The finalists have been announced for the Lloyds TSB Asian Jewel Awards (Southern Region) 2005, to be held at a awards ceremony in central London on Saturday 9 July. Among the nominees in the 'Media, Sport & Arts' category is Redhotcurry.com Editor, Mrs Lopa Patel, who is shortlisted alongside R&B singer Jay Sean, premiership footballer Zesh Rehman and artist Samiah Faridi.

The Asian Jewel Awards, now in their fourth successful year, celebrate the achievements of British Asian people in all walks of life. They are organized by the Institute of Asian Professionals and sponsored by Lloyds TSB.

The finalists are as follows:

BUSINESS AND COMMERCE AWARD

• Rita Sharmar, managing director, Best At Travel, part of Worldwide Journey plc
• Tony Sarin, serial entrepreneur and chairman of the Asian Business Association, London Chamber of Commerce and Industry
• Dr Kartar Lalvani, Vitabiotics, Britain?s first nutraceutical company (founded 1971)
• Ravi and Jagdish Karia, brothers and co-founders of Chemilines (pharmaceutical and perfume products)

ENTREPRENEUR AWARD

• Kal Laur Rai, fashion designer, whose clients include Beyonce Knowles and Victoria Beckham
• Murquim Ahmed, Café Naz chain, known for his work in transforming the Brick Lane area of East London
• Jorinder Sangar, chairman, Mastcraft Group (hotels, properties, travel agencies and life insurance) and vice-chairman, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, West Kensington
• Ruby Hammer, co-founder of Ruby and Millie Cosmetics and internationally-acclaimed make-up artist

PROFESSIONAL AWARD

• Punita Gajree, partner, Accenture, and Accenture?s lead partner for their people agenda focussing on inclusion and diversity
• Iram Shah, marketing director, BP (British Petroleum)
• Sarosh Zaiwalla, Zaiwalla & Co Solicitors, who has acted for the President of India and the Iranian Government amongst others
• Rina Nameirakpam Barua, vie-president (legal affairs), B4U television channel

MEDIA, SPORTS & ARTS AWARD

• Jay Sean, 22-year-old singer and radio presenter
• Zesh Rehman, footballer, Fulham Football Club; first British-born Asian to start a Premiership match
• Lopa Patel, editor, redhotcurry.com, award-winning Asian lifestyle portal
• Samiah Faridi, artist and designer who exhibited in May 2005 at the Royal Commonwealth Society

HEALTHCARE AND EDUCATION AWARD

• Pritpal Singh, head, Drayton Manor High School, West London (awarded Beacon status in 2000 and now a Leading Edge school - an accolade granted to only 130 schools nationwide)
• Professor Shahina Pardhan, the UK's first female professor of optometry and leader of  'eye camp' teams to Northern Pakistan in 2001
• Professor Alimuddin Zumla, professor of infectious diseases and international health, University College London
• Professor Faraneh Vargha-Khadem, chair of developmental cognitive neuroscience, University College London and head of department

PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD

• Irene Khan, secretary-general, Amnesty International
• Bilquis Ahmed, ovarian cancer survivor and cancer awareness activist working with ethnic minority communities
• Amran Hussain, founder, The Abul Lais Foundation, operating in Newham and internationally
• Surinder Sharma, national director for equality and human rights, Department of Health and National Health Service

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

The Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented jointly to actor Kabir Bedi (Sandokan, Octopussy) and to Assistant Tarique Ghaffur CBE of the Metropolitan Police Service, the highest-ranking Asian police officer in the UK.

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