The winners of theAsian Jewel Awards (Central Region) 2005 were announced last night in Birmingham at The Hilton Metropole, with over 800 guests celebrating the achievements of the most dynamic Asian individuals in the region. The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Paul Bassi, executive chairman of Birmingham-based Bond Wolfe and the youngest-ever recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Mr Bassi became the first Asian to hold a senior office in a Chamber of Commerce when he was appointed vice president of Sandwell and Dudley Chamber in 1992, and became a key figure in the creation of the Black Country Chamber of Commerce as well as the Black Country Asian Business Association. He was also appointed regional chairman of Coutts Bank in 2000 ' the first Asian to be appointed a chairman at the Queen's bank.

Mr Bassi's acceptance message included a call to Asian people in Britain to aim even higher: 'All of us are from families who arrived in Britain full of hope and fear. We still have much to achieve ' we still haven't had an Asian Cabinet minister, an Asian chairman of a FTSE 100 company or an international-level Asian football player or manager. We have a responsibility to the next generation not to live in our own comfort zones and not to fear success, but to embrace it.'

The Entrepreneur Award went to Abdul Sattar Omar of Leicester-based Paramount Holdings, one of the country's leading knitwear companies. Mr Omar, who arrived in the UK in 1974, has been a consistent giver to charities and has adopted numerous orphans, paying for their welfare and education. He dedicated the award to his wife and children.

Dr Ahmed Hassam of Aston-based Quest Vitamins received the Healthcare and Education Excellence Award. Quest and its subsidiary company Flavex International employ 75 people and manufacture nutritional supplement products for the UK and export markets. Dr Hassam is a board member of the West Midlands Regional Development Agency and Advantage West Midlands as well as chairing the West Midlands Regional Enterprise Board. He is also a trustee of the British Red Cross. In his acceptance speech Dr Hassam said: 'We came to England in 1972 as refugees from Uganda, and this country gave us shelter - whatever public service I've been able to carry out should be regarded as payback for that.'

The Media, Arts and Sport Award was presented to Birmingham-based BBC reporter Rajesh Mirchandani. Mr Mirchandani, currently the Midlands correspondent for BBC News, was the first Asian host of a mainstream radio show on Radio 1 with 'Backstage' and has also worked on Newsnight and Tomorrow's World. Most recently Mr Mirchandani has covered the collapse of MG Rover for BBC viewers as well as Birmingham's vote-rigging scandal and the aftermath of the Aston shootings trial.

De Montfort University's Professor Monder Ram OBE, one of the UK's leading scholars in the field of ethnic minority businesses, received the Professional Excellence Award. Enjoying an international reputation, Professor Ram has received four awards from the Economic Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Leverhulme Foundation as well as receiving the OBE in the Queen's New Year's Honours List 2004 for his academic work. Professor Ram in his acceptance speech said: 'It is an enormous privilege to receive this award in Birmingham, which is my home town and, I feel, the crucible of Asian talent in the UK.'

The Public Sector Award went to Jiva Odera, chief executive of the Leicestershire Asian Business Association, an organization which has raised its business and community profile significantly since Mr Odera became chief executive in early 2004. The standing of the Association is reflected in its participation in a wide range of business, social and educational initiatives, and its close work with strategic partners.

The Awards evening included entertainment from Taz of Stereo Nation, rising comedy star Inder Manocha and the now-legendary AFM Catwalk Show featuring clothes from some of the UK's hottest young Asian designers.

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