WINNERS 2018/
Sheku Kanneh-Mason (Magnificent Performing Arts Award)
Classical Musician
Countries: UK
Sheku is 19, a classical musician and UK's youngest cellist to break the official Albums Chart Top 20. He has won the BBC Young Musician of the Year Contest and is the highest charting BBC Young Musician on the UK's official Albums Chart. His album has 2.5 million steams on Spotify. He is the only musician invited to perform at the BAFTA's twice. Sheku performed at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in May 2018. He is the first London Music Masters Ambassador.
Sanjeev Gupta (Astute Finance and Investments Award)
Founder, Liberty House Group and Executive Chairman, GFG Alliance
Countries: UK, Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia (Operations in over 30 countries)
Sanjeev Gupta controls a global network of companies under the banner of Gupta Family Group Alliance. Businesses include metals and steel manufacturing, automotive, construction, marine, power generation, aerospace, motorsport, agriculture, mining and financial services. The group revenue is around USD 15 billion and EBITDA of over USD 500 million. Sanjeev has won several awards and is also an ambassador to HRH Prince Charles.
Ned Tozun and Sam Goldman (ELITE Rising Star Award)
Co-Founders, d.light
Countries: Uganda, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Namibia, Madagascar, Papua New Guinea, Afghanistan and Pakistan (operations in 62 countries)
Ned Tozun and Sam Goldman are co-founders of d.light, a pay-as-you-go solar home system which makes solar energy available to families. This home system is already in use by 300,000 households. With its extensive line of solar-powered products, d.light has reached 84 million total customers globally. They have operations in 62 countries and are regarded as pioneers in the off-grid solar energy space. d.light is the undisputed industry leader with the highest brand awareness in off-grid solar in the world and the largest market share including 52 percent market share in India and 26 percent market share across the African continent. d.light has sold more than 19 million products and the largest installed user base in the industry. Ned and Sam have been recognised as innovators and leaders by Business Forum, the World Economic Forum,, Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, Forbes and Social Venture Network.
Martin Ijaha, Monica Kalia and Ezechi Britton (Astute Finance and Investments Award)
Co-Founders, Neyber Ltd
Countries: UK
Martin, Monica and Ezechi are the co-founders of Neyber Ltd. Neyber is a multi-award-winning financial wellbeing provider founded in 2014. The company helps employers to support the financial well of their workforce with access to affordable, salary deducted loans, financial education insights, with no cost or risk to the employer. Neyber is one of the fastest growing alternative lending platforms with lending in excess of £110 million to date to employees. The company has received over £150 million in funding. Neyber has been included in KPMG's 2017 list of top 100 fintech companies.
Dr Ozge Akbulut (Inspirational Icon Award)
Co-Founder, Surgitate
Countries:Turkey, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, India
Professor Akbulut gained her PhD from MIT and is a post doctoral fellow from Harvard. She is the co-founder of Surgitate, which is the only company in the world that produces stand-alone breast models. These synthetic models assist surgeons, medical and veterinary students and other medical professionals to practice on. Their silicon based phantoms help improve skills and facilitate learning particularly with cancer research etc. These models are sold in Turkey, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan and India. Professor Ozge has won many awards for her work in science.
Manish Gudka (Exceptional Travel and Hospitality Award)
CEO and Director, Aprirose Real Estate Investment
Countries: UK
Manish Gudka is the CEO and Director of Aprirose Real Estate Investment, a FCA licensed platform investing primarily in the UK for multiple family offices and HNW investors worldwide. In 2017, the company competed the acquisition of QHotel for £525 million. The portfolio includes 26 Five and Four Star regional hotels. The company owns around 100 pubs and a portfolio of 44 properties used by banks. Aprirose have transacted more than £2 billion since 2005.
Deborah Fleming (Competitive Sports Award)
Rugby Champion
Countries: England
Deborah Fleming had had a stunning career as an athlete, from a UK 100m sprint champion, South West Netball squad, and has represented England internationally in the Sevens squad. Women's rugby debuted In the 2017 Commonwealth Games. Deborah scored England women's first try as well as becoming the highest try scorer for England women's Sevens at the games. She was England's highest point scorer in the HSBC World Rugby Women's Sevens in 2018.
