As excitement builds ahead of the Asian Achievers Awards 2026, much of the attention has naturally focused on this year’s impressive shortlist. But behind every finalist is a panel of judges entrusted with one of the event’s most important responsibilities: selecting the winners.
More than 500 nominations were submitted across this year’s categories, ranging from business and entrepreneurship to sport, media and community service. Over the past month, an independent judging panel has carefully reviewed the entries before narrowing them down to the finalists.
Chosen to represent a broad cross-section of society, this year’s judges bring expertise from business, public service, healthcare and the media. The panel includes Avnish Goyal CBE, Chairman of Hallmark Care Homes; Caroline Rassell, Chief Executive of Parkinson’s UK; Raj Baddhan, CEO of Lyca Radio; Rajesh Agrawal, Founder and CEO of Fairgrowth Group; Rishini Weeraratne, Editor of The Sun (Daily Mirror, Sri Lanka); and Simon Arora, former CEO of B&M Retail.
Avnish Goyal
Avnish Goyal is the founder of Hallmark Care Homes and a nationally recognised entrepreneur in the UK’s care sector. Over the past 24 years, he has been recognised for building one of the country’s leading care home providers. Beyond business, he is a passionate philanthropist, supporting initiatives focused on tackling human trafficking, promoting menstrual dignity, empowering women, and improving the lives of children in the UK and overseas.
Caroline RassellÂ
Caroline Rassell is the Chief Executive of Parkinson’s UK, where she leads the charity’s work to improve care, fund research and support people living with Parkinson’s. With a background in the NHS and local government, she is passionate about patient care and community wellbeing. She also serves as a trustee of her local hospice and is a keen advocate for physical and mental health through activities such as parkrun.
Raj Baddhan
Rajesh Agrawal
Rajesh Agrawal is the Founder of Fairgrowth and former Deputy Mayor of London for Business. An entrepreneur and fintech founder, he has worked across business, investment and public policy, helping drive innovation, attract international investment and support the growth of startups and global businesses. Today, through Fairgrowth, he advises founders, corporates, investors and governments on growth and innovation.
Rishini Weeraratne
Rishini Weeraratne is the Editor of The Sun (Sri Lanka) and The Weekend Online at the Daily Mirror, with extensive experience in journalism, digital media and content strategy. She also heads social media at Wijeya Newspapers Limited and is the author of She Can, a weekly column celebrating women’s achievements. An award-winning media professional, she has been recognised for her leadership in digital media and continues to champion impactful storytelling across Sri Lanka and beyond.
Simon Arora
Simon Arora is the former CEO of discount retail giant B&M and played a key role in transforming the business into one of the UK’s largest retail chains after acquiring it with his brothers in 2004. A Cambridge graduate with a background in consulting, finance and entrepreneurship, he is widely recognised for his contribution to the retail sector and was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Asian Achievers Awards for his leadership and impact on British business.
Together, they were tasked with recognising individuals whose achievements extend beyond professional success to include leadership, innovation and meaningful contributions to society.
This year’s shortlist reflects the breadth of talent across the British South Asian community. Among those nominated are US PGA Championship winner Aaron Rai, Pakistan women’s international footballer Mariam Mahmood, property developer Kamal Pankhania, King’s College London President Professor Shitij Kapur, restaurateurs Des Gunawardena, Karan Gokani, Subodh Joshi and Sujay Sohani, London Tigers CEO Mesba Ahmed MBE, model Neelam Gill and human rights academic Professor Sunita Toor.
Speaking about this year’s programme, Pratik Dattani, Managing Director of EPG, said the quality of nominations made this one of the strongest years for the awards.
“We received one of the strongest set of submissions we’ve ever had at this year’s Asian Achievers Awards,” he said. “Judges looked for examples of leadership, impact and contribution to the community.”
He added that, at a time of economic uncertainty and growing anti-immigrant sentiment, the awards continue to highlight the positive impact of the British South Asian community through stories of inspiration, resilience and innovation.
The winners will be announced at the 24th Asian Achievers Awards on Friday, 18 September, at the London Hilton on Park Lane.
The ceremony will once again be hosted by actor Nitin Ganatra OBE, with performances from Rishi Rich, Ustad Rafaqat Ali Khan and comedian Tez Ilyas. This year’s charity partner is Pardada Pardadi, an organisation dedicated to empowering girls and women in Uttar Pradesh through education, healthcare, community development and economic opportunities.
