After months of anticipation the winners of the 16th Scottish Asian & Business Awards 2023 presented by Lookers Glasgow and Jaguar Land Rover have been announced. 

For a decade and a half these awards have celebrated the achievements of Scottish-Asian businesses and professionals whose continued graft and dedication has created a lasting legacy for what the Scottish Asian community are capable of as business leaders and drivers of the economy.

The Awards showcase the strength of the Asian community, the impact they have on Scotland’s culture & economy, and highlight their progression over the last year.

An auction was held during the event which raised over £6000 for the Sarwar Foundation who were the charity partners for this year’s event.

This year’s prestigious awards ceremony was hosted by Rupa Mooker and Atta Yaqub took place on the 19th of December at the Marriott Hotel in Glasgow. The ceremony saw a range of Asian community achievements including in business, charity, food, law and finance being honoured.

Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf was this year’s recipient of the prestigious Scot of the Year award. Yousaf’s father was in attendance to accept the award on his behalf.

A spokesperson for the Scottish Asian & Business Awards 2023 said: “It was another excellent evening that allowed us to celebrate the talented Scottish Asian business community.

We commend the entrepreneurial spirit, dedication, personal and professional achievements and the huge contributions Scottish Asians have achieved in their respective industries.

Those shortlisted for this event are the perfect role models for future generations of aspiring entrepreneurs and professionals. We want to congratulate our winners and highly commended recipients on their achievements.

The winners for the 16th Scottish Asian & Business Awards 2023:

Achievements in Civil Service / Third Sector

Naghat Ahmed (Glasgow City Council, Glasgow)

Highly commended went to Moi Ali (UK Home Office, Edinburgh)

Young Achiever of the Year 

Iqra Ali (Edinburgh Medical School, Edinburgh)

Highly commended went to Shailaa Kauser (Transport Scotland, Glasgow)

Community Retailer of the Year

Nads Store ltd (Carluke)

Highly commended went to Nisa Local Mossvale (Paisley)

The Bashir Ahmad Community Initiative of the Year

Islamic Relief Celtic FC Partnership (Glasgow)

Highly commended went to Glasgow Ansar (Netball Campaign, Glasgow)

Medical Professional of the Year

Sanjay Mantry (Vision Scotland, Glasgow)

Highly commended went to Tariq Bashir (Visage, Glasgow)

Micro Business of the Year

Jewahir Home Fragrances (Glasgow)

Highly commended went to Capture 360 Events (Glasgow)

One to Watch Award

Asim Muhammad (Avidity, Glasgow)

Highly commended went to Zubi Hussain (WESCO Anixter, Glasgow)

Achievements in Accounting

Tayyib Gondal (Yousaf & Co Ltd, Glasgow)

Highly commended went to Sadia Ali (Martin Aitken, Glasgow)

Achievements in Finance 

Aleesha Ghaffar (Contineo FRS, Glasgow)

Highly commended went to Anisha Gill (Aon, Glasgow)

Achievements in Education

Khadija Mohammed (The University of the West of Scotland, Paisley)

Highly commended went to Norin Arshed (University of Strathclyde, Glasgow)

The Abid Bashir Entrepreneur of the Year

Yusuf Shabbir (PharmacyOnline.co.uk, Clydebank)

Highly commended went to Sannah Aron Santharaj (Chennai’s Marina, Edinburgh)

Business Leader of the Year

Harris Aslam (Glenshire Group, Kirkcaldy)

Highly commended went to DC Singh (Edinburgh Cashmere, Edinburgh)

The Mohammad Ramzan Convenience Retailer of the Year

Ali’s Convenience Store Tranent (Tranent)

Highly commended went to Jaz’s Premier Grangemouth (Grangemouth)

Woman of the Year

Poonam Malik (University of Strathclyde, Glasgow)

Highly commended went to Shafaque Shaikh (Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen)

Rising Star in Law 

Kiran Bahia (Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie LLP, Dunfermline)

Highly commended went to Henna Jamil (SGN, Glasgow)

Franchise Business of the Year

Chaiiwala (Glasgow)

Highly commended went to Cupp (Glasgow)

Restaurant Entrepreneur of the Year

Shahid Ghani (Shezan & Kahani, Edinburgh)

Highly commended went to Manish Kaushik/Devender Sharma/Amit Sachdeva (Masala Twist West End & Punjabi Tadka, Glasgow)

Restaurant of the Year

Kebabish Grill (Glasgow)

Highly commended went to Rustom Restaurant (Edinburgh)

Spirit of Scotland

Scottish Asian Ekta Group (Cooking Tales, Glasgow)

Highly commended went to Aileen Singh (Spicy Mo, Montrose)

Takeaway of the Year

Raja Glasgow (Glasgow)

Highly commended went to Asian Tandoori (Glasgow)

Food Retailer of the Year

World Foods (Glasgow)

Highly commended went to Strawberry Garden Cash n Carry (Glasgow)

Food Brand of the Year

Chapter IV (Glasgow)

Highly commended went to BurgurGrill (Glasgow)

Scot of the Year

Humza Yousaf (First Minister of Scotland)

Makeup Professional of the Year

Humera Tayyub (humerawr, Glasgow)

Highly commended went to Mubeenah Chaudhary (ZaZo Beauty, Glasgow)

Corporate Rising Star

Aysha Canning (Azets, Glasgow)

Highly commended went to Rasiba Norin (Aggreko, Glasgow)

New Business of the Year

Glasgow Private Clinic (Glasgow)

Highly commended went to Laser Clinics UK Glasgow Central (Glasgow)

Small Business of the Year

Limitless Learners Education & Development (Glasgow)

Highly commended went to Palladium Executive Hire (Glasgow)

Best Professional in Business

Nowsheen Farhan (Farhan and Co Solicitor, Glasgow)

Highly commended went to Umair Mohammed (Cherrybank Dental, Edinburgh)

Medical Leader of the Year 

Kamal Deep (Golden Jubilee National University Hospital, Clydebank)

Highly commended went to Syed Ahmed (NHSGGC, Glasgow)

SME Business of the Year

SpotHost (Glasgow)

Highly commended went to Whitehill Farm (Ayrshire)

Business Professional of the Year

Dilveer Kaur Hoonjan (ECD Architects, Glasgow)

Highly commended went to Amna Ashraf (Burness Paull, Glasgow)

Retail Business of the Year

Ally’s UK (Glasgow)

Highly commended went to GLR Stores (Glasgow)

Achievements in Law 

Omar Ali (Harper Macleod, Glasgow)

Highly commended went to Susith Dematagoda (Drummond Miller Solicitors, Glasgow)

Diversity Brand of the Year

NHS Scotland (Glasgow)

Highly commended went to Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (Glasgow)

Influencer of the Year

Myles Omar (Myslesomar, Glasgow) 

Highly commended went to Emman Ajaz (Emman.ajaz, Glasgow)