Sheetal Ansal (Generous Philanthropist Award)
Philanthropist, Trustee Ansal University
Countries: India
Sheetal as a Trustee of Ansal University is committed to philanthropy in education. Through her work at the University and its various schools, Sheetal envisions creating a talent pool necessary to facilitate Indian social and economic growth. She has built international partnerships for the University including with University of Warwick, University of West England, Bristol and Art University. Sheetal is a founding member and former Chairperson of the Young FICCI Ladies Organisation, Member of the Confederation of Indian Industry, South Asian Acquisition Committee of Tate Modern Museum in London among others.
Martin Skinner (Tenacious Property and Construction Award)
Founder, Inspired Asset Management
Countries: UK
Martin Skinner is the founder of Inspired Asset Management which is a leading developer of micro-apartments with over 1000 homes either completed or under construction. Martin's philosophy is 'micro living for a macro lifestyle' appealing to the young professionals. As one of UK's largest developers of micro-apartments Martin has campaigned hard for the relaxation of space standards as well as for a new 'co-living' use class so 'student' type shared accommodation can be rented to young professionals. Martin regularly speaks at Real Estate Fund Conferences and Forums and is regularly featured in various property and other publications.
Hussein Kanji (Squared Watermelon Award)
Founding Partner, Hoxton Ventures
Countries: UK
Hussein is a founding partner of Hoxton Ventures, a venture capital firm. Founded in 2013, with a USD 40 million fund, it has since become a top quartile fund. Hoxton Ventures invests in early stage European technology companies that can become breakout winners in their category. The firm's investments have generated over USD 4.1 billion of market cap. Investments include Babylon Health and Deliveroo.
Anil Stocker (Innovator Technology Award)
Chief Executive and Co-Founder, MarketInvoice
Countries: UK
Anil is the Chief Executive and co-founder MarketInvoice, the peer to peer working capital finance platform. Since 2011, MarketInvoice has funded invoices and business loans in excess of £2.8 billion to companies across the UK. MarketInvoice is the largest online invoice finance business worldwide. The company secured the industry-first partnership with a UK high street bank, Barclays, to provide invoice finance to their 1m business banking customers. Anil has received a number of recognitions which include Forbes Magazine's Finance ' 30 under 30', Sunday Times Tech Track 100. Anil also sits on the UK government backed Fintech Delivery Panel to drive policy recommendations for the industry.
Bradley Barritt (Competitive Sports Award)
Rugby Champion
Countries: UK
Bradley is a South African born English Rugby union player who plays for the English Premiership side Saracens. Bradley played for South Africa in the 2006 under 21 Rugby World Championship. Bradley was called up to the England senior squad in 2010 and again for the 2012 Six Nations Championship. In 2013, he was in the British and Lions squad and in 2017 was Captain of the Saracens side that won the Premiership title. Bradley has co-founded Tiki Tonga Coffee, a brand focussed around a love for sport and a vehicle for connecting people.
Zanai Bhosle (Upcoming Magnificent Performing Arts Award)
Professional Musician and Classical Dancer
Countries: India, Switzerland
Zanai is a 16 year old professional musician who first recorded a song for a movie at age 9. Zanai is also an accomplished classical Indian Kathak dancer. Her first concert performances were at age 11 in Amsterdam and Paris with the Grammy award winning orchestra 'Metropole Orkest'. Zanai has also performed at the NEC Birmingham and the Wembley Arena, London. She has performed in several music festivals like WOMAD in Adelaide, Melbourne, the Sydney Opera House and at Christchurch. She has also performed in the Wasser Festival, Berlin and Wolftrapp Festival in USA. Zanai was awarded the 'Rising Star' Award by the Global Indian Music Academy.
Tenzin Seldon (Generous Philanthropist Award)
CEO and Founder, Kinstep
Countries: US
Tenzin is the CEO and Founder of Kinstep which connects immigrants and
refugees to steady jobs across the US through its B2B recruiting service platform. Kinstep serves as the pipeline and targets entry-level jobs across various sectors. It has partnered with over 35 companies across the US. Kinstep has already established unique access to tens of thousands of immigrants who are authorised to work in the US and seeking to gain professional mobility. Tenzin is a Forbes '30 under 30 winner' and has brought the needed attention to the struggles of the Tibetan people. She is the first Tibetan-American to win the Rhodes Scholarship. At Stanford, she has hosted His Holiness the Dalal Lama in critical talks with Chinese leadership. Tenzin sits on the Board of Directors for the Earth's Call Foundation.
