Asians on King’s 1st Birthday Honours List 2023

King Charles III’s first Birthday Honours List 2023 has been published and 1,171 people across the UK have been recognised for their contributions to UK society.

Of those recognised, half are women, 11% come from a minority ethnic background, 13% are disabled or have a long-term health condition, and 23% consider themselves to come from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds.

Speaking about the Birthday Honours, Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said:

“This year’s honours list is a testament to ordinary people who have demonstrated extraordinary community spirit, and I pay tribute to all those who have been recognised today.

“Our honours system has long been a way of recognising people who make an incredible contribution to life in Britain and beyond.”

As for the Asian contributions, the King’s Birthday Honours List honours the hard work and efforts by men and women with South Asian roots who have made a major impact on communities around the UK.

Director General at the Department for Levelling Up Emran Mian received a Companions of the Order of the Bath for services to regeneration.

Head of the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Lessons from Auschwitz Project and former History teacher Anita Parmar is being honoured with an MBE.

Speaking about the honour, Anita said:

“I am delighted to be recognised by His Majesty the King in his Birthday Honours list.

“This really is a reflection of the dedication of the whole team at the Holocaust Educational Trust who work day in and day out, to ensure that the horrors of the past are understood and remembered and that the legacy of the Holocaust continues.

“I am so proud to work for such an important cause, alongside Holocaust survivors who are an incredible inspiration to me and who play a key role in educating the next generation about the past.

“The Trust’s flagship educational programme, the ‘Lessons from Auschwitz’ Project each year has a profound impact on thousands of young people across the country and I am so grateful to His Majesty the King for recognising the importance of this work with this honour.”

Karen Pollock CBE, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, added:

“It is wonderful to see many friends and members of our community recognised in His Majesty The King’s Birthday Honours list.

“We are absolutely thrilled that Holocaust survivor Jacques Weisser receives an honour.

“Whether through his tireless work with Jewish Ex-Servicemen and women or his amazing efforts to support Yom HaShoah, a day set aside to remember the Holocaust, ensuring it is commemorated across the Jewish community, Jacques has a unique determination that is always demonstrated with such warmth and grace.

“We are grateful for everything he does.

“We are also delighted to see Anita Parmar, Head of the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Lessons from Auschwitz Project honoured.

“Formerly a History teacher in a London school, Anita was determined to ensure that the Holocaust was taught at a high standard.”

“She joined the Holocaust Educational Trust team in 2004 and has played a pivotal role in our work for nearly two decades.

“Anita has helped to ensure that tens of thousands of young people have seen for themselves the site of the former Nazi concentration and death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau through our Lessons from Auschwitz Project and has helped to ensure that survivors’ stories are told and retold.

“We are incredibly proud of our valued colleague and dear friend, and we wish Anita a hearty Mazel Tov!”

British Asians who have been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours List 2023 include:

Companions of the Order of the Bath

• Emran Mian OBE – Director General, Regeneration, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. For services to Regeneration.

Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)

• Zahra Shiva Bahrololoumi – CEO, Salesforce UKI. For services to the Information Technology Sector.
• Professor Paliarkarakadu Assen Muhammed Basheer – Chair in Structural Engineering, University of Leeds. For services to Civil Engineering.

Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)

