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ASIAN
WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS 2006
(25 May 2006)
 Chief
Inspector Parm Sandhu, Britain's top Asian female cop won the Asian
Woman of Achievement Award (Public Sector category) last night at
a ceremony attended by Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian
Blair who paid tribute to her achievement. The AWA Awards 2006 ceremony
was hosted by TV presenter Kavita Maharaj in the presence of HRH
The Duke of Kent, patron Cherie Blair, The Rt Hon Theresa May MP
and a host of celebrities, businessmen and nominees.
The
awards, which applaud and celebrate the commitment, dedication and
determination of Asian women from all over the country and from
all walks of life, saw 11 other winners. Professor Xiangqian Jang
from the University of Huddersfield (Centre for Precision Technologies)
became the first Chinese women to be awarded the Chairman's AWA
Award.
Set
up by Pinky Lilani and Munir Samji to recognise all levels of achievement
made by Asian women in the UK - whether professional or personal
- within the commercial, professional, artistic and humanitarian
sectors, this year 46 finalists competed selected in eight different
Award categories.
AWA
2006 WINNERS
THE
ARTS & CULTURE AWARD WINNER
Shaheen Khan, Actress & Writer, London
Shaheen Khan's career spans an impressive 30 years and she has acted
and written for film, television, theatre and radio. Shaheen, born
in Tanzania, came to the UK aged 11, and her first break in TV came
with the Asian drama, Paosi. Shaheen is best known as the mother
from the award winning film 'Bend it Like Beckham', and she also
stared in the groundbreaking 'Bhaji on the Beach'.
Judge
Emma Arbuthnot, district judge said "Shaheen has made a difference
by bringing Asian culture into the living rooms of the majority
in the UK via popular films such as 'Bend It like Beckham'. She
has written extensively for radio and television as well as theatre.
Shaheen has always chosen her parts to tell stories about her community
and be a positive role model."
THE
ARTS & CULTURE AWARD NOMINEES
For
women flourishing in the world of performing arts, management of
the arts and creative writing, the nominees were:
YOUNG
ACHIEVER OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNER
Damini Kumar, 29, Inventor, Iver Heath, Bucks
 Since
a child Damini had been telling people that she would be an inventor.
Her dream with hard work became a reality. Damini gained a degree
in mechanical engineering from Imperial College of London and she
went onto gain a MSc Masters in Engineering Product Design from
London's South bank University.
YOUNG
ACHIEVER OF THE YEAR AWARD NOMINEES
Any
woman under 30 who has done something incredible, inspirational
or is simply the best at what she does, the nominees were:
MEDIA
PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNER
Fareena Alam, journalist, London
 Born
in London in 1978 Fareena has Bangladeshi parentage and she grew
up in Singapore. During this time she was president of the National
University of Singapore, involved with the United Nations Association,
for which she organised a six month awareness campaign called 'The
children of Bangladesh.' The campaign highlighted the plight of
the street children and she then took the campaign a stage further
by leading a student delegation to carry out relief work in Bangladesh.
MEDIA
PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR AWARD NOMINEES
Unique
individuals working in the areas of broadcast, print or electronic
media, the nominees were:
PROFESSIONAL
OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNER
 Professor
Rahman is one of the UK's leading research scientists in the field
of cancer genetics. At 38, she is one of the youngest fellows of
the Royal College of Physicians and is highly regarded internationally
for her work in Childhood Cancer and Breast Cancer research. Her
current roles are professor of childhood cancer genetics at the
Institute of Cancer Research and team leader in the section of cancer
genetics.
PROFESSIONAL
OF THE YEAR AWARD NOMINEES
For
women who have trained and qualified in their chosen professional
practice and have become a leading practitioner - setting an example
to other women and having their contribution acknowledged by their
peers. The nominees were:
ENTREPRENEUR
OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS
Sumerah Ahmad, 32, and Humerah Khan, 34, Co-Founders and Directors
of Club Asia Radio, Essex
 Having
grown up in London, these British born Asian sisters found themselves
torn between listening to either wholly mainstream radio stations
or wholly Asian radio stations, with nothing in between that could
cater for both tastes. Despite
having no previous experience in radio broadcasting, in November
2002 Humerah and Sumerah managed to secure a highly sought after
broadcasting licence from Ofcom to cater for the 500,000 previously
under-served young Asians around London.
