Asian Women of Achievement (AWA) Award Winners 2009
(21 May 2009)

The achievements of ten Asian women were recognised at an awards ceremony in London last night (20 May 2009) attended by Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall. Businesswoman Vin Murria, who holds several senior roles with multi-national companies such as Advanced Computer Services, was presented with the Lloyds TSB AWA Award by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. The judges said that Vin, who set up the PS Foundation to support the education of children in India, was a 'perfect ambassador and role model for Asian women in Britain', praising her ability to commit her 'seemingly endless energy and intellect' to her career, her family and her charity work.

Now in their 10th year, the Asian Women of Achievement Awards, held in association with Lloyds TSB, celebrate the contribution of Asian women to British life in the media, business, the arts, politics and the voluntary sector. Judges of the Asian Women of Achievement Awards, chaired by British Red Cross chief executive Sir Nicholas Young, said this year's winners were some of the most impressive and inspiring individuals ever to be honoured in the programme's 10-year history.

AWA Awards Winners 2009

The Arts & Culture Award

Sri Lankan soprano Kishani Jayasinghe was the first South Asian soprano to sing at the Royal Opera House (ROH) Covent Garden and Buckingham Palace. She has won international vocal competitions in Spain, Holland and Turkey; Former ROH young artist; Associate and Licentiate of RAM; LLB and LLM from Nottingham University; Zonta Woman of Achievement.

Business Woman of the Year

Veera is CEO of ProcServe. She is a global thought leader in the provision of electronic procurement solutions and services. The central theme of her career over the past ten years has been to harness the power of technology to improve efficiency and help save private and public-sector organisations time and money.

Entrepreneur of the Year Award

Christina's Asian roots are fundamental to her being today. Since launching Image Source to the international market in September 2000, Christina has worked tirelessly to build a strong worldwide brand presence for the company. She was the first non-American to be voted onto the Picture Agency Counsel of America board in 2003 and serves as its vice-president. She has been shortlisted to be the new president of the European Economic Interest Group, CEPIC.

Media Professional of the Year

Riz Lateef is the anchor of the BBC's news in London. She became one of the key figures in the coverage of the 2008 mayoral elections going head to head with Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson - and was subsequently named one of London's 1,000 most influential people by the Evening Standard.

The Social & Humanitarian Award

Shaista Gohir is the director of the Muslim Women's Network UK and Muslim Voice UK. As a member of the National Muslim Women's Advisory Group, she also advises government. She is a media commentator and speaks at events nationally and internationally. She was awarded the MBE in 2008.

Young Achiever of the Year (Joint Winners)

Rehana Azib is 29 and a practising barrister in London. She studied law at Oxford University and is a scholar of the Inner Temple. Rehana has also done extensive mental health charity work, particularly with Asian women. Rehana's parents originate from Pakistan.

Neev's radio show on Kiss 100 attracts 607,000 listeners. Her show has been nominated twice for the Asian Music Awards and her produced show for the Rishi Rich Project was nominated for a prestigious Sony Music Award. She is an ambassador for the Women of the Future programme. She is also an ambassador for a HIV/AIDS youth awareness charity dance4life alongside Tiesto and Judge Jules.

Professional of the Year

Dr Sunita Verma is a leading cosmetic dentist. In her mission to help people achieve the physical and psychological benefits of a beautiful, healthy smile, Sunita set up Sparkle Dental Boutique, a multi award-winning private practice in west London. Now firmly established as a premier private practice in the UK, Sparkle Dental Boutique has revolutionised patient care and is positively changing public perceptions of visiting the dentist.

The Public Sector Award

Vicki Treadell is a diplomat with 30 years' experience in policy and service delivery roles, with overseas assignments in Pakistan, Malaysia and now India as British deputy high commissioner to Mumbai. Vicki was born in Malaysia and made a member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO) in 1989.

Commenting on the night, Pinky Lilani said: "Each of these 10 women is making a breathtaking contribution to British society in very different ways. What unites them is their positive representation of Asian women and their ability to act as role models for others. We congratulate every one of them and thank them sincerely for their tremendous commitment."

Kamel Hothi, Asian markets director at Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets, said: "As entrepreneurs and executives of major global companies, this year's winners are a huge inspiration to Asian women in business. This is the fifth year in which we have supported the Asian women of Achievement Awards and we're extremely proud to be involved. These awards are a great way of highlighting the role models in our community and celebrating the contribution they have made to this country."

The ceremony, compered by BBC newsreader Mishal Husain, was attended by patron Cherie Blair; Nick Clegg MP; actress Meera Syal; James Caan, entrepreneur and star of TV's Dragon's Den; The Rt Hon Tessa Jowell MP; chairman of the judges and chief executive of the British Red Cross Sir Nicholas Young; The Rt Hon Theresa May MP; Shami Chakrarbarti, director of Liberty; Baroness Kennedy QC; Baroness Greenfield; Lord Paul; and Caroline Spelman MP.

The judging panel included: Sir Nicholas Young, chief executive, British Red Cross, Emma Arbuthnot, district judge, Sue Ashtiany, partner, Nabarro, Sharon Bamford, chief executive, UK India Business Council, James Caan, CEO, Hamilton Bradshaw, Mark Carroll, director of housing care and support, Department of Communities and Local Government, James Chalmers, head of strategy and talent, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Ian Chivers, director of finance and corporate services, NSPCC, Elizabeth Coffey, managing director, Spark Leadership, Helen Cook, ITS Sales Executive, IBM Global Technology Services, Sarah Deaves, Chief Executive, Coutts, Cassandra Goad, founder, Cassandra Goad, David Harrison, vice president - Visa Commercial, Visa Europe, Kamel Hothi, Asian Markets Director, Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets, Sir Stephen Lamport KCVO DL, receiver general, Westminster Abbey, Mark Pinder, partner, Bird & Bird LLP, Kieran Poynter, former chairman and senior partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Matthew Rock, communications director, Caspian Publishing, Maggie Rose, CEO, MROI, Rishaad Salamat, morning anchor, Bloomberg, Jean Sharp, chief taxation officer, Aviva and Anne Watts, chair, Appointments Commission.

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