• Khurshid Alam – Chair, Academy for Advanced Studies and Training UK International. For services to BAME Healthcare and the Professional Development of BAME Doctors.
• Dr Parvinder Kaur Aley – Director of Global Operations, Oxford Vaccine Group, University of Oxford. For services to Vaccination during Covid-19.
• Anuj Jayantilal Chande – Partner, Grant Thornton. For services to International Trade and Investment.
• Professor Aravinthan Coomarasamy – Professor of Gynaecology and Reproductive Medicine, University of Birmingham. For services to Maternal Health.
• Jo-Ann D’costa-Manuel – Autism Ambassador and Parent Advocate. For services to Children and Young People with Autism.
• Professor Prokar Dasgupta – Foundation Professor of Surgery, King’s Health Partners and Chair in Robotic Surgery and Urological Innovation, King’s College London. For services to Surgery and Science.
• Varinder Hayre – District Crown Prosecutor, Crown Prosecution Service, London. For services to Law and Order.
• Ishtiaq Hussain – Assistant Director, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. For Public Service.
• Dr Kavitha Kishen – Deputy Director, Security, Resilience and Strategy, Government Office for Science. For services to National Resilience and Diversity in Government Science and Engineering.
• Anju Kumar – Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist. For services to Women’s Health and Welfare in Wales.
• Amar Latif – Founder and CEO, Traveleyes. For services to the Visually Impaired and to Entrepreneurship.
• Dr Navaratnam Partheeban – Co-Founder, British Veterinary Ethnicity and Diversity Society. For services to Inclusion.
• Sunand Prasad MBE – Chair, UK Green Building Council. For services to Regeneration.
• Dr Amarjit Raju – Chief Executive, Disability Direct. For services to People with Disabilities, to Carers and to Mental Health.
• Professor Rama Shankaran Thirunamachandran – Vice-Chancellor, Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, Kent. For services to Higher Education.
• Mohammad Amjid Wazir – Member and Deputy Leader, Stoke-on-Trent City Council. For Political Service and to the community in Stoke-on-Trent.
• Mohammed Younis – Owner, Star Day Nurseries, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. For services to Early Years Education and to the community in Peterborough.

Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)

• Darnish Amraz – Youth Worker, Birmingham City Youth Service. For services to Young People in Birmingham.
• Muhammad Arif Anis – Co-Founder, One Million Meals. For services to Frontline Workers during Covid-19.
• Roma Bhopal – Physiotherapist and Specialist Hand Therapist. For services to Physiotherapy.
• Nizamuddin Noordin Damani – Consultant Microbiologist, Southern Health and Social Care Trust. For services to Infection Prevention and Control in Northern Ireland and to the World Health Organisation.
• Bawa Singh Dhallu – Lately Councillor and Mayor, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, West Midlands. For Political and Voluntary Service.
• Sandeep Dwesar – Chief Operating and Financial Officer, Barbican Centre. For Public Service in the City of London.
• Mohammed Fahim – For services to the community in Walsall, West Midlands, particularly during Covid-19.
• Aqil Farooq – Police Sergeant and Chair, Staff Association, Avon and Somerset Police. For services to Policing and to Diversity and Inclusion.
• Kapaljit Singh Jhuti – Head of Services, Transport and Passenger Logistics, Heathrow Airport, London. For services to the State Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
• Sardarni Navleen Kaur – Founder, Sahara Sisterhood. For services to Women and to Interfaith Relations.
• Ritu Khurana – DJ and Broadcaster. For services to Music and to Broadcasting.
• Dr Nihara Sonali Krause – Founder and Chief Executive, Stem4. For services to the Mental Health of Young People.
• Rizwana Mahmood-Ahmed – Headteacher, Carlton Junior and Infants School, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire. For services to Education.
• Rizwan Wali Mohammed – For services to the community in Glasgow.
• Professor Raja Anindya Sekhar Mukherjee – Consultant Psychiatrist, Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. For services to People with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.
• Shiva Chandra Niraula – Pandit, Brigade of Gurkhas, Ministry of Defence. For pastoral services to Military Personnel.
• Asitha Panditharatna – Director of Employment Services, The Forward Trust. For services to Further Education and Skills.
• Anita Parmar – Head, Lessons from Auschwitz Project, Holocaust Educational Trust. For services to Holocaust Education and Remembrance.
• Professor Kanwal John Pasi – Lately Centre Director, Royal London Haemophilia Centre, Barts Health NHS Trust. For services to the NHS.
• Jay Prakash Patel – Qualified Person Assessor, AstraZeneca. For services to Public Health during Covid-19.
• Jeeta Patel – Lately Senior Policy Adviser, Cabinet Office. For Public Service.
• Dr Shubha Platt – Merit Scientist, Remote Sensing, Plymouth Marine Laboratory. For services to Oceanography.
• Dr Sandrasekeram Premachandran – Advisor, Care Quality Commission and Emergency Medicine Consultant, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust. For services to Health and Care.
• Aftabur Rahman – CEO, Legacy West Midlands. For services to Heritage and to the community in Birmingham.
• Nimisha Raja – Founder, Nim’s Fruit Crisps. For services to Small and Medium Enterprises.
• Adil Rashid – For services to Cricket.
• Narinder Singh Sagoo – For services to Charity.
• Bilal Bin Saqib – Co-Founder, One Million Meals. For services to the NHS and to the community in Stanmore, London Borough of Harrow.
• Prodaman Kumar Sarwal – Lately Trustee, Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust and Chair, Master Ropemakers Ltd. For services to Heritage and to the Charitable Sector.
• Dr Farrukh Tasnim Shah – Consultant Haematologist, Whittington Health NHS Trust. For services to Thalassaemia and Sickle Cell Patients.
• Dr Inderjit Singh – For voluntary and charitable services to the community in Scotland.
• Harvinder Singh Rai – Sergeant, West Midlands Police. For services to Policing and to the Sikh Community.
• Hina Solanki – Founder, Sol Cosmedics. For services to Business and to Charity.
• Jyotsna Srikanth – Violinist. For services to Music.
• Dr Shivani Anika Walia – Founder, Anika Food Charity. For services to the Alleviation of Food Poverty.

Medallists of the Order of the British Empire (BEM)

• Idris Ali – Provision Contracts Manager, Department for Work and Pensions. For voluntary service to the community in Oldham, Greater Manchester.
• Rahima Do Nascimento Aziz – Trustee, Aziz Foundation. For services to Young People.
• Perminderjeet Kaur Banwait – Founder and Managing Director, Banwait Group Holdings. For services to Social Care.
• Balvir Mohan Bhalla – Founder, Super Cool Friends Charity. For services to the community in Ilford, London Borough of Redbridge, particularly during Covid-19.
• Nighat Bhola – Director, Humdum UK. For services to Food Provision and to the community in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, particularly during Covid-19.
• Rekesh Chauhan – Pianist and Composer. For services to Music, to Charity and to Mental Health in the British Asian Community, particularly during Covid-19.
• Ehsan Shahid Choudhry – Co-Founder, MH The Open Kitchen. For services to the community in the London Borough of Hounslow.
• Balbir Dhillon – Postmaster. For services to the community in Birchwood, Cheshire.
• Kuldeep Singh Dhillon – Postmaster. For services to the community in Birchwood, Cheshire.
• Krishna Ghosh – For services to Education and to the community in London.
• Dr Priya Kumar – General Practitioner, Kumar Medical Centre, Slough. For services to Health Improvement in South East England.
• Kailash Malhotra – Peer Educator Volunteer, Kidney Research UK. For services to Kidney Organ Donation for Minority Ethnic Groups.
• Dr Aruna Mene – Artist. For services to Fabric Art, to Charity and to Sustainability.
• Mohammad Mirza – Caseworker, HM Revenue and Customs. For services to Mental Health.
• Hetalban Mayank Patel – Compliance and Investigation Officer, HM Revenue and Customs. For services to Homeless People in Newcastle upon Tyne.
• Virendra Mahendrakumar Patel – Technical Support Partner, John Lewis and Partners. For services to the community in Hampshire.
• Yasmin Sidhwa – Founder and Director, Mandala Theatre Company. For services to Drama.
• Salma Bano Zulfiqar – For services to Art and to Education.

These honorary titles are awarded to these individuals in recognition of their commitment to serve and help Britain in their areas of work and services.

The Asian recipients of these awards have proved their specific dedication without a doubt to their contributions.

DESIblitz congratulates all of the honoraries on the Birthday Honours List 2023!