The shortlist for the 23rd Asian Achievers Awards, the UK’s most prominent and long-standing celebration of British Asian success across multiple sectors, has been revealed.
This year’s ceremony will be held on Friday 19 September 2025 at the prestigious London Hilton on Park Lane, bringing together nearly 600 guests, including celebrities, business leaders, and global stars. In recent years, the combined net worth of attendees has exceeded £25 billion.
More than 500 nominations were received across all categories, with judges narrowing them down over the past month to a final shortlist. Award categories include: Arts and Culture, Business Person of the Year, Community Service, Entrepreneur of the Year, Lifetime Achievement, Media, Professional of the Year, Sports Personality of the Year, and Woman of the Year.
The judging panel represents a wide cross-section of society, including leaders from public service, business, entrepreneurship, and media: Dr Poonam Gupta OBE (CEO, PG Paper), Alison Eddy (former Regional Managing Partner, Irwin Mitchell LLP), Sunil Mohindra (President, TiE North), Mina Tailor (Senior Manager, HSBC), Remona Aly (journalist), and Cary Sawhney MBE (film festival director and programmer).
This year’s shortlist showcases exceptional talent from across the UK’s South Asian community, including names like: Neerja Birla, billionaire founder and chairperson, Aditya Birla Education Trust; Frank Khalid OBE, owner, West London Film Studios, Elbrook Cash and Carry, and Chak89; Indhu Rubasingham MBE, artistic director, National Theatre; Sunny Gill Singh, first British South Asian referee in the Premier League and Amrit Dhaliwal, CEO, Wallfinch Franchising.
Commenting on this year’s programme, Pratik Dattani, Managing Director of EPG, said, “While Britain faces global economic and political headwinds from multiple sides, South Asians have again showed their resilience and ability to contribute to building the nation. They have created jobs, innovated, broken down barriers and enriched the cultural fabric of our country. Congratulations to all the shortlist and best of luck for the Awards.”
Organised by advisory firm EPG, the Asian Achievers Awards is supported by State Bank of India (UK), charity partner Parkinson’s UK, low- and no-alcohol drinks pioneer Khoki United, think tank Bridge India, Fortnum & Mason, Entrepreneur India, award-winning single malt Indri, and media partners Asian Voice, Gujarat Samachar, and LycaRadio, with catering by Madhus.
The evening will be hosted by actor Nitin Ganatra OBE and Sky News presenter Anila Dhami, with presenter and choreographer Nileeka Bose on the red carpet. Entertainment will include performances from Indian-Canadian singer Raghav, stand-up comedian Eshaan Akbar, and a special table performance.
The charity auction for Parkinson’s UK will be led by Thomas Forrester from BBC’s Bargain Hunt and Antiques Road Trip.
The full shortlist is:
Arts and Culture:
- Bhavin Bhatt
- Indhu Rubasingham MBE
- Tani Gill
- Tanika Gupta MBE FRSL
Person of the Year:
- Amrit Dhaliwal
- Bilal Farooq
- Frank Khalid OBE
- Rishi Patel
- Prof Selva Pankaj
Community Service Person of the Year:
- Juhie Radia
- Lemona Chanda
- Dr Manpreet Dhuffar-Pottiwal
- Syed Muhammad Faisal Sami
Entrepreneur of the Year:
- Anisha Joshi
- Jimal, Nishal and Devik Solanki
- Namita Khade
- Parul Ganatra
- Sharan Pasricha MBE
Media Person of the Year:
- Emb Hashmi
- Jessica Memon
- Shamim Chowdhury
- Vaishali Bhardwaj
Professional of the Year:
- Professor Aisha K. Gill CBE
- Maulik Darji
- Sangita Bodalia
- Shalini Gupta
Sports Personality of the Year:
- Asmita Ale
- Kyle Kothari
- Harmanpreet Sandhu
- Sunny Gill Singh
Woman of the Year:
- Fatima Zaman
- Nadia Paneandee
- Neerja Birla
- Srabani Sen OBE
- Tania Arslan
