Several ‘extraordinary’ professionals, entrepreneurs and individuals from the Asian community were named in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for 2018.
The list of individuals named for the UK’s highest civilian honours from various walks of life reflects the achievements of the diaspora in various walks of life. 1057 people have received the Queen’s honours on her birthday this year. The list is published twice a year, at new year and on the date of the queen’s official birthday.
This year, 920 candidates have been selected at BEM, MBE and OBE level: 318 at BEM, 392 at MBE and 210 at OBE. 71% of the recipients are people who have undertaken outstanding work in their communities either in a voluntary or paid capacity; 519 women are recognised in the List, representing 49% of the total; 10% of the successful candidates come from a BAME background and 5.7% of the successful candidates consider themselves to have a disability (under the Equality Act 2010).
The proportion of women receiving the highest level of awards has risen to 41% this year, compared to 39% in the most recent New Year's Honours List. But the improvement is considerable when compared to the 2015 list. This year there are 11 Dames and 21 knights, none Asian and the number of women receiving the higher awards of CBE and above has risen by 10% in the last three years. The shift reflects the changing prominence of women in public life and comes on the 100th anniversary of the first women being given the vote.
An official statement said the Queen’s Birthday Honours List recognises the achievements of a “wide range of extraordinary people” across the UK.
Honoured with a damehood were actor Emma Thompson and Mary Beard, professor of Classics at Cambridge. Historian Simon Chama and footballer Kenny Dalglish have been named for knighthood
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Order of the British Empire Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
Professor Jaswinder Singh Bamrah: Consultant Psychiatrist, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Trust and Honorary Reader, University of Manchester. For services to Mental Health, Diversity and the NHS. Professor Bashir Mohammed Ali Al-Hashimi: Professor of Computer Engineering, University of Southampton for services to Computer Engineering and to Industry.
Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
Manoj Kumar Badale: Chair British Asian Trust, for services to the Economy and to charity.
Sonia Kumari Brooks: Deputy Governor, HM Young Offenders Institution, Feltham, for services to HM Prison Service and to the Criminal Justice System.
Pargan Singh Cheema: Chief Executive The Scottish Grocers' Federation, for services to business, to community cohesion and to charity.
Pradip Khodidas Dhamecha: Chief Executive, Dhamecha Group for services to exports, economic growth and philanthropy.
Nitesh Gor DL: Founder and chief executive, Avanti Schools Trust, for services to education.
Shahana Khan: for volumtary service to healthcare amd social housing in the West Midlands.
Pritpal Singh Landa: Managing Director, DSL Group (Nottingham) Ltd, for services to business to charity to the community in Nottingham.
Amandeep Singh Madra: For services to Punjabi and Sikh heritage and culture.
Dhruv Prashant Patel: For voluntary services to the British Hindu community and to social cohesion.
Kumar Sureshchandra Raval: Founder of Faith in leadership, for services to leadership, education and inter-faith cohesion.
Dr Syed Tanzeem Haidar Raza: Consultant physician, The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for services to health and medical education.
Dr Ashok Roy: Clinical lead learning disabilities, Health Education England, for services to People and with Learning Disabilities.
Dr Amarjit Kaur Samra: Director of Research Medical Directorate, for services to Defence Medical Research.
Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
Roma Agrawal: Associate director AECOM, for services to Engineering.
Ajaz Khowaj Quoram Ahmed: Founder AKQA, for services to Media
Akeela Ahmed: Founder, She Speaks, We Hear for services to Muslim women.
Sarfraz Ali: President, Pakistan Association Liverpool, for services Community cohesion and integration in Liverpool.
Mahomed Farouk Alimahomed: Chairman, Lesta Packaging plc, for services to business, the community and philanthropy.
Faisal Atcha: Firefighter and community volunteer, Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue service for public service.
Satvir Paul Bungar: Managing director of Mergers and Acquisitions and head of facilities management sector BDO LLP for services to Corporate Finance.
Fakrul Alam Choudhury: For services to the community in Oldham
Meerwis Daoud: Cultural Advisor to Senior British Representative Kabul, for services to defence.
Mili Ranjit Doshi: Dental consultant Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, for services to NHS dentistry.
Hemlata Gandhi: Post mistrss, Risinghurst Post Office and General store, for services to to the post office and community in Oxfordhsire.
Dr Sadhu-Ram Gupta: For services toi Opthalmology and to charity in the Ukand abroad.
Maboob Hussain: For services to West Yorkshire Police and charity.
