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Co-founded
by Pinky Lilani OBE and organised by Real
Business magazine, the Asian Women of Achievement
Awards is an inspirational event to recognise
all levels of achievement made by Asian
women in the UK whether professional
or personal - within the commercial, professional,
artistic and humanitarian sectors.
The
AWA 2008 winners
Arts
and Culture: Shobana Jeyasingh
 Jeyasingh
is a world renowned choreographer and artistic
director and has directed the Shobana Jeyasingh
Dance Company since 1988. Today, the company
has established itself as the leading exponent
of contemporary Indian dance.
Other
nominees for the Arts and Culture category
were:
Business
Woman of the Year: Ruby McGregor-Smith
 Ruby
McGregor-Smith is chief executive of £1.2bn
business services group MITIE and, still,
the first and only Asian women to run a
FTSE 250 company. An accountant by training,
she previously served as the groups
CFO.
Other
nominees for the Business category were:
Professional
of the Year: Afshan Ahmed (joint winner)
 Afshan
Ahmed, of the Foster Care Association, is
a pioneer and author in the field of life
story work, working with children
in foster care. Her work has helped to give
hundreds of children a sense of their own
personal history.
Professional
of the Year: Sue Ashtiany (joint winner)
 Sue
Ashtiany is the head of employment law at
Nabarro LLP. Sue has served on the Equal
Opportunities Commission and as UK refugee
counsellor appointed by the UN High Commissioner
for Refugees, making a huge contribution
over several decades to the understanding
of migrant and refugee issues.
Other
nominees for the Professional of The Year
category were:
Entrepreneur
of the Year: Hasfa Abubacker
 After
working in home shopping for ten years,
in October 2005 Hasfa Abubacker became the
only woman and, aged 31, the youngest person
in the UK to own and run a shopping channel.
After growth, acquisitions and a move into
retail, Pitchwells unique format of
pitch demonstrations has earnt the company
a turnover of £8.5m.
Other
nominees for the Entrepreneur of The Year
category were:
Media
Professional of the Year: Arti Lukha
 Arti
Lukhas determination to get to the
heart of cutting-edge news stories as a
hard-hitting journalist, has earned her
the esteemed position of home news editor
of ITN. In this role, Lukha strives to deliver
the mix of opinions and backgrounds essential
to achieve a balanced news programme that
accurately reflects the diversity of British
society today.
Other
nominees for the Media Professional of The
Year category were:
Public
Sector Award: Asha Khemka
 As
principal of West Nottinghamshire College
(WNC), Asha Khemka is the guiding light
at the head of one of the biggest colleges
in Europe. Khemka is a respected Ofsted
Inspector and nationally regarded as an
important and inspirational figure in further
education.
Other
nominees for the Public Sector category
were:
Social
and Humanitarian Award: Bala Thakrar
 Bala
Thakrar has championed the needs of vulnerable
people for 20 years. She founded Apna Ghar
(the UKs first Asian Disabled housing
association) and has held posts at the Confederation
of Indian Organisations, Voluntary Service
Overseas and the Charities Aid Foundation.
Three years ago, she founded the Asian Foundation
for Philanthropy.
Other
nominees for the Social and Humanitarian
category were:
Young
Achiever of the Year: Snigdha Singh
 Snigdha
Singh completed an MBA at the Indian Institute
of management at the age of 23, where she
was awarded the JP Morgan Scholarship for
Best Female Exchange Student. She joined
the Lehman Brothers trading floor in 2002,
was promoted to associate within a year,
becoming director of fixed income rates
at just 27.
Other
nominees for the Young Achiever of The Year
category were:
The
Lloyds TSB Award: Wasfi Kani OBE
 At
the age of 14, Wasfi Kani won a place in
the National Youth Orchestra where she was
the only non-white member. At 18, she auditioned
for the Royal Academy of Music and was accepted
but turned this down for an offer from Oxford
University where she read music. By 1993
she had made conducting her full-time career.
In
1989, Kani founded the small-scale touring
company Pimlico Opera. In 1992, while continuing
to run Pimlico, Kani was made chief executive
of Garsington Opera. During her five years
tenure, she doubled their turnover.
In
1998 she created a new opera house at Grange
Park, with a new company Grange Park Opera.
In the ten years since its inception, she
has created an opera festival of the highest
artistic standards that rivals Glyndebourne
and each summer turns over more than £2m.
In recognition of her contribution, she
received an OBE for services to music in
the New Years Honours List 2002.
WANT
TO KNOW MORE?
Click
here to read about Pinky
Lilani, founder of the AWA Awards.
Click here for the AWA
Awards 2008 shortlist.
Click here for the AWA
Awards 2007 winners.
Click here for the AWA
Awards 2007 shortlist.
Click here for the AWA
Awards 2007 picture gallery.
Click here for the AWA
Awards 2006 winners.
Click here for the AWA
Awards 2006 shortlist.
Click here for the AWA
Awards 2005 winners.
Click here for the AWA
Awards 2005 shortlist.
Click here for the AWA
Awards 2005 picture gallery.
Click here for the AWA
Awards 2004 winners
Click here for the AWA
Awards 2004 picture gallery.
Click here for the AWA
Awards 2004 shortlist
Click here for the AWA
Awards 2003 winners.
Click here for the AWA
Awards 2003 shortlist.
Click here for the AWA
Awards 2002 winners.
Click here for the AWA
Awards 2002 shortlist.
Click here for the AWA
Awards 2001 winners.
Click here for the AWA
Awards 2001 shortlist.
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