Baroness Sandip Verma, Member of the House of Lords, Founder of the Global Influence Club and Women of Influence Recognitions, in association with the Global Influence Club and Petit Lions Communications, hosted the Women of Influence Awards 2023 at the IOD Pall Mall on Monday 27 November 2023. Following a video welcome address by British Ambassador to Japan, Julia Longbottom CMG; Lalita Taylor, Producer and Director of Events at BBC Academy Fusion, announced the 11 leading women recognised for their influence across a range of sectors including Diversity UK Chair, Lopa Patel MBE, who was acknowledged for her work on diversity, equality and inclusion, particularly and science and technology.
The event raised funds for education charity RBKS via a raffle with the prizes donated The Hinduja Group and Gini London, with guests entertained by singer, songwriter and mental health advocate, Eleni C.
Women of Influence 2023 Award Winners
Pastor Helen Oritsejafor, born in Ado Ekiti State, Nigeria, a distinguished figure with over 30 years of international business experience who was recognised with the International Woman of Influence 2023 award.
Ritu Prakash Chhabria – the Founder member and Managing Trustee of the Mukul Madhav Foundation (MMF).
Dr. Swati Dhingra – an Associate Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics, and an Associate of the Centre for Economic Performance at LSE who sits on the e Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee as an external member.
Sue Fox – President, The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) UK & Ireland.
Professor Christina Hughes – Founder and CEO of Women-Space Leadership which supports women who work in universities to flourish.
Melinda Johnson – Chief Operating Officer at Ofgem who is passionate about the Government’s Places for Growth agenda, particularly its link to Social Mobility.
Katrina Keating – a former chef, who has made a remarkable career shift to the care sector, swiftly rising through the ranks whilst also overcoming the challenges of ADHD.
Professor Geeta Nargund – Founder/CEO and the Medical Director of CREATE Fertility and abc IVF, one of the largest IVF companies in the UK.
Lopa Patel MBE – Digital Entrepreneur, Non-Executive Director and Chair of equality charity Diversity UK who campaigns for diversity, equality and inclusion, particularly in science and technology.
Dr. Roni Savage – CEO and Founder of Jomas Associates, an Engineering Company serving the Construction Industry since 2009.
Maxine Nwaneri, who from a homeless and hopeless situation in her teens went on to become a graduate of the University of Cambridge, a #1 Amazon International Bestselling Author, and a highly acclaimed international speaker, leadership adviser, and certified executive coach in her business, received the Rising Star Award.
The awards were supported by Amity University as the Headline Sponsor and by BEM group, Content Renewables, DBS Corporate, Devi, Glenmount Partner, GINI London, The Hinduja Group, Prudent Supported Living, Palan Foundation, Peter Dickson, SEP Professional Services, the Mukul Madhav Foundation, The Lamichhane Foundation, Vigo Group, African Leadership Organisation, BNP Investment LLC, Nexus Green, Stoke Park, Anantam Wealth, Breaking Down Barriers and WPP as sponsors.
About The Hinduja Group
The Hinduja Group is one of India’s premier diversified and transnational conglomerates. Employing approximately 200,000 employees, actively present in over 100 countries, and with a direct presence across 38 countries. The Group was founded over a century ago by Shri P.D. Hinduja whose credo was “My duty is to work so that I can give” with philanthropy being the core existential reason for doing business as against the conventional wisdom of making profits. Work to Give – has always accorded a sectoral priority to the Hinduja Foundation, and its numerous causes like Health, Education, Rural Development, and more recently, Water. Alongside operating the well-known Hinduja College of Commerce (Mumbai University), and various Merit cum Means Scholarship programmes, the Foundation, through its Road-to-School Initiative, is able to provide primary education to millions of school-going children.
www.hindujafoundation.org www.hindujagroup.com
About The Rajasthan Bal Kalyan Samiti (RBKS)
RBKS is an established trusted institution for education and skills training, delivering to those in severe poverty, offering hope, and opportunities to an ignored community to change their futures. The RBKS Team believes strongly that good quality education and healthcare is a fundamental right for all children, if there was no intervention it would mean continued exploitation, abuse, misery, and poverty. Working in rural communities, witnessing success stories through their programmes, RBKS works with the Central Government on delivering skills training, with the State government of Rajasthan on education, rural development programmes that also support women’s livelihoods. Breaking stigma and taboos for supporting girls in education has enabled local communities to change attitudes towards girls and women.
About The Mukul Madhav Foundation
Mukul Madhav Foundation (MMF) is an India-based charitable trust that has been spreading hope and happiness since 1998, registered in 1999, with an overseas office in London, UK (CIO: 1182723), started in 2018. We are primarily engaged at the grassroots level with vulnerable, marginalised communities and individuals. Working dedicatedly to give access to the resources they need to flourish, to feel empowered and cherished. We do this through collaborations with like-minded corporates, individuals, organisations, on-ground partners, and since 2014 also as CSR partner to Finolex Industries.
Our work encompasses healthcare, education, social welfare, water and environmental conservation, sanitation, women’s empowerment, disaster relief, promotion of sports and skill development. This accounts for 17 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and 15 of the 16 CSR Mandates put forward