International security leader and leading Indian entrepreneur Dr Richie Nanda was honoured with the prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year award at the Asian Achievers Awards (AAA) 2014, on the 19th of September 2014.
This eminent accolade constitutes the leading entrepreneur’s 65th award in his career. At a glittering gala held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, Rt. Hon Keith Vaz MP, Chairman of the Home Affairs Committee and Lord Navnit Dholakia presented Dr Richie Nanda with the award in recognition of the passion and drive behind his entrepreneurial business. The chief guest at the event was Rt Hon Phillip Hammond MP, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.
Dr Nanda – who is the Executive Chairman of TOPSGRUP, India’s leading and largest security company and The Shield Group, the UK’s largest independent total security solutions company – was honoured for his visionary, innovative and motivational entrepreneurial achievements. Dr Nanda’s award win was particularly topical, as this year’s Asian Achievers Awards had the theme of entrepreneurship, aiming to recognise the businessman who best exemplified entrepreneurial skills as well as a proven track record of creating success through his innovative spirit.
Dr Richie Nanda said of his award win: ‘I am so humbled, overwhelmed, and extremely honoured to have been presented with this prestigious award for entrepreneurship. I would like to thank the judging panel and to all those who have contributed to our success. As I always say, my achievements are as much down to the talent, dedication and hard work of my entire team. This award is as much theirs at it is mine, as they have worked tirelessly to develop and grow our companies to the success story that the brand has become today. We have tremendous plans for the future of The Shield Group and our aim is to make it the UK’s number one business security solutions provider.’
The Asian Achievers Awards recognises the outstanding achievements of individuals from various professions within UK’s Asian community. Hosted by Asian Business Publications Ltd (ABPL), publishers of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar, the event is now in its 14th year and is consistently favoured by the Asian community as the most prestigious and highly respected awards event on the calendar. The eventful evening saw in attendance a guest list of leading luminaries from the Indo-British community, including industry captains from the worlds of business, entrepreneurship, philanthropy, entertainment and sport, high-level decision makers, Parliamentarians, community leaders and senior professionals.
Other winners included Hanif Kureshi CBE for Media, Arts and Culture; Mahmud Kamani, co-founder of boohoo.com for Business Person of the Year; and Wasim Khan MBE, the first British-Pakistani to play professional cricket in England, for Achievement in Community Service. The chosen charity partner was the Cherie Blair Foundation For Women.
Speaking at the event Rt Hon Phillip Hammond MP, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs said: “There is much to celebrate in the contribution of British Asians made to our national life – be it in sports, in culture, in academia, in public service and in community life. But perhaps most strikingly and most dramatically in business and the professions where the British Asian community punches well above its weight and produces some outstanding successes… the PM has asked me specifically to add his congratulations to all of you”.