Judges announced for ABCC Awards with submission deadline soon approaching
A panel of leading industry experts is set to judge the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) Award submissions – with the deadline falling on Wednesday, 3 September.
Businesses of all sizes are encouraged to apply and be recognised for their accomplishments at The National Conference Centre on Thursday, 27 November.
Members of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC), of which the ABCC is part, and non-members are eligible to compete for the awards.
The award categories are;
- Outstanding Start-Up Business of the Year
- Outstanding Small Business of the Year
- Outstanding Young Achiever of the Year - Scholars School Systems
- Outstanding Female Entrepreneur of the Year
- Outstanding Male Entrepreneur of the Year - Sponsored by V12 Sports & Classic
- Outstanding Professional Services Business of the Year
- Outstanding Charity of the Year
- Outstanding Contribution to Diversity & Inclusion - Sponsored by South & City College Birmingham
- ABCC President's Award (awarded by ABCC Co-Presidents, Nelaam Afzal and Sapreena Kumari)
All category winners will be nominated for the ABCC Overall Business of the Year 2025m sponsored by Ernst & Young.
Chair of the awards judges this year will be Raj Kandola (pictured), acting deputy CEO of the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce.
Raj will be joined by past GBCC Business of the Year winner and Word 360 CEO Kavita Parmar, charted consultant clinical psychologist Haseena Lockhat, Ahmad Ali, head of strategic reporting and technical accounting at VodafoneThree, and Amer Awan, CEO of Awan Real Estate Ltd and Awan International.
Before joining the Chamber in 2016, Raj worked in communications for a former Shadow Minister and spent eight years in London recruiting staff across the financial services industry.
Kavita Parmar is the co-founder of Word360 which won three awards during last year’s GBCC annual dinner and awards night, including the overall Business of Year award.
With a background in Optometry, Kavita made a successful career change into Healthtech and has since been recognised as 'Woman in Tech' and 'Businesswoman of the Year'.
Dr Haseena Lockhat is a Chartered Consultant Clinical Psychologist, accredited EMDR trauma specialist, and business owner of VistaView Airbnb.
She is a Trustee at Midlands Arts Centre, a Standards Committee Member at the General Optical Council, and former Vice President of the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce.
Across these roles, she has developed extensive expertise in governance, strategic leadership, and fair decision-making.
Ahmad Ali is a senior finance leader with over 20 years of experience in financial reporting, technical accounting, M&A and finance transformation.
He is an EY alumni and currently serves as head of strategic reporting & technical accounting at VodafoneThree, where he played a key role in the successful merger between Vodafone UK and Three UK.
Amer Awan leads Awan Real Estate Limited and Awan International - a wholesale company selling consumer electronics.
Awan lost his father in 2020 and established The Nazir Awan Foundation in his name. The registered charity helps the poor in Pakistan with water, education, food, medical and housing projects.
He is also on the leadership board of the Institute of Directors – British Asian Business Community, and the ambassador to Birmingham’s Pathway Group and Chutney and Chat.
Raj said: “I’m delighted to be chairing the judging for these prestigious awards for the third year running.
“Each year, the standard of entries seems to reach new heights, and I have no doubt we’ll once again see an incredible showcase of ambition, creativity and success from across the Asian business community.
“These awards are more than a celebration – they’re a platform that shines a light on the trailblazers, innovators and leaders who are making a real impact not just locally, but nationally and globally.
“I can’t wait to join the celebration of these remarkable businesses this November – it promises to be an unforgettable evening.”
Tickets for the event are priced at £120 plus VAT per person.
A corporate table of 10 is priced at £1200 plus VAT and a platinum table of 10 with prime location seating and a VIP food menu is £1500 plus VAT.
For sponsorship opportunities, contact ABCC director Anjum Khan on [email protected]
