Journalist Balvinder Sidhu has been shortlisted for an Asian Woman of Achievement (AWA) award for her work in the media industry.
Balvinder, pictured, has worked with ITV News for over a decade. Graduating with a degree in Psychology in 2001, she worked within the public sector focusing on domestic violence. In 2007 she re-trained as a journalist, and after completing a postgraduate Diploma in Journalism, secured a place on the highly competitive ITV News traineeship.
Currently Balvinder, from the Midlands, works as an early presenter and reporter for ITV News Central, a regular face on Good Morning Britain, ITV’s flagship breakfast programme. An investigative journalist, Balvinder has tackled complex and often controversial subjects. She led the first television investigation into protests over inter-faith marriages inside gurdwaras and a three-part series on men’s mental health including the rise in suicide rates. She has covered post-natal depression as well as eating disorders amongst men. More recently Balvinder investigated the grooming and sexual exploitation of Asian girls by gangs of men in Britain.
The AWAs were founded in 1999 by Pinky Liliani, CBE, DL, to celebrate the contribution of diverse cultures and talents to British society. Winners will be announced at a ceremony in London next Wednesday (May 9).
