By Sailesh Ram
TEN very special people were recognized for their amazing achievements on a night of high glamour and inspiration at the GG2 Leadership Awards.
More than 800 people packed the banqueting hall at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge on Wednesday last week (November 23) to celebrate the best of ethnic Britain and hear Nick Clegg speak – and be quizzed – about the challenges of leading the country as deputy prime minister.
They also saw the GG2/EE Power 101 being launched by Clegg and Ramniklal Solanki CBE, the editor in chief of the Asian Media & Marketing Group (AMG), the hosts of the awards and publishers of GG2 and EE.
Kalpesh Solanki, AMG managing editor also made a keynote speech calling upon companies to recognize and promote Asian talent in a changing Britain that offers both opportunities and dangers.
Before the awards got underway, guests enjoyed a sumptuous dinner and were entertained by comedian Shazia Mirza.
Lord Navnit Dholakia was presented with the Hammer, the most prestigious of the 10 awards and given to a person who has been a trailblazer and pioneer.
Lord Dholakia has a 40-year plus political career and first joined the Young Liberals in 1959, just three years after arriving in the UK. He was born in Tanzania and educated in Gujarat before coming to Britain. He is currently the party`s deputy leader in the House of Lords and was the country`s first Asian to head a mainstream political party. He was the Lib Dem president between 2000-2004 and is regarded as one of the party`s elder statesmen and most influential voices. He also developed an expertise on race as a former commissioner for the now defunct Commission for Racial Equality (CRE).
Darra Singh, the man charged with looking into the reasons for the riots, as chairman of the riots, community & victims panel took the GG2 Man of the Year award. He is one of Britain`s top civil servants, and only one of three of the country`s non-white permanent secretaries. He has a long and hugely successful career in local government, serving as chief executive in both Ealing and Luton. He is also the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, the government agency charged with getting people back to work.
Nina Wadia was handed the GG2 Woman of the Year award. She has become one of the nation`s top stars, playing the moody and unpredictable Zainab in Eastenders. She has also released a movie this year called Four. It was made by her own production company and she acted as executive producer with her husband Raiomond Mirza, composing the music.
There were also standing ovations for two men and one woman who have all, in their own way, shown remarkable reserves of strength.
Sgt Dip Pun was given the GG2 Pride of Britain Award, for his incredible bravery. He fought off a ferocious dozen-strong Taliban attack in Afghanistan, while defending a sentry post and managed to stop the insurgents from overrunning a base and killing his comrades behind him.Tariq Jahan was presented with the GG2 spirit of the community award for calming a community riven by divisions and suspicion in the wake of riots and did so while still grieving for his 21-year-old son who was a victim of the the violence in August.
Blind Sana Vana took the achievement through adversity award. Despite her disability, she competed to get a training contract like any other graduate and was taken on by Wragge & Co, a prestigious international law firm. Based in Birmingham she has outshone many of her sighted colleagues and with just a few adjustments and a pen for her guide dog, she has established herself and her clients see no difference in her ability to represent them.
Indian-born entrepreneur Dr Diwan Nanda has guided his family company, Topsgrup, through a remarkable period of growth and transformation. He moved the company headquarters to London, seeing the potential for expansion in Europe and the US after acquiring Shield Guard, a British security firm. Today, that company is valued at around £290m and Dr Nanda`s company continues to innovate and be at the forefront of change. In the absence of state emergency services for ambulance and fire, Topsgrup runs these in Mumbai and it has been credited with saving the lives of thousands with quick response vehicles and personnel. Dr Nanda told the audience that the award was recognition for his staff who came to the aid of the victims in the Mumbai terrorist attacks of 2008.
Atul Pathak is a remarkable entrepreneur – not only is he hugely successful, running 20 McDonald`s franchises and employing 1,500 but his commitment to training and educational support sets him apart. He has a number of apprentices on his books and encourages them to seek qualifications and develop their managerial potential. Many of his employees see him as an inspiration. He also supports community groups and is active around his home neighbourhood of Southall.
Nazia Parveen took the Young Journalism award. She left the family home at 17 and put herself through college and journalism training to fulfill her dream. Working online her tenacity and talent took her to the Lancashire Telegraph, where she has produced a string of exclusives, with many followed up by national newspapers. Among these were Blackburn MP Jack Straw`s comments on grooming, cover-ups at a mental hospital and the tragic death of a boy during a normally routine appendix operation.