Mohammad Iqbal: For services to charity and community relations in Manchester.
Mohammed Ishaq: Director, The Punjab Kitchen Ltd, for services to Innovation and the economy in Tyne and Wear.
Rehana Mohammed: Rehana is a learning manager, Workers' Educational Association, for services to the Education of marginialised women in Rochdale and Oldham.
Gargi Patel: Immigration Officer, Immigration Enforcement, Home office for services to Community Engagement and Immigration.
Dr Parameswara Venugopal Prasad, General Parctioner Panton Surgery, Holywell, for services to the community in Holywell.
Mohammed Mushtaq Raj: Senior Executive Officer, Home Office, for services to race and equality. To diversity and inclusion.
Dr Rabindra Vishanka Ratnasuriya: General Practioner, Lordswood medical group and chair, our health partnership, for services to general practice in West Midlands.
Mahesh Seewoodhary: Senior lecturer, Adult nursing, University of west London. For services to opthalmology nurse training and sickle cell awareness.
Dr Farzaaz Sharief: Governing body elected elected clinical member NHS Medway clinical commissioning group, for services to mental health.
Dr Opinderjit Kaur Takhar: Director of centre of Sikh and Punjabi studies., University of Wolverhampton, for services to higher education and to the community in Wolverhampton.
Alpana Taylor: Choreographer, for services to South Asian dance.
Jagdev Singh Virdee: for services to statistics and Sikh community.
British Empire Medal (BEM)
Pavandeep Ahluwalia: Henna artist for services to the beauty industry.
Soorendra Lingiah: Chair, Minority Ethnic Group for All Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, for services to BAME patients.
Dr Nishma Manek: GP trainee and founder next generation GP for services to General Practioner Leadership development
Vijay Mehta: For services to heritage in the public sector.
Abdul Aziz Sardar: For services to the community in Tower Hamlets, London.
Dr Hasmukh Vadilal Shah: For services to the Hindu community in Cardiff.
Diplomatic Service and Overseas List Order of the British Empire
GBE
Rebecca Ann Sagar, for services to British foreign service.
This list may not be exhaustive
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Dr Hasmukh Shah BEM
Dr Hasmukh Shah who is a GP working in the Rhondda Valley has been recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours list by the award of British Empire Medal.(BEM) He has worked in the NHS for nearly 43 years and has devoted his life to the betterment of the health of a significantly deprived area of Wales. However, it is his passion for community and charitable work that was recognised in the Honours List. He is trustee of Sanatan Dharma Mandal &Hindu Community Centre Cardiff, Welsh Hearts, Race Council Cymru and The Mentor Ring.He is also the Chair of MEGAFOCUS group (Minor Ethnic Association for Ophthalmic Care) in Wales Government, and a fundraiser member of Vale for Africa charity. Dr Shah has worked selflessly raising thousands of pounds for various charities.
He is also the honorary secretary of British Association of Physicians of Indian origin which has contributed tremendously to recruitment, retention and training of overseas trained doctors providing vital services to the NHS in Wales. His charity, however, does not stop its work in UK but also extends to overseas deserving causes, and he has raised funds for school projects in India and orphan project in Africa.
Dr Shah was awarded visiting a Fellowship by the University of South Wales in April, 2017 for his long standing medical professional work, education and charitable work to people of Wales. A humble family man, he is proud to have raised two daughters who are successful doctors in London.
Speaking to Asian Voice Dr Shah said, " I am truly humbled by this recognition and would like to dedicate this to my family,all my friends colleagues and coworkers who help me in achieving so much for charitable causes.”
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Nitesh Gor OBE
Nitesh Gor CEO and Founder of Avanti Schools Trust has been awarded an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List 2018. Speaking to Asian Voice, about his honour, Gor said, “I feel humbled knowing all the great work that others within Avanti Schools Trust are doing to make it such a success. It’s wonderful having our work within Avanti being recognised in this way.”
The purpose of Avanti is to contribute to society through the systematic pursuit of human values and spiritual development. The idea for Avanti began in 2003 and our first school was opened in 2008. Their vision was for a family of schools based upon our core principles of educational excellence, character formation and spiritual insight. They now have close to 2,700 students and 250 members of staff across our family of 6 schools (5 primary and one secondary) with two more schools in pre-opening (both all-through schools). Their schools are located in Redbridge, Harrow, Leicester and Croydon.
