Oceanic Awards is proud to announce the winners of the British Asian Women’s Awards 2026, recognising the remarkable achievements of British Asian women who are making a lasting impact across business, public service, healthcare, education, community leadership, entrepreneurship, sport, the arts and many other sectors.
The prestigious awards ceremony took place on Thursday, 30th July 2026, at the Grand Station, Wolverhampton, where guests from across the country gathered to celebrate the outstanding accomplishments of inspirational women from across the United Kingdom. The evening was hosted by renowned presenter Tommy Sandhu, who guided guests through a memorable celebration of excellence, leadership and achievement.
Now in its 3rd year, the British Asian Women’s Awards continue to shine a spotlight on women whose dedication, innovation and commitment are helping to shape communities, inspire future generations and break barriers across every profession.
Speaking on behalf of Oceanic Awards, CEO, Yasmin Mahmood said:
“The British Asian Women’s Awards celebrate extraordinary women whose achievements continue to inspire others and create meaningful change across the UK. Every finalist has demonstrated exceptional dedication, resilience and passion within their respective fields, and we are incredibly proud to recognise their accomplishments. Congratulations to all of this year’s winners, as well as those receiving Outstanding Achievement and Recognised for Excellence honours.”
The winners for The British Asian Women’s Awards 2026 are:
Young Achiever of the Year
Recognised for Excellence: Sophia Naheed (NHS, Birmingham)
Outstanding Achievement: Farah Hasan (Oaksway, Stockton-On-Tees)
Winner: Jaya Kalsi (Boxer, Warwick)
Achievements in Arts & Culture
Recognised for Excellence: Shanaz Begum Gulzar (Bradford Culture Company, Bardford)
Outstanding Achievement: Satnam Galsian (Freelance Musician, Leeds)
Winner: Piali Ray (Sampad, Birmingham)
Community Achievement of the Year
Recognised for Excellence: Hafsa Omar (Sow the City, Manchester)
Outstanding Achievement: Priyanka Patel (The Empowered Desi, West Midlands)
Winner: Asma Haq (Marks Gate Relief Project, Romford)
Community Project of the Year
Recognised for Excellence: Richa Sinha (Scottish Hindu Foundation, Glasgow)
Outstanding Achievement: Shaleeza Hasham (Adopt a Grandparent, London)
Winner: Nafiza Anwar (Association of South Asian Midwives, London)
Services to Charity / Third Sector
Recognised for Excellence: Sahiba Majeed (The Muslim Sports Foundation, Birmingham)
Outstanding Achievement: Rukshana Kapasi (Barnardo’s, St Albans)
Winner: Shazia Arshad (Islamic Relief UK, London)
Outstanding Community Projects
Recognised for Excellence: Khadija Patel (KRIMMZ Girls Youth Club, Bolton)
Outstanding Achievement: Rifhat Malik (Give A Gift, Leeds)
Winner: Naz Kazmi (KAWACC, Bradford)
Social Leader of the Year
Recognised for Excellence: Koyesha Mukherjee (The Leading You^nth, London)
Outstanding Achievement: Veenoo Sharma (The Power Diaspora Forum, Edinburgh)
Winner: Pooja Kanda (Justice for Ronan, Wolverhampton)
Women in the Community
Recognised for Excellence: Taslima Ahmad (Creative Design and Manufacture UK, London)
Outstanding Achievement: Alina Khan (Bradford College, Bingley)
Winner: Dr. Poonam Gupta (Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, Kent)
Achievements in Finance
Recognised for Excellence: Neha Kapur (CITI, London)
Outstanding Achievement: Hina Desai (Forvis Mazars, Nottingham)
Winner: Pam Sheemar (NatWest Group, Birmingham)
Achievements in Media
Recognised for Excellence: Nayha Ahmed (BBC Asian Network, Slough)
Outstanding Achievement: Vaishali Bhardwaj (BBC Sports, London)
Winner: Seema Sidha (Sky Creative, London)
Achievements in Civil Service
Recognised for Excellence: Manira Ahmad (Public Health Scotland, Glasgow)
Outstanding Achievement: Asma Nafees (NHS Arden & GEM, Birmingham)
Winner: Andli Litt (NHS Arden & GEM CSU, Northampton)
Achievements in Education
Recognised for Excellence: Khadija Mohammed (University of West Scotland, Paisley)
Outstanding Achievement: Parveen Ali (University and Doncaster & Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals, South Yorkshire)
Winner: Vasha Kaur (Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust, London)
Achievements in Law
Recognised for Excellence: Aarti Thakor (Mishcon de Reya LLP, London)
Outstanding Achievement: Jayna Patel (Cardium Law, London)
Winner: Vandana Dass (Davenport Solicitors, London)
Achievements in STEM
Recognised for Excellence: Lilah Bibi (Stephenson, Leeds)
Outstanding Achievement: Shabnam Parkar (Miad Healthcare, Birmingham)
Winner: Kusum Trikha (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Manchester)
Achievements in Sport
Recognised for Excellence: Asmita Ale (Women’s Super League, Leicestershire)
Outstanding Achievement: Saf Middleton-Patel (Manchester United, Manchester)
Winner: Charan Kaur Dhesi (Boxer, Hull)
Achievements in Medicine
Recognised for Excellence: Jyoti Shah (North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, Ashby-de-la-Zouch)
Outstanding Achievement: Nighat Arif (This Morning, Buckinghamshire)
Winner: Harbinder Sandhu (University of Warwick, Coventry)
Grassroot Politicians of the Year
Recognised for Excellence: Salma Arif (Leeds City Council, Leeds)
Outstanding Achievement: Yasmine Dar (Manchester City Council, Manchester)
Winner: Nosheen Khalid (Alum Rock Councillor, Birmingham)
Outstanding Achievements of the Year
Recognised for Excellence: Anita Bhalla (B:Music, Birmingham)
Outstanding Achievement: Ananta Dave (NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board, Wolverhampton)
Winner: Hina Shahid (Imperial College London, London)
Food & Drink Entrepreneur of the Year
Recognised for Excellence: Anisa Khan (Bombay Pizza, London)
Outstanding Achievement: Vinita Duggal (Punjab Pakora, Ayr)
Winner: Rhea Agarwal (Haldiram’s, London)
Entrepreneur of the Year
Recognised for Excellence: Rukhsana Siddique (Proprietor Crossley Cars, Halifax)
Outstanding Achievement: Ruksana Alyas (Identity Care Housing, Nelson)
Winner: Raishma Islam (Raishma, London)
Creative Entrepreneur of the Year
Recognised for Excellence: Nadia Hussain (Hair Loving, London)
Outstanding Achievement: Karishma Vijay (Kishkin, Twickenham)
Winner: Neelam Kaur-Gupta (Calidus Care Consultancy, West Midlands)
SME Business of the Year
Recognised for Excellence: Henal Somji (Dr MediSpa, London)
Outstanding Achievement: Rachana Gupta (ORAANJ Interior Design, Harrow)
Winner: Leena Parmar (Citrus Connect Recruitment, Leeds)
Small Business of the Year
Recognised for Excellence: Tajinder Kaur Banwait (Urban Apothecary & Palette London, Leicester)
Outstanding Achievement: Maryam Iqbal (Royal Onsen, Bradford)
Winner: Dee Kaur (Flora & Co Associates, Birmingham)
Business Leader of the Year
Recognised for Excellence: Sharon Kaur (Sahara Care, London)
Outstanding Achievement: Shaleeza Hasham (CHD Living, London)
Winner: Manni Chopra (Chopra Property Group, Slough)
Corporate Leader of the Year
Recognised for Excellence: Shazia Azim (PWC UK, London)
Outstanding Achievement: Sonia Sharma (EY, London)
Winner: Bano Sheikh (KPMG UK, London)
Corporate Achiever of the Year
Recognised for Excellence: Shelina Begum (United Utilities, Manchester)
Outstanding Achievement: Shabrina Khan (Munich Re, London)
Winner: Ranjit Dhindsa (Fieldfisher, Birmingham)
Business Professional of the Year
Recognised for Excellence: Nim Sira (Oanda, Woodford Green)
Outstanding Achievement: Preeti Patel (Harley Street Audiovestibular Clinic, London)
Winner: Anna (Bhogal) Dilku (Aviva, Bristol)
Not for Profit CEO of the Year
Recognised for Excellence: Balwinder Kaur Dhanoa (Progress Care Group, Wolverhampton)
Outstanding Achievement: Sonya Byers (Women in Transport, London)
Winner: Parpinder K Dhatt (SAFS, West Midlands)
Women of Influence
Recognised for Excellence: Lubna Shuja (The Law Society of England and Wales, Birmingham)
Outstanding Achievement: Iqra Shahzadi (British Army, Surrey)
Winner: Monica Shafaq (Manchester United Foundation, Wolverhampton)
Women of the Year
Recognised for Excellence: Shanthi Ranganathan (TV Presenter)
Outstanding Achievement: Tanuja Randery (Amazon Web Services, London)
Winner: Selina Ullah (Derbyshire Healthcare Foundation Trust, Derby)
