20 World-Class Leaders Judge South Asia's Finest as the 2nd Annual Asian Awards 2011 Gets Underway

LONDON, May 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

The Asian Awards 2011, in partnership with Lebara, has launched into its second year of celebrating the best in South Asian achievement. The House of Lords recently played host to 20 world-class leaders from the worlds of politics, business, sport, media, arts and technology - who gathered to choose winners from a short-list of inspirational luminaries and pioneers who have carved out their own places in history.

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"With so many exceptional people from the South Asian community short-listed for only 12 honours, it's vitally important that they are not only judged by a panel of their peers but that the process is robust, transparent and intellectually rigorous," said Chair of Judges Baroness Verma. "It's exciting to have 20 esteemed judges from such a variety of fields in one room, and to see such lively debate."

The Asian Awards were an ambitious idea conceived by Paul Sagoo, founder of consultancy Lemon Group, and realised by co-founder Caroline Jackson Levy, Managing Director of UBM Awards. "Our goal was to celebrate the highest calibre of individuals from the Asian community across all spheres of activity," said Sagoo. "Last year's inaugural event was spectacular, and set the bar high for 2011. This year, we will take it a notch higher," added Jackson Levy. In 2010, the Asian Awards honoured some of the most inspiring people in the South Asian community - from record breaking cricketer Sachin Tendulkar to world famous composer A R Rahman to legendary business leader Ratan Tata.

This year, judges brought their insight and expertise to panels for Business Leader, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, Public Servant and Social Entrepreneur of the Year to Outstanding Achievement in Music, Art & Design, Sport, Cinema, Television and Science.

Business category judges included Surinder Arora, CEO of Arora Holdings; Kamel Hothi, Asian Markets Director, Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets; and Ratheesan Yoganathan, CEO of Lebara, returning as headline sponsor for the second year.

"There are many entrepreneurs in the Asian community, so this year's winner must combine outstanding business acumen and achievement with the best leadership skills, innovation and drive," said Lebara CEO Yoganathan. "It's an honour to help choose the leaders that the Asian business community should look up to."

"The Asian Awards celebrate the achievements of those who, in many cases, came here with nothing and are now adding to the bottom line of UK plc," said Hothi. "It's important for Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets to be involved in identifying the successful individuals who have made a difference globally and are inspiring others in the Asian community to do the same - and that is central to our decision to return as sponsor for a second year."

Among the judges for the media and arts categories were Sonny Takhar, Head of Marketing at SYCO Entertainment and Sony award-winning DJ and broadcaster Nihal Athanayake. "There aren't enough opportunities to celebrate Asian talent at this level in this country in such a mainstream way," said Takhar, who praised The Asian Awards as a major platform for showcasing talent to a wider audience.

"To be respected as an accolade you need outstanding people to receive it - and The Asian Awards have done that better than any other," added Nihal. "These awards are about recognising the massive contribution made by the Asian community to this country, and the world, but they're also about integration - because these nominees are citizens of countries outside Asia."

"The Asian Awards are important because they inspire future generations to achieve great things," concluded Daljit Jagait, VIP Relationship Manager at Jaguar. As official automotive partner to the Awards, Jaguar will this year be providing XJs for chauffeur services to winners attending the Asian Awards.

Winners of the 2011 Asian Awards will be announced at a glittering awards ceremony at The Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane, London on 18th October - and it promises to be a spectacular occasion. With some of the world's most high profile trailblazers honoured in 2010, excitement is already building around who the recipients might be for 2011. Visit http://www.theasianawards.com/videos-2011.php to watch interviews with the 2011 judges or http://www.theasianawards.com for a full list of 2010 winners as well as information on how to book tickets to the 2011 Awards.

Notes for Editors:

The Asian Awards were an ambitious idea conceived by Paul Sagoo, founder of consultancy Lemon Group, and realised by co-founder Caroline Jackson Levy, Managing Director of UBM Awards. A celebration of excellence among the global Asian community, they were launched in 2010 to recognise and reward the outstanding achievements of individuals born in or with direct family origin from India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan or Bangladesh across all disciplines of life - from business to the arts, culture, sport and public service. The inaugural ceremony drew 1,200 of the most influential people in the Asian community and raised over GBP100,000 for its chosen charity, Save the Children.

The Lebara Group, headline sponsor of The Asian Awards for the second year, was founded in 2001 by Rasiah Leon, Baskaran Kandiah and Ratheesan Yoganathan - who shared a vision to transform the international calling market, making it easier for migrant communities to stay in touch with friends and family back home. This year as Lebara celebrates its 10th anniversary it is one of the world's fastest growing mobile companies with more than 1,200 employees worldwide, operations in eight countries and revenues for 2009 totalling EUR371 million.