ENTREPRENEUR
OF THE YEAR AWARD NOMINEES
For
a woman who has taken the risk and has successfully set up and is
running her own business, the nominees were:
BUSINESS
WOMAN OF THE YEAR - CORPORATE AWARD
Anila Wickramasinghe, Founder & CEO, ReOrient Legal Limited
 Anila
is the founder and CEO of ReOrient Legal Limited - a practice providing
legal services including Shariah consultancy and advisory services
to the insurance industry in the UK and overseas. This is a unique
company that integrates East-West business throughout the world
to achieve a level playing field for Developing Nations.
BUSINESS
WOMAN OF THE YEAR - CORPORATE, NOMINEES
For
an individual thriving in corporate Britain who has made, and is
making, a significant contribution to the success of their organisation,
the nominees were:
THE
PUBLIC SECTOR AWARD WINNER
Parm Sandhu, Chief Inspector, Metropolitan Police
 Parm
is the highest ranking Asian female in the Metropolitan Police,
and one of the most senior female Asian police officers in the UK
having joined the police service when such a career choice required
courage, commitment and resilience. Parm
is a valued member of the Ethnic Minorities Focus Group and was,
until September 2004, the gender lead for the Metropolitan police
Service Diversity Directorate.
THE
PUBLIC SECTOR AWARD NOMINEES
For
women who have achieved success within senior executive and non-executive
roles in the civil service, quangos, universities and national institutions,
the nominees were:
THE
SOCIAL & HUMANITARIAN AWARD WINNERS
Celine
Samarasinhe, founder of the Kotahena Community Nursing Service and
S-H-A-R-E- Foundation.
 Having
completed her training at Edgware General Hospital, Celine Samarasinhe
joined the Community Nursing Service in 1976. After working as a
District Nurse for 25 years around North London, Celine wanted to
extend her time and medical skills to helping the poor and underprivileged
people in her native Sri Lanka. In
1999, Celine began the Pilot Project in the slum area of Kotahena,
Colombo, with money that she had raised through her church.
Aysin
Yilmaz, 57, Turkish Women's Philanthropic Association of England
 Aysin
was born in Famagusta, Cyprus, to Turkish parents who emigrated
to London in 1954. For the past 22 years Aysin has worked with the
Environmental Directorate for Haringey Council. In
the 1980s Aysin became a member of the Turkish Women's Philanthropic
Association of England and was quickly elected to the role of honorary
secretary, which she held for ten years.
THE
SOCIAL & HUMANITARIAN AWARD NOMINEES
For
special women involved in social and humanitarian work, whether
they are individuals working for non-profit organisations or the
corporate world contributing to the voluntary sector, the nominees
were:
AWA
2006 JUDGES
Sir
Nicholas Young, chief executive of the British Red Cross chairs
the judging panel for the 2006 Asian Women of Achievement Awards.
This year's judging panel boasts a number of distinguished and respected
representatives from industry and commerce including:
- Ruth
Anderson, Vice Chairman, KPMG LLP
- Dr
Jane Anderson, Consultant and Honorary Senior Lecturer
-
Emma Arbuthnot, District Judge
-
Nighat Awan OBE, Chief Executive, Shere Khan Group
-
Elizabeth Coffey, Partner, Big Dog Enterprise Ltd
-
Jeremy Isaacs, CEO Europe & Asia, Lehman Brothers
-
Peter Jones, Chairman, Tote Bookmakers
-
John Makinson, Chairman and Chief Executive, Penguin Group
-
Jyoti Munsiff, Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer, Royal Dutch
Shell plc
-
Kieren Poynter, Senior Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers
-
Alice Perkins, Non-Executive Director, TaylorNelsonSofres
-
Maggie Rose, CEO, MROI
-
James Strachan, former Chairman, Audit Commission
-
Fakhruddin Suterwalla, Managing Director, TRS
-
Mark Swyny, Business Relationship Director, Group Procurement,
Lloyds TSB
-
Ian Chivers, Managing Director of Global Markets and Investment
Banking, Merrill Lynch International
- Nina
Wadia, Actress
-
Patricia Rozario OBE, Opera Singer
WANT
TO KNOW MORE?
Click
here to read about Pinky
Lilani, founder of the AWA Awards.
Click here to the AWA
Awards 2006 shortlist.
Click here for the AWA
Awards 2005 winners.
Click here for the AWA
Awards 2005 shortlist.
Click here for the AWA
Awards 2004 winners
Click here for the AWA
Awards 2004 picture gallery.
Click here to read about the AWA
Awards 2004 shortlist
Click here to read about AWA
Awards 2003 winners.
Click here to read about the AWA
Awards 2003 shortlist.
Click here to read about AWA
Awards 2002 winners.
Click here to read about the AWA
Awards 2002 shortlist.
Click here to read about AWA
Awards 2001 winners.
Click here to read to about the AWA
Awards 2001 shortlist.
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