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Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez

Here at CVFM, we are proud supporters of both Asian Achievement at it's best as well as excellency in the North of England. For your interest, we present a list of the amazing Northern candidates for this year's Asian Achievement Awards - the 21st of its kind.

Art and Culture
Jasdeep Singh Degun

Born and raised in Leeds. Virtuoso sitarist and composer, Jasdeep Singh Degun, masterfully blends Indian classical and contemporary music, breaking cultural boundaries with his extraordinary artistry. He released his acclaimed debut album ‘Anomaly’ under the prestigious Real World Records in May 2022. Jasdeep's cross-cultural production ‘Orpheus’ garnered five-star reviews, securing him a 2022 Critics' Circle Music Award. As the first Indian classical musician to be Artist-in-Residence at Opera North, he continues to leave a profound impact on the music industry.

Business Person of the Year
Nisha Katona MBE

Opened her first restaurant in Liverpool. Nisha Katona, MBE, is a British chef, TV presenter, and founder of Mowgli Street Food restaurants and the Mowgli Trust charity. She had a successful 20-year career as a child protection barrister before pursuing her passion for food. Nisha used all her savings to open the first Mowgli Street Food restaurant in Liverpool in 2014. Her most important career achievements include establishing Mowgli Street Food and expanding it into a successful chain of restaurants across the UK. Mowgli started in 2017 when there were two sites in Liverpool and one in Manchester. Since then it has grown to a network of 15 sites across the UK and create 500 jobs and has recently acquired a new private equity investor in the form of TriSpin. Nisha has been recognized for her contributions to the culinary industry and was awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire).

Community Service
Shalni Arora

Based in Altrincham, Greater Manchester. Shalni Arora, the CEO of Savannah Wisdom, has achieved notable accomplishments throughout her career. As the head of a private family charitable foundation, she focuses on investing in life-science businesses, contributing to advancements in the field. Arora]s dedication to philanthropy is evident through her involvement in various board positions and trustee roles. She serves on the board of the British Asian Trust.

Uniformed and Civil Service
Asrar-Ul-Haq

Ul-Haq's career achievements include serving as a police officer for 30 years, during which he received numerous awards and commendations from High Court Judges, Magistrates, and Chief Constables for his work. He has received national awards for innovation in policing from the Home Secretary and for inspirational leadership. In addition, he has been awarded the Bill Blackledge MBE Chairman's Award for his work in the Rochdale community and his involvement in the initiative called Masjids in Bloom. Furthermore, Asrar has been recognised with an OBE (Order of the British Empire) in the King's New Year's Honours List. The OBE is a prestigious honour that acknowledges individuals for their significant contributions and achievements in various field.

Uniformed and Civil Service
Salman Desai

Based in Bolton. Executive Director of Strategy and Planning in the ambulance service. He has gained significant expertise and knowledge throughout his professional journey. He was also featured in the 2022 King's New Year Honours list and has received a King's Ambulance Medal in the New Year. This recognition indicates his contributions and accomplishments in his role. Salman’s portfolio includes patient experience, and he has established a diverse Patient and Public Panel ensuring NWAS listens to and learns from the voice of its communities, from all ages and all backgrounds. This work enables service improvement and helps us address the health inequalities which have increased during the pandemic.

Woman of the Year
Ridwana Wallace-Laher

A trailblazing CEO of Penny Appeal, is the first Muslim woman to lead a major British charity. Born in Bradford, UK, Ridwana has over 20 years of senior experience in education and humanitarian sectors, managing multi-million pound projects and leading diverse teams across the globe. With a passion for driving innovation and sustainable impact, Ridwana's transformative and compassionate leadership approach focuses on elevating her teams to help them reach their fullest potential.

The stage is set and the red-carpet is getting laid out as the shortlist for potential winners of the 21st Asian Achievers Awards, the UK’s most prominent and longstanding celebration of British Asian achievement across multiple fields, are announced. This year’s Awards will take place on Friday 15th September 2023 at the prestigious London Hilton on Park Lane. Nearly 700 people are expected to attend. These high-profile guests include celebrities, senior ministers, global stars and influencers.