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Dhruv Patel OBE
34 year old Dhruv Patel has received an OBE. He has been an elected member of the City of London Corporation for five years where he has served as Chairman of the Community and Children’s Services Committee, a Director of the City of London Academies Trust, and as Deputy Chairman of City Bridge Trust, London’s largest independent charitable funder. Dhruv is a married father of two and a businessman with interests in property, retail pharmacy, and the London insurance market.
Commenting on his OBE Dhruv said: “I’m am deeply humbled to be recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
“I have been heavily engaged in voluntary service, particularly for the Hindu community, since my university days. My election to the City of London Corporation gave me the chance to broaden out this work.
“My focus has been on ensuring London’s young people have the best start to life, and all communities have the opportunity to thrive.
“Whilst it is wonderful to receive this national honour, recognition cannot be the driver: sewa or selfless service is, and shall continue to be, a vital part of my life.”
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Jagdev Singh Virdee MBE
The Editor of the British Sikh Report, Jagdev Singh Virdee, has been awarded an MBE by Her Majesty the Queen for services to the Sikh community and in recognition of his contribution to the field of statistics.
Jagdev is the most senior statistician in the global Sikh community dealing with official statistics, and an active member of the International Association of Official Statistics, the International Statistical Institute and the Royal Statistical Society. He joined the Civil Service in 1978 and served in various departments, finishing his Civil Service career at the Office for National Statistics where he progressed to be one of the first ethnic minority Deputy Directors.
Since leaving the ONS in 2010, he has become recognised as one of the leading figures in championing the use of statistics to inform policy development across Britain and internationally. His extensive experience has led to him regularly being asked to organise and lead sessions at events such as the UN World Data Forum in Cape Town in 2017, which addressed the statistical requirements to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Since 2015 he has been the Editor of the British Sikh Report, a comprehensive and ground-breaking annual document based on the views and opinions of Sikhs in the UK, as part of his commitment to improving society through robust data.
Jagdev’s other voluntary activities include sewa through various teams at Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara (Gravesend), one of the largest Gurdwaras outside India, and as Chair of Jugnu Bhangra Group (established in 1970 in Gravesend).
On hearing the news Jagdev said, “The sewa or volunteering that so many of us are involved in is hugely rewarding in its own right, especially if we can combine our passions with our work-related skills for the benefit of wider society. I just hope that this honour will help raise the profile of real life issues such as mental health, which we have been highlighting through this year’s British Sikh Report. This work reflected the need to have high-quality statistics to inform discussion of a key issue, and it has brought together analysts, researchers, mental health specialists, and policymakers.”
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Pradip Dhamecha OBE
Pradip Dhamecha is the Chief Executive of the Dhamecha Group, which runs a chain of cash and carry units in the Midlands and the South East of the UK. The first Dhamecha Cash and Carry opened in 1976 and set up by brothers Khoridasbhai and Shantilalbhai Ratanshi Dhamecha. Today, Pradip and his cousin Manish Dhamecha’s Group has a turnover of over £800m and is the largest member of the Today’s Group. The cash and carry offers a range of grocery products, confectionery, beers, wines and spirits, toiletries and tobacco for independent convenience retailers and caterers - therefore clearly demonstrating his extensive involvement with a wide number of small and medium sized exporters.
Job creation has been central to Pradip’s growth strategy over the years. Through his operation, Pradip employs over 650 people, serving a customer base of over 12,000 SME's and independent convenience stores across the country. Pradip and his group make a significant contribution to the UK economy by enabling direct and indirect employment of many thousands of people. In addition to those he employs across the country, the vast majority of retailers are exclusive buyers of his cash and carry's. This in turn promotes self-employment further down the supply chain.
His group is committed to contributing to the UK’s inward and outward investment. The Group imports a substantial part of its goods and in the last two years the Group have set up a special exporting department which he is looking to expand further. As of 31 March 2016 exports amounted over £5mn and export figures continue to grow. Pradip has demonstrated the opportunities available post-Brexit, as he continues to grow trade with non EU destinations like Africa and India.
Pradip has provided evidence of delivering genuine wealth creation in the UK. The Group has nine cash and carry's - the most recent having opened in Birmingham. The opening reflects the Group’s ongoing expansion programme providing greater consumer choices to customers.
Each of Pradip’s sites act as catalysts for redevelopment and regeneration across the country – freeing up potential and promoting economic growth. The Group’s multi million pound investment in the Midlands is yet another indicator of the underlying quality of their business. In an ultra-competitive environment this is great news for suppliers and retailers and paves the way for even further expansion in the coming years.
Pradip is also a philanthropist and has made substantial contributions to the wider community for the development of community centres and the empowerment of charities.
