25/11/2008

PRESS RELEASE ..PRESS RELEASE ...PRESS RELEASE...

The Asian Woman Awards for Excellence 2008 in association with the Bank of Ireland took place on Saturday, 22nd November 2008. The event saw prominent and renowned achievers from the British-Asian community attend a glittering ceremony filled with entertainment, fashion catwalks and of course the all important Awards ceremony.

The Venue
The Asian Woman Awards for Excellence 2008 was held at the sumptuous Whitehall Palace Banqueting House, near Downing Street in Central London. This historic building made the perfect setting for this grand event and ensured that all the guests enjoyed a lovely time in regal surroundings.

Red Carpet Glam
Celebrities, dignitaries, politicians and community leaders sashayed down the Red Carpet to the flash bulbs of photographers and cameramen, who had lined the entrance to get pictures of such celebrities as Raghav, Rishi Rich, Dev Patel, Manjinder Virk, Karen David and sizzling girl band Serese.

The Event
Guests were treated to a VIP reception party in the elegant banqueting hall complete with canapés and champagne as top BBC Asian Network DJ Kayper played the latest sounds and magician Magic Singh mesmerised with his illusions. As guests took to their beautifully decorated tables in the main hall, they were treated to a delicious three-course meal by expert caterers Curry Special.
The event was presented by BBC Asian Network's resident radio DJ Tommy Sandhu, and ITV1 news presenter and director for AH Action, Arti Halai.

A special message of congratulations and support was televised by Prime Minister Gordon Brown and in attendance was Rt. Hon Stephen Timms MP.

Catwalk Chic
No Awards ceremony would be complete without The Asian Woman Catwalk. And this was no exception as the event saw two stunning catwalk performances showcasing the best in Asian Fashion. From more established names like RCS Designs, SF Collections, Imani, Huseena Couture and Imtaz Khaliq to the emerging brand of Jeminee Solanki, their unique and cutting edge creations were paraded down the runway by Asian Woman's team of trained models.

The Entertainers
The stage was set for a night of fabulous entertainment, which included a diverse mix of items including a magical opening number by Raghav, soul music by new artist Ramzi, hot British Asian girl band Serese doing their 'thang' and a stunning performance from classically trained dancer Rosy Khan and Imagin Asian Entertainment.
Guests were also entertained by the self-styled 'man of steal' James Freedman. This popular magician and stage pick-pocket amused guests as they saw personal belongings disappear from their pockets and then reappear! Guest were also impressed by the athletic feats of 3RUN - 4 boys who somersaulted onto the stage and wowed the audience with their dare devil acrobatic tricks.
The show-stopping finale was by Excellence in Entertainment nominee Karen David and The Asian Woman Catwalk.

Making a Difference

The event's chosen charity this year was Crimestoppers, with proceeds from the charity auction and raffle going towards the charity's vital policing work. The CEO of Crimestoppers, Michael Laurie gave a heart warming speech to open the night. The final figure raised for the charity auction is £10,750 with other monies raised still being confirmed. The target however was £25,000 and Asian Woman estimates the amount to be donated will be well above. The official figure will be released by the end of the week in another press release.

Businessman of the Year
Nominees: Mo Chaudhry, Sir Gulam Noon, Ramesh Sachdev
The Winner: Ramesh Sachdev (Lifestyle Care Plc)

Businesswoman of the Year
Nominees: Kamel Hothi, Punita Gajree, Ritu Sethi
The Winner: Ritu Sethi (The Sethi Partnership)

Contribution to Community
Nominees: Adeela Shafi, Superintendent Raj Kohli, Nazir Afzal OBE
The Winner: Nazir Afzal OBE (Director, Crown Prosecution Service)

Designer of the Year
Nominees: Jeminee Solanki, Imtaz Khaliq, Imani - The Design Studio
The Winner: Imani - The Design Studio

Entrepreneur of the Year
Nominees: Gita Patel, Pally Pagliuca, Kal Kaur Rai
The Winner: Kal Kaur Rai (Fashion Designer & Entrepreneur)

Excellence in Entertainment
Nominees: Rishi Rich, Karen David, Manjinder Virk
The Winner: Rishi Rich (Music Producer)

Young Achiever of the Year
Nominees: Adam Khan, Dev Patel, Tasmin Lucia Khan
The Winner: Dev Patel (Actor, Skins & Slumdog Millionaire)

Lifetime Achievement Award
Lord Swraj Paul (Entrepreneur & Philanthropist)

To see highlights of the night please stay logged onto THE ASIAN WOMAN AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE WEBSITE as we will be uploading footage from the night in the next couple of days. This can also be viewed on Asian Woman Magazine's Official Facebook Page and on You Tube.

Programs will be broadcast on B4U and Wedding TV. Details of date and time of broadcast will be published on this website.

Notes To Editors
To interview the winners, nominees and entertainment acts or for more images from the event contact: Payal Nair at
Mail: editorial2@asianwomanmag.com or call: 08707 555 502
Web: www.asianwomanmag.com