Ryan Palmer and Dave Pickard (Savvy Luxury Retail Award)
Co-Founders, London Sock Company
Countries: UK
Ryan and Dave co-founded the London Sock Company in 2013, which has over 40000 direct to consumer customers and 30% repeat purchases within 12 months. Year on Year the business revenue is increasing by around 39% and turnover 2-3 times with their customer base growing at a rate of 3x. Sock club members sign up for a monthly subscription where they receive one, two or three pairs of socks. The company's products have been featured in GQ, Esquire and The Rake and worn by numerous celebrities.
Nitin Kartikeya (Exquisite Art and Fashion Award)
Founder Director, Brand Kartikeya
Countries: India, UK, USA, Dubai
Nitin Kartikeya is the Founder Director of Brand Kartikeya, a high end Indian fashion label. Brand Kartikeya produce a beautiful amalgamation of Indian crafts with global appeal. They have flagship stores in Delhi and Mumbai. The Brand employs 140 individuals and is looking to expand both in India and abroad by creating flagships in key locations.
David Abrahamovitch (ELITE Rising Star Award)
CEO & Founder, Grind & Co
Countries: UK
In 2011, David founded Grind, an eclectic group of cafe bars and restaurants in London. The cafe bars pioneered the model of coffee by day, cocktails by night. The company employs over 200 staff with a total of 10 cafes opened to date. The vision is for Grind to become the first group to occupy the space between the 'independents', which typically have 1-10 locations and the 'chains' with hundreds of locations. The group intends to open between 30-70 locations nationally and internationally in addition to franchise stores in travel locations globally. Grind has won a number of awards and recognitions including Restaurant & Bar Design Awards 2017, Melbourne Design Awards 2017 and the first hospitality operator to be named on the list 'One of the 50 British companies transforming the way people live, think and work in the modern day'.
Asim Jofa (Exquisite Art and Fashion Award)
CEO and Fashion Designer, Asim Jofa
Countries: Pakistan
Asim is the CEO and fashion designer at Asim Jofa. He is one of the leading textile and fashion entrepreneurs in Pakistan. Asim started with a jewellery line carrying on the legacy of his forefathers. After certification from Central Saint Martins, he has never looked back. His collections have caused ripples in the fashion capitals of the world. His mission is to bridge the gap between elite and the masses by providing a product that is valued by both strata. Asim has won numerous awards internationally.
Brett Magrath and Brad Magrath (Relentlessly Resolute Award)
Co-Founders, Zoona
Countries: South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique
Brett and Brad are brothers and co-founders of Zoona, a community driven business with an aim to enable financial inclusion in Africa. Zoona products include loans, savings, money transfers and payments. Zoona is focused on empowering entrepreneurs to create employment and increase financial inclusion to help communities thrive. Zoona has a large agent network and over 2000 outlets. It has around 1.8 million active customers, created 4500 jobs and transacted circa USD 2 billion.
Chris Waters (Exceptional Travel and Hospitality Award)
Co-Founder, Staylists
Countries: UK
Chris Waters co-founded Staylists in 2017 with the vision of simplifying the hotel booking process for consumers. Through intuitive design, consumers are able to query real time availability, access the value comparison and book with confidence. Staylists has fast become the third largest inventory provider in the UK. Over 10,000 hotels have joined the platform and in excess of £100 million worth of bookings processed. Staylists has advantages over traditional online travel agencies as it keeps the consumer at the forefront of design, small commissions potentially saving hoteliers millions and fast track awareness.
Crista Cullen MBE (Competitive Sports Award)
Olympic Hockey Champion
Countries: UK
Crista has won both Gold and Bronze medals in three Olympic hockey appearances, culminating in 197 international caps and a three-time World All-Star team member. She was also part of the squad the won bronze in the 2006 and 2010 Commonwealth Games. She has won many awards including Great Britain Hockey Athlete of the Year 2006, UK Hockey Player of the Year 2006, FIH player of the Year 2006, 2008, 2012, GB's top goal scorer Beijing Olympics and joint top goal scorer London Games
Hatul Shah (Dedicated Stalwart Award)
Executive Director, Sigma Pharmaceuticals Ltd
Countries: UK
Hatul Shah is the Executive Director of Sigma Pharmaceuticals plc, which has been serving independent pharmacies, dispensing doctors and hospitals for over 35 years with turnover in excess of £250 million. Sigma is one of the largest independent short-line pharmacy wholesalers in the UK and recognised as an industry leader. Hatul has set up several businesses from scratch to expand the family business. He has also focused on innovation ranging from robotic dispensers in the pharmacy to automated picking in the warehouse.
