Now in its fourth year, the list celebrates the contribution made by British Asians to this country’s digital economy.
The aim is to showcase the wealth of talent on the British digital scene; from startup founders, creatives, social entrepreneurs, technologists, venture capital and angel investors to the policy makers and game changers. The key objective is to address the perceived lack of diversity in the tech sector by highlighting the business models, funding and support networks being created by these Asian digital entrepreneurs. Shortlisted list nominees make valuable connections at the launch event to help fund or scale their business; are recognised in industry publications and go on to win other competitions and awards. Each year, the Chair of the judging panel also recognises an individual with the coveted Chairman’s Award which is presented at the launch event in June.
Graham Pearce, KPMG’s Head of Technology in the North, said:
“The growth of the UK Tech sector has been the success story of the millennium with vibrant digital technology clusters across the UK creating jobs and contributing significantly to the economy. Innovation and diversity are a key elements of the UK tech sector and it is important that we shine a spotlight on the achievements of Asian entrepreneurs and leaders in the tech sector and the vital job they do as role models to the younger generation in the UK.”
Previous Chairman’s Award winners include surgeon and VR evangelist Professor Shafi Ahmed who was honoured with the Chairman’s Award in 2017; Shankar Narayanan, Head of UK & Ireland for Tata Consultancy Services received the award in 2016 and Dinesh Dhamija, Chairman of Copper Beech Group and previously Founder of ebookers who was recognised in 2015.
Spotlight on the Creative Industries which contribute £92bn to UK economy
The list also highlights the Top 5 individuals in five categories, which have previously included business, edtech, fintech, investors, social entrepreneurs, startups and women. This year, the spotlight is on the creative industries which contribute £92bn to the UK economy, according to the figures published by the Department for Digital, Media, Culture and Sport (DCMS). Growing at twice the rate of the economy, the sector which includes advertising and marketing, arts, film, TV and radio, museums, galleries and gaming, makes up more than five per cent of the UK economy’s GVA.
Top 5 Categories
The Top 5 categories for 2018 are Top 5 Investors (including accelerator, incubator, angel investors, private equity, venture capital etc); Top 5 in Business (incl. B2B, B2C, edtech, fintech, healthtech, insuretech, proptech, retailtech etc); Top 5 in Creative Industries (incl. entertainment, gaming, marketing, advertising etc); Top 5 StartUps (entrepreneurs who have set up in the past 5 years or so) and Top 5 Women.
Eligibility Criteria
For inclusion in the Top 100 Asian Stars in UK Tech list, individuals must comply with eligibility criteria, the full details of which are available at https://asiansintech.com/eligibility-criteria-2018/
Nominations
Individuals can nominate themselves or other eligible candidates via the website. Nominations close at midnight on 15 April 2018.
Judges
After the end of the nominations process, a panel of expert judges then shortlists the final Top 100 for inclusion on the list, which will be published on 4th June 2017.
Judges already confirmed for 2018 include investment banker Lord Jitesh Gadhia; President of techUK and the chair of the Digital Leaders board, Jacqueline de Rojas CBE; Partner at BGF Ventures Rory Sterling; Co-Founder & Investor at Accelerated Ventures, David Fogel; Professor Robin Bargar, Director, Digital and Creative Industry Collaboration Zone at The University of Salford; Simone Roche, Founder of Northern Power Women and Ling Ge, Chief European Representative at Tencent who will join others (still to be confirmed) and permanent judges Patrick Imbach, Head of KPMG Enterprise’s Innovative Startups team; Dilip Joshi MBE, Chair - Diversity UK [Chair of the Judging Panel] and Lopa Patel MBE, Founder & CEO - Diversity UK.
The Top 100 Asian Stars in UK Tech list, NewAsianPost.com and Diversity UK are the brainchild of the digital entrepreneur Lopa Patel MBE who has long been recognised as an evangelist for STEM and the tech industries in the UK. Lopa promotes enterprise and skills development, is a prominent advocate for more diversity in the field and in 2015 was the first Asian woman to receive the Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion.
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