Southern Jewel Awards Dazzle in London
The awards, hosted by Lloyds TSB at London’s prestigious Hilton Hotel on Park Lane celebrated the achievements of Asian businessmen and women across the Southern regions of the UK. I was there to see what the entrepreneurial elite thought of the event. Soraya Dhillon, a professor at the University of Hertfordshire was the winner of the Public Service Excellence Jewel Award, said: “It’s an absolutely superb event, we need to celebrate those who excel in business, and uphold them too. We should be proud of what people are achieving.”
The award for Professional Excellence went to Hassan Khan, a Senior Partner at The Khan Partnership. He was not expecting the award, but was delighted to have won. “Hard work, belief in myself and support from my family is what has got me here today, and it’s fantastic to have won this award”, he said. “I also believe that it’s very important that we keep showing the young entrepreneurs what they can achieve and that it is all possible with dedication and commitment, and that you are the master of your destiny.”
The winner of the Business and Commerce Jewel award was Anoup Treon, who simply said that the key to entrepreneurial success “was to not lose focus” of ambitions and goals. As the chairman of the European Care Group, he oversees 4000 members of staff and 4,500 service users across Europe.
Nilesh Soneji and Jamal Salloum took home the award in the Healthcare and Education category. They own two of the most successful Dolland and Aitchinson branches in London, and hope to expand on their solid foundation and spoke highly of the support that Lloyds has given then in their time in business. “They lend in the right way and give real support when we need it.”
Hosted by Sameena Ali Khan and with entertainment from dance troupes and comedians, the night was a real tribute to all things Asian. Catering was by London curry legend, Madhu’s. James Caan of Dragons’ Den fame was there to lend his support to the event and Goodness Gracious Me actor Kulvinder Ghir was in attendance on behalf of Star TV, who were televising the ceremony.
By Meena Ganesh
