Power List reveals UK’s ‘rich Asian talent base’
LEADERS IN POLITICS, HEALTHCARE, BUSINESS AND THE ARTS AMONG THOSE RECOGNISED
More than a third of the list are new entries. Among them are Krishnendu Majumdar, BAFTA chair, (ranked 28); BBC journalist Naga Munchetty (36); Sanjay Bhandari, chair of Kick It Out (46) and Anas Sarwar, leader of the Scottish Labour party (83).
The list also recognises several healthcare leaders who have contributed to the country’s response during the pandemic.
Kanani is the highest new addition to the list, debuting at 15. The London-based GP has been praised for her leadership qualities throughout the pandemic, occasionally accompanying the prime minister Boris Johnson during his live coronavirus briefings from Downing Street.
In 2018, she made history when she was appointed as the director of primary care in the NHS, the first female in the role.
Vaccines deployment minister Nadhim Zahawi paid tribute to Kanani when he told Eastern Eye last week, “The pressure of the vaccination programme and protecting the nation is on the shoulders of the whole team and we know every step has to be right and that’s been the challenge. But in many ways I am blessed to have worked with the best people and also have the privilege and pleasure to work with Dr Niki Kanani.
“(She is) One of the incredible human beings as a GP herself, and now she is the deputy senior officer responsible for the booster vaccination campaign.”
Other new entries from the healthcare sector include Professor Kiran Patel (37); the chief medical officer and consultant cardiologist at University Hospitals of Coventry and Warwickshire; and Professor (Dr) Kailash Chand (78), the BMA’s honorary vice-president.
Patel, the founder of charity South Asian Health Foundation (SAHF), helped to provide guidance on how to reduce risks of Covid-19 in BAME groups by working with the health services and ethnic communities.
Chand, a former deputy chair of the BMA, was one of the first leaders in healthcare to highlight the disproportionate impact of coronavirus on ethnic minorities. The retired doctor, who was elected to the BMA board of directors last year, was vocal on the issue, blaming structural racism for the problem.
Among the entries from the corporate world are Salman Amin (25); Ivan Menezes (29); Laxman Narasimhan (32); and Nitin Paranjpe (42).
Amin, a former UK CEO of Pepsico, is the global CEO of Pladis, the grocery multinational, while Menezes heads multinational alcoholic beverages firm Diageo.
Narasimhan is the CEO of Reckitt Benckiser, one of the largest producers of hygiene products in the country.
Paranjpe is the chief operating officer of Unilever, one of the world’s biggest consumer goods companies.
In politics, there are several new faces on the list, including Labour’s Lisa Nandy (61); Dr Rosena Allin-Khan (68); Seema Malhotra (77); and Preet Kaur Gill (80).
In the arts, Oscar nominee Ahmed is ranked highest on the list. The award-winning British actor once again wowed audiences and critics alike with his performance in Sound of Metal, earning him a Best Actor nomination at this year’s Academy Awards.
Joining him on this year’s list are BBC Radio 4 controller Mohit Bakaya (19); broadcaster Mishal Husain (23); Sanjeev Bhaskar and Meera Syal (26); comedian Romesh Ranganathan (31); Nihal Arthanayake (45); Anita Rani (57) and actor Dev Patel (67).
Solanki said, “The list is immensely significant because it shows how rich our south Asian talent base is in the UK.
“It also demonstrates how far we’ve come as a nation since our grandparents and parents contributed their blood, sweat and tears in building today’s Britain.
“From the sons of bus drivers, to owners of news agents, via children of doctors and Irish mothers, this says that institutional, structural and systemic racism won’t win in a place we call home.
“It’s a privilege being the chair of judges, and every year it gets harder and harder.
“But this augurs well for our United Kingdom in celebrating diversity and inclusion and making sure no one is ever left behind.”
As well as the launch of the GG2 Power List, AMG announced that the GG2 Leadership Awards will take place later this year. The award ceremony will celebrate top achievers from Britain’s ethnic minority communities.
Past winners include author Bernardine Evaristo; fashion designer Ozwald Boateng; Unilever’s Paranjpe; mental health campaigner Poppy Jaman and Labour MP David Lammy. n The GG2 Power List is available from www.easterneye.biz/fullpower-list/