovative Bollywood dance team.

With mesmerising choreography by Praz, your audience will be amazed by the incredible range and execution of Bollywood adapted styles, from commercial to Kathak, that are available throughout all service lines. The professionals performing for you will deliver energetic, sharp and powerful routines to leave a real impact at your event. Each performance is tailored to meet the needs and requirements of your unique occasion.

LSB are committed to delivering excellence and real value to your event. To enquire about a commercial event, wedding or private booking please contact us on:

Web: www.londonschoolofbollywood.com Email: info@londonschoolofbollywood.com Tel: +44 (0) 77 0136 0497 IG: @London School of Bollywood

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ASIAN ACHIEVERS AWARDS - Asian Voice & Gujarat Samachar 2018

Associate Editor: Rupanjana Dutta Deputy Editor: Urja Patel

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Head - New Projects & Business Development: Cecil Soans Graphic Designers: Harish Dahya & Ajay Kumar Customer Service: Ragini Nayak

Interviews/Articles by: Charusmita, Rupanjana Dutta and Sunetra Senior

Asian Business Publications Ltd

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