In the upcoming edition, more than 500 nominations were received across all the categories. These include:

- Arts And Culture - Business Person Of The Year - Community Service - Entrepreneur Of The Year - Lifetime Achievement Award - Media - Professional Of The Year - Sports Personality Of The Year - Uniformed And Civil Service - Woman Of The Year

Judges were chosen to represent a wide cross-section of society from charity, public services, business, entrepreneurship and politics. They include Farzana Baduel (CEO and Co-Founder, Curzon PR), Shamil Thakrar (Co-Founder, Dishoom), former England cricketer and Yorkshire captain Azeem Rafiq, Chair of Unicef UK Shatish Dasani, Chair of the Police Federation for the City of London Mike Reed, and Mohammed Amin MBE, trustee of the The National War Memorial.


This year’s shortlist includes accomplished figures across various fields. This includes the star of BBC One drama A Suitable Boy and Apple TV+ Shantaram, Shubham Saraf, as well as Anwar Uddin MBE, who created history by becoming the first British-Bangladeshi player in English football history, and Chair of KPMG UK Bina Mehta - the first woman to hold the role in company’s 150 year history.

Art and Culture

 Archana Kumar
 Jasdeep Singh Degun
 Prathiba Parmer
 Shubham Saraf


Business Person of the Year
 Dr Dharminder Nagar
 Harren Jhoti
 Nisha Katona
 Zeeshan Shah


Community Service
 Atif Ali
 Baljeet Chane
 Poulomi Desai
 Shalni Arora


Entrepreneur of the Year
 Nurdin Jivraj
 Rishi Patel
 Siddhi Mittal
 Tani Dulay
 Vaysh Kewada


Media
 Aditya Chakrabortty
 Anila Dhami
 Rubina Pabani and Poppy Jay
 Shamim Chowdhury


Professional of the Year
 Bina Mehta
 Dr Nikki Kanani
 Lubna Shuja
 Professor KJ Patel


Sports Personality of the Year
 Anwar Uddin
 Bhupinder Singh Gill
 Hamzah Sheeraz
 Naomi Dilip Dattani


Uniformed and Civil Service
 Asrar-Ul-Haq

 HHJ Anuja Ravindra Dhir QC
 Murugesvran Subramanian
 Salman Desai


Woman of the Year
 Dr Lalitha Iyer
 Ridwana Wallace-Laher
 Rukshana Kapasi
 Saloni Bhijwani and Samira Ann Qassim


Speaking about this year’s programme, Liji George, Commercial Director, Asian Achievers Awards says: “We see in the Shortlist that the Awards represent the best and brightest in South Asian excellence across the country. We have community leaders, innovators and job creators that have added to the social, cultural and business fabric of the UK. Congratulations to all the shortlist and best of luck for the Awards.”

South Asians in the UK today occupy leadership positions across a range of fields, including politics, business and civil society. The Asian Achievers Awards continue to recognise the outstanding work of such individuals within the South Asian community. The event is organised by global advisory firm EPG, supported by Market Financial Solutions (MFS), Axiom DWFM, Asian Voice, Gujarat Samachar and others, with expected funds of upwards of £150,000 expected to be raised for charity partner One Kind Act on the night.

Nitin Ganatra (Eastenders), entrepreneur, philanthropist and documentary filmmaker, returns as the host of the evening. Joining him as the co-host is renowned Pakistani actress and model, Ainy Jaffri Rahman (Balu Mahi). Ganatra says: “The Asian Achievers Awards celebrate the best of the awe-inspiring talent we have in the South Asian community today. Every year I come to these Awards and am impressed by the standard of nominations and the quality of the shortlist. Just look back at the last two decades of winners and you’ll see the event has tracked the growth of our community for more than a generation.”

Rahman adds: "Everywhere we look in the South Asian community in Britain today, it is full of inspirational people. Some excel on screen, and others do it quietly in their local neighbourhoods. I'm pleased to be involved in the AAA to be able to celebrate these hidden gems, who I hope can
inspire the next generation."

Over the last few editions, the net worth of the room has consistently been over £40 billion. Tickets for the event will be available at: asianachieversawards.com.


Join the conversation:
#AAA23
#AsianAchieversAwards
Instagram: @AsianAchieversAwards
Facebook: @AsianAchieversAwards
Twitter: @AsianAchievers

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