Asians recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours List 2011
11th June 2011

Mayank Patel, Chairman and CEO of the Azibo Group incorporating Currencies Direct, was recognised with an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List 2011, it was announced today 11th June 2011. Restaurateur Namita Panjabi, co-founder of Masala World and artists Amrit and Rabindra Kaur Singh, a.k.a The Singh Twins, were all honoured with an MBE. This year's Birthday Honours has recognised the efforts of many Asians in the area of community cohesion, among those honoured are Rajinder Kaur Mann who was awarded an OBE for services to black and minority ethnic people in the West Midlands; Kuldip Rupra also awarded an OBE for services to black and minority ethnic people in East London; Kanwaljit Kaur Singh, Chair of the British Sikh Educational Council who was awarded an OBE for services to Inter-Faith understanding; Nazir Ahmed Butt awarded an MBE for services to community cohesion in the London Borough of Waltham Forest and Sohail Nawaz, Director of Shahbash, Preston who was recognised with an MBE for services to community cohesion in the region.

The Queen's Birthday Honours List 2011

Order of the British Empire - Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE)

Dr Reena KEEBLE Headteacher, Cannon Lane First School, London Borough of Harrow. For services to local and national Education. (Harrow, Middlesex)

Order of the British Empire - Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)

Mayur Parsuram PATEL Team Leader, Litigation, Treasury, Solicitor's Department. (Wembley, Middlesex)

Order of the British Empire - Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)

Dr Sunirmal (Biku) GHOSH Founder, Gwent-Southern Ethiopia Health Link. For services to Medicine. (Monmouthshire)

Feizal HAJAT Head of Community Safety Legal Services, Birmingham City Council. For services to Local Government. (Leicester, Leicestershire)

Ms Rajinder Kaur MANN For services to Black and Minority Ethnic People. (West Midlands)

Emran MIAN Lately Secretary, Independent Review of Higher Education Funding and Student Finance, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. (London, N1)

Meena, Mrs MODI Headteacher, Chater Infant School, Hertfordshire. For services to Education. (Edgware, Middlesex)

Hawa Bibi, Mrs LAHER Headteacher, Spring Grove Junior, Infants and Nursery, Kirklees, West Yorkshire. For services to Education. (Mirfield, West Yorkshire)

Mayank Bachubhai PATEL Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Azibo Group. For services to the Financial Services Industry and to Entrepreneurship. (Amersham, Buckinghamshire)

Professor Nirmala RAO Pro-Director (Learning and Teaching) and Professor of Politics, School of Oriental and African Studies. For services to Scholarship. (London, W5)

Kuldip RUPRA For services to Black and Minority Ethnic Communities in the East of England. (Bedford, Bedfordshire)

Professor Mona SIDDIQUI Director, Centre for the Study of Islam, University of Glasgow. For services to Inter-Faith Relations. (Westerwood, Glasgow)

Dr Kanwaljit Kaur SINGH Chair, British Sikh Educational Council. For services to Education and to Inter-Faith Understanding. (London, SW19)

Ramesh Kumari, Mrs VERMA Chief Executive, EKTA Charity. For services to Older People in East London. (Ilford, Essex)

Order of the British Empire - Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)

Liaquat ALI For services to Local Government in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. (London, E17)

Gurcharan Singh DHESI Sergeant, Metropolitan Police Special Constabulary. For services to the Police. (Kent)

Nazir Ahmed BUTT For services to Community Cohesion in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. (London, E11)

Azhar HUSSAIN For services to Motorsport. (Worcester Park, Surrey)

Asif IQBAL Project Manager, Deaf Parenting UK. For services to Deaf and Disabled People. (Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire)

Devinder KALHAN Group Manager, Adults and Communities Directorate, Birmingham City Council. For services to Local Government and to Inter-Faith Relations. (Wolverhampton, West Midlands)

Ms Kamaljit KAUR For services to Equal Opportunities for Asian Women. (London, UB2)

Jyotsa Arun, Mrs KOTNIS (Jona) For services to Community Relations in Northamptonshire. (Northamptonshire)

Parvinder Singh LALLI Executive Officer, Jobcentre Plus, Department for Work and Pensions. (Gravesend, Kent)

Sohail NAWAZ Director of Shahbash, Preston. For services to Community Cohesion. (Preston, Lancashire)

Ms Namita PANJABI Co-Founder, Masala World. For services to the Hospitality Industry. (London, W1H)

Bipinchandra Dharamshi PATEL Vice-Chair of Governors, Working Men's College, London. For services to Adult and Further Education. (London, NW7)

Maha, Mrs RIDHA For services to Muslim Women. (Wembley, Middlesex)

Saroj Bala, Mrs SETH For services to Community Cohesion in Leicester. (Oadby, Leicestershire)

Miss Amrit Kumari Dhigpal Kaur SINGH Artist. For services to the Indian Miniature Tradition of Painting. (Birkenhead, Merseyside)

Miss Rabindra Kumari Dhigpal Kaur SINGH Artist. For services to the Indian Miniature Tradition of Painting. (Birkenhead, Merseyside)

Dr Marcus Jayant SOLANKI For services to the community in Leicester. (Leicestershire)