He has a strong propensity to give back to society, which is largely done through his charitable trust called the Laduma Trust. Recently, Pradip made a large donation to Leicester University for the advancement of research for heart decease – a cause he is particularly committed to. Pradip is passionate about promoting community cohesion and has donated those building multi use community centres for use by all of society. This includes the development of the Lohana Community of North London Community Centre and contributions towards the construction of the Crawley Community Centre.
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Akeela Ahmed MBE
Akeela is the founder of the She Speaks We Hear online platform which exists to empower women from faith communities, especially Muslim women, to be able to speak out about issues which matter to them. She started the platform to enable Muslim women to own their own narrative, without any cultural filters. In the four years that it has been running it has attracted almost 3,000 followers online. She has been instrumental in using the platform to encourage Muslim women to vote in elections, combatting the counter narrative that it is unIslamic to vote. She is also a tireless campaigner against Anti-Muslim hatred and is the Chair of the Independent Members of the Cross-Government Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group. In this role she acts as a bridge between Government and Muslim communities. In particular she has advised social media companies and the police on the effect of hate crime on communities.
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Krish Raval OBE
Krish Raval, a long-standing member of the City Sikhs Advisory Board, has been awarded an OBE by Her Majesty the Queen for services to leadership education and interfaith cohesion in the UK. Krish has helped change British interfaith relations over the last decade with his innovative leadership programmes. In the immediate aftermath of the 7/7 bombings in 2005, he set up a highly influential course for under 30s called Faith in Leadership (FiL). Based on his Learn to Lead programme set up 10 years earlier, he encouraged leading global experts from various industries to dedicate their time to deliver parts of the programme. FIL alumni have gone on to work for or set up leading faith organisations throughout Britain, including City Sikhs.
Since 2012, initially, in partnership with the Divinity School at the University of Cambridge, he has been running the Senior Faith Leaders Programme to develop the leadership of outstanding figures from various faith communities in the UK. A leadership expert and a devout Hindu, Krish has advised several organisations for a number of years on issues regarding organisational development, diversity, interfaith relations and community engagement.
On hearing the news, Krish said: “Through the FiL and Learn to Lead programmes, we have been privileged to train over 2,000 people across the United Kingdom about the importanceof respecting differences and bridge-building for the common good. None of that would have been possible without the help of my own mentors and the support of my dear family, including my parents who brought untold strength and resilience when they emigrated here decades ago.
“Our faiths call for a deepening of community, and I catch glimpses of this in Britain’s wonderful diversity, particularly through my wider family of Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, Jewish and Christian alumni, faculty and friends. This honour ultimately points to their constancy and brilliance.”
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Pavandeep Dhanjal BEM
A talented henna artist, Pavandeep began learning the craft at the age of 15. Since henna was a cultural necessity for weddings, she began by practicing on guests for special occasions. She enjoyed it so much that she knew she wanted to make a career out of it and started doing henna for brides whilst studying at the University of Westminster. It was whilst doing henna for one particular bride that she was told she was fast and was encouraged to aim for the Guinness World Record. She completed 314 henna armbands in one hour, each one a different design, beating the previous record by 100. In 2012 she broke the world record again, completing 511 armbands in one hour, and holds the record to date. She opened a henna bar in Topshop where she promoted henna to customers. This proved to be so successful that she opened bases in Harvey Nichols and Selfridges. She has also expanded to the UAE, Milan and Munich. She has been involved in various charitable initiatives, including Cancer Research where she created henna crowns for patients undergoing chemotherapy.
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Sarfraz Ali MBE
Sarfraz is a key member of two of the oldest ethnic minority organisations in Liverpool, the Ar Rahma mosque and the Pakistan Association Liverpool (PAL). He is regarded as the most senior figureheads in the Pakistani community and is actively involved in providing community activities. The Pakistani Association built a multi-cultural community centre in 1977 which is now firmly established as being at the heart of the community. He has used the centre to create harmonious and cordial relations between communities and. He was responsible for the £561,000 renovation of the PAL Multicultural Centre which is used by members of the community regardless of their ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation or disability. The centre has also refocused to meet the needs of ethnic minority women and elders to reduce isolation and combat social exclusion. In addition to his work with the PAL he has also been involved with the wider community of different cultures and traditions. He was one of the founding members of the Afro, Asian and Caribbean Standing Committee on Merseyside, an umbrella organisation of faith organisations. He is also on the Board of the Merseyside and Cheshire Commonwealth Association.
