SUMERAH AHMAD & HUMERAH KHAN
Sumerah Ahmad, 32, and Humerah Khan, 34, co-founders and directors of Club Asia Radio, Essex

Having grown up in London, these British born Asian sisters found themselves torn between listening to either wholly mainstream radio stations or wholly Asian radio stations, with nothing in between that could cater for both tastes.

Despite having no previous experience in radio broadcasting, in November 2002 Humerah, an accountancy graduate and former Finance Director at Arian Holdings Ltd, and Sumerah, a law graduate with an NVQ in Film and Video production, managed to secure a highly sought after broadcasting licence from Ofcom to cater for the 500,000 previously under-served young Asians around London.

The station was launched in September 2003 and during its first year on air it was the fastest growing commercial radio station in London, becoming a household name amongst the Asian community. The station has been instrumental in the emergence of rising new Asian music stars and it is widely recognised as the UK's leading brand in the Asian youth market.

In 2005, the radio station was named as the Best New Business in the UK at the Start-up Starts Awards. Club Asia is not only the first Asian business to win this award, but Sumerah and Humerah are also its youngest recipients. Sumerah has won a European Federation of Black Women Business Owners Award for Best Ethnic Corporation as well as the Highly Commended Business Women of the Year at the Thames Gateway Business Awards 2005. Future plans include launching the Club Asia brand nationwide and further expansion into TV and film.

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