The UK government has unveiled the Birthday Honours List on behalf of King Charles III, which acknowledges the exceptional achievements of more than 40 individuals of Indian origin among 67 South Asians across various fields. This year’s list comprises a total of 1,171 honorees, with 52 per cent recognised for their remarkable work within their communities, either in a voluntary or paid capacity and 11 per cent representing ethnic minority backgrounds.
Among the notable recipients is Dr Parvinder Kaur Aley, Director of Global Operations at the Oxford Vaccine Group, University of Oxford, who has been bestowed the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her outstanding contributions in the field of vaccination during the Covid-19 pandemic. Professor Prokar Dasgupta, Foundation Professor of Surgery at King’s Health Partners and Chair in Robotic Surgery and Urological Innovation at King’s College London, has been honoured with an OBE for his remarkable contributions to surgery and scientific advancements.
The list also features prominent British Indian business leaders. Anuj Chande, Partner and Head of the South Asia Business Group at Grant Thornton UK LLP has been awarded an OBE for his exceptional services in international trade and investment. Hina Solanki, the founder of Sol Cosmedics, has been acknowledged as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her notable contributions to business and charitable endeavours.
Consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist Anju Kumar has received an OBE for her invaluable services to women's health and welfare in Wales. Sunand Prasad, Chair of the UK Green Buildings Council, has been acknowledged for his remarkable contributions to regeneration.
Sikhs and people of Sikh heritage are amongst many being honoured in the King’s Birthday Honours List. Amongst the recipients is Narinder Sagoo, Senior Partner at Foster + Partners. Another recipient is Sardarni Navleen Kaur who has worked in humanitarian development projects in Punjab, where she also trained at Panjabi University Patiala under the guidance of the Gurmat Studies faculty. Varinder Hayre is a District Crown Prosecutor and London North Hate Crime lead with the Crown Prosecution Service. She receives an OBE for services to law and order. Amarjit Raju has received OBE for serving the community in Derby and beyond for over three decades. As CEO of Disability Direct, he has transformed the organisation into a prominent advocate for disabled individuals and their caregivers.
Several individuals have been awarded MBE honours, including physiotherapist and specialist hand therapist Roma Bhopal for her notable services in physiotherapy, Bawa Singh Dhallu for his political and voluntary work, violinist Jyotsna Srikanth for her contributions to music, and Ritu Khurana for her outstanding services to music and broadcasting as a disc jockey and broadcaster.
The list also includes those who have been bestowed the British Empire Medal (BEM). Among them is Balvir Mohan Bhalla, founder of the Super Cool Friends Charity, who has been recognised for his exceptional services to the community in Ilford, London Borough of Redbridge, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. Pianist and composer Rekesh Chauhan has been honoured for his contributions to music, charity, and mental health in the British Asian community, while Kailash Malhotra has been acknowledged for his services to kidney organ donation for minority ethnic groups as a Peer Educator Volunteer at Kidney Research UK.
LIST OF ASIAN WINNERS
Commander of the Order
of the British Empire
Zahra Shiva Bahrololoumi
Northampton, Northamptonshire
Chief Executive Officer, Salesforce UKI. For services to the Information Technology Sector
Professor Paliarkarakadu Assen Muhammed Basheer FREng
Leeds, West Yorkshire
Chair in Structural Engineering, University of Leeds. For services to Civil Engineering
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Dr Khurshid Alam
London, Greater London
Chair, Academy for Advanced Studies and Training UK International. For services to BAME Healthcare and the Professional Development of BAME Doctors
Dr Parvinder Kaur Aley
Oxford, Oxfordshire
Director of Global Operations, Oxford Vaccine Group, University of Oxford. For services to Vaccination during Covid-19
Anuj Jayantilal Chande
London, Greater London
Partner, Grant Thornton. For services to International Trade and Investment
Professor Aravinthan Coomarasamy
Birmingham, West Midlands
Professor of Gynaecology and Reproductive Medicine, University of Birmingham. For services to Maternal Health
Professor Prokar Dasgupta
London, Greater London
Foundation Professor of Surgery, King's Health Partners and Chair in Robotic Surgery and Urological Innovation, King's College London. For services to Surgery and Science
Varinder Hayre
London, Greater London
District Crown Prosecutor, Crown Prosecution Service, London. For services to Law and Order
Ishtiaq Hussain
London, Greater London
Assistant Director, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. For Public Service
Dr Kavitha Kishen
St Albans, Hertfordshire
Deputy Director, Security, Resilience and Strategy, Government Office for Science. For services to National Resilience and Diversity in Government Science and Engineering
Anju Kumar
Cardiff, South Glamorgan
Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist. For services to Women's Health and Welfare in Wales
Amar Latif
Leeds, West Yorkshire
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Traveleyes. For services to the Visually Impaired and to Entrepreneurship
Dr Navaratnam Partheeban
Battlesbridge, Essex
Co-Founder, British Veterinary Ethnicity and Diversity Society. For services to Inclusion
Sunand Prasad MBE
London, Greater London
Chair, UK Green Building Council. For services to Regeneration
Dr Amarjit Raju
Derby, Derbyshire
Chief Executive, Disability Direct. For services to People with Disabilities, to Carers and to Mental Health
Professor Rama Shankaran Thirunamachandran DL
London, Greater London
Vice-Chancellor, Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, Kent. For services to Higher Education
Mohammad Amjid Wazir
Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire
Member and Deputy Leader, Stoke-on-Trent City Council. For Political Service and to the community in Stoke-on-Trent
Member of the Order of the British Empire
Darnish Amraz
Birmingham, West Midlands
Youth Worker, Birmingham City Youth Service. For services to Young People in Birmingham
Roma Bhopal
Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh
Physiotherapist and Specialist Hand Therapist. For services to Physiotherapy
Vanita Brookes
Bolton, Greater Manchester
Fellow, Faculty of Dental Surgery, Royal College of Surgeons of England. For services to the Oral Health of People with Disabilities
Nizamuddin Noordin Damani
Portadown, County Armagh
Consultant Microbiologist, Southern Health and Social Care Trust. For services to Infection Prevention and Control in Northern Ireland and to the World Health Organisation
Bawa Singh Dhallu
Smethwick, West Midlands
Lately Councillor and Mayor, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, West Midlands. For Political and Voluntary Service
Sandeep Dwesar
London, Greater London
Chief Operating and Financial Officer, Barbican Centre. For Public Service in the City of London
Mohammed Fahim
Walsall, West Midlands
For services to the community in Walsall, West Midlands, particularly during Covid-19
Aqil Farooq
Gloucestershire
Police Sergeant and Chair, Staff Association, Avon and Somerset Police. For services to Policing and to Diversity and Inclusion
Kapaljit Singh Jhuti
London, Greater London
Head of Services, Transport and Passenger Logistics, Heathrow Airport, London. For services to the State Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Sardarni Navleen Kaur
London, Greater London
Founder, Sahara Sisterhood. For services to Women and to Interfaith Relations
Ritu Khurana
London, Greater London
Disc Jockey and Broadcaster. For services to Music and to Broadcasting
Dr Nihara Sonali Krause
London, Greater London
Founder and Chief Executive, Stem4. For services to the Mental Health of Young People
Rizwana Mahmood-Ahmed
Dewsbury, West Yorkshire
Headteacher, Carlton Junior and Infants School, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire. For services to Education
Rizwan Wali Mohammed
Glasgow, City of Glasgow
For services to the community in Glasgow
Professor Raja Anindya Sekhar Mukherjee
Horsham, West Sussex
Consultant Psychiatrist, Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. For services to People with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
Shiva Chandra Niraula
Aldershot, Hampshire
Pandit, Brigade of Gurkhas, Ministry of Defence. For pastoral services to Military Personnel
Asitha Panditharatna
London, Greater London
Director of Employment Services, The Forward Trust. For services to Further Education and Skills
Anita Parmar
London, Greater London
Head, Lessons from Auschwitz Project, Holocaust Educational Trust. For services to Holocaust Education and Remembrance
Professor Kanwal John Pasi
London, Greater London
Lately Centre Director, Royal London Haemophilia Centre, Barts Health NHS Trust. For services to the NHS
Jay Prakash Patel
Crewe, Cheshire
Qualified Person Assessor, AstraZeneca. For services to Public Health during Covid-19
Jeeta Patel
London, Greater London
Lately Senior Policy Adviser, Cabinet Office. For Public Service
Dr Shubha Platt (Shubha Sathyendranath)
Plymouth, Devon
Merit Scientist, Remote Sensing, Plymouth Marine Laboratory. For services to Oceanography
Dr Sandrasekeram Premachandran
Camberley, Surrey
Adviser, Care Quality Commission and Emergency Medicine Consultant, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust. For services to Health and Care
Aftabur Rahman
Birmingham, West Midlands
Chief Executive Officer, Legacy West Midlands. For services to Heritage and to the community in Birmingham
Nimisha Raja
Sittingbourne, Kent
Founder, Nim's Fruit Crisps. For services to Small and Medium Enterprises
Adil Rashid
Bradford, West Yorkshire
For services to Cricket
Narinder Singh Sagoo
London, Greater London
For services to Charity
Bilal Bin Saqib
London, Greater London
Co-Founder, One Million Meals. For services to the NHS and to the community in Stanmore, London Borough of Harrow
Prodaman Kumar Sarwal
London, Greater London
Lately Trustee, Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust and Chair, Master Ropemakers Ltd. For services to Heritage and to the Charitable Sector
Dr Farrukh Tasnim Shah
London, Greater London
Consultant Haematologist, Whittington Health NHS Trust. For services to Thalassaemia and Sickle Cell Patients
Dr Inderjit Singh
Glasgow, City of Glasgow
For voluntary and charitable services to the community in Scotland
Harvinder Singh Rai
Walsall, West Midlands
Sergeant, West Midlands Police. For services to Policing and to the Sikh Community
Hina Solanki
London, Greater London
Founder, Sol Cosmedics. For services to Business and to Charity
Jyotsna Srikanth
London, Greater London
Violinist. For services to Music
Dr Shivani Anika Walia
London, Greater London
Founder, Anika Food Charity. For services to the Alleviation of Food Poverty
Rahima Do Nascimento Aziz
London, Greater London
Trustee, Aziz Foundation. For services to Young People
Perminderjeet Kaur Banwait
Wakefield, West Yorkshire
Founder and Managing Director, Banwait Group Holdings. For services to Social Care
Balvir Mohan Bhalla
London, Greater London
Founder, Super Cool Friends Charity. For services to the community in Ilford, London Borough of Redbridge, particularly during Covid-19
Nighat Bhola
London, Greater London
Director, Humdum UK. For services to Food Provision and to the community in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, particularly during Covid-19
Rekesh Chauhan
Birmingham, West Midlands
Pianist and Composer. For services to Music, to Charity and to Mental Health in the British Asian Community, particularly during Covid-19
Ehsan Shahid Choudhry
London, Greater London
Co-Founder, MH The Open Kitchen. For services to the community in the London Borough of Hounslow
Balbir Dhillon
Warrington, Cheshire
Postmaster. For services to the community in Birchwood, Cheshire
Kuldeep Singh Dhillon
Warrington, Cheshire
Postmaster. For services to the community in Birchwood, Cheshire
Krishna Ghosh
London, Greater London
For services to Education and to the community in London
Dr Priya Kumar
Virginia Water, Surrey
General Practitioner, Kumar Medical Centre, Slough. For services to Health Improvement in South East England
Kailash Malhotra
Glasgow, City of Glasgow
Peer Educator Volunteer, Kidney Research UK. For services to Kidney Organ Donation for Minority Ethnic Groups
Mohammad Mirza
Stalybridge, Greater Manchester
Caseworker, HM Revenue and Customs. For services to Mental Health
Hetalban Mayank Patel
Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Compliance and Investigation Officer, HM Revenue and Customs. For services to Homeless People in Newcastle upon Tyne
Virendra Mahendrakumar Patel
Southampton, Hampshire
Technical Support Partner, John Lewis and Partners. For services to the community in Hampshire
Yasmin Sidhwa
Oxford, Oxfordshire
Founder and Director, Mandala Theatre Company. For services to Drama
Joysy John
London, Greater London
Adviser, EdTech. For services to the Technology Sector
Salma Bano Zulfiqar
Solihull, West Midlands
For services to Art and to Education
