Introducing The Spectacular Indian Alumni Honoured In The UK
The parliamentary peer Lord Bilimoria, the assistant secretary general of the Commonweath, Luis Gabriel Franceshi, and Alison Barrett, the director of the British Council India, gave keynote addresses at the renowned ceremony in London that presented the winners.
In a personal greeting to the winners, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak acknowledged their “exceptional talent” and the strength of the “special” friendship between the UK and India.
Catherine West, the shadow minister for foreign and Commonwealth affairs for Labour, also gave a speech this week, encouraging more young people in the UK and India to participate in cross-border educational and cultural exchanges.
The 2024 Achievers Honours winners are:
Education, culture, and the arts
Asma Khan, a King’s College London graduate
Khan started the company as a home supper club before founding the Darjeeling Express. It’s said to be the only all-female Indian restaurant in the world. Her achievements earned her positions on the Mayor of London’s Business Advisory Board and as a chef champion for the UN World Food Programme.
Atul Khatri, a University of Manchester alumnus
Khatri received recognition for his career change from Mumbai businessman to comedian! For comedic effect, he has combined his experience in engineering and management, ordering soup “one by two” by himself. He was praised by CNN-IBN as one of India’s top 20 comedians and was the previous winner of “CEOs Got Talent.”
Entrepreneurship and business
Harish R. Bhat, a University of Leeds graduate
Bhat has worked for Tara Sons, a company with a diverse portfolio, for more than 36 years. He has held positions as COO of Titan’s watches and jewellery, managing director of global beverages, and brand custodian. In addition to being a best-selling author, he was named a top CMO by Forbes in 2022 and 2023.
Politics and government
Conrad Sangma, Imperial College London alumnus
Since taking office in 2018, Sangma has served as Meghalaya’s chief minister. He is from a political family and is a member of the National People’s Party. At the United Nations World Summit on the Information Society Forum 2022, he was awarded the Best Project Award for his work as the Meghalaya Enterprise Architect.
Jayesh Ranjan, an LSE alumnus, holds the position of principal secretary for industries, commerce, and IT in the Telangana government. Developing policies, luring investments, and utilising technology to advance citizen welfare are all part of his responsibilities.
Law
Samridhi Arora, a University of Oxford graduate
Arora is a seasoned counsel from the Supreme Court of India. He heads the A141A conference and is a member of the UNESCO-IFAP (WGIA). She graduated with a postgraduate degree in public policy from the University of Oxford and finished her executive education programme at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Journalism and the media
Sonia Singh, Cardiff University alumna
Singh has worked for the Indian network NDTV as an editor, writer, senior television anchor, and journalist. She has conducted interviews with presidents, prime ministers, Nobel laureates, and other high-ranking government figures during the past thirty years.
Policies and society
Elsa Marie Silva, a University of Oxford graduate
DSilva, the president of Red Dot Foundation Global (US) and the founder of the non-profit Red Dot Foundation (India), is credited with initiating the Safecity project, a platform that crowdsources reports of sexual abuse across the globe.
Innovation, science, and education
Ram Raghu Pillarisetti After graduating from the Royal College of Surgeons, Dr. Pillarisetti transformed the treatment of breast cancer in India by establishing the first comprehensive breast health centre in South Asia and a national awareness charity. The Association of Breast Surgeons of India was also started by him.
Athletic
Neeraj Chopra is an Loughborough University alumnus.
In the men’s javelin, Chopra is the current Olympic, World, and Asian Games champion. He has previously won the Diamond League and the Commonwealth. For his services to Indian athletics, he has received numerous honours, such as the esteemed Padma Shri, the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, and the Arjuna Award. In 2021, he was selected as The Times of India’s Sportsperson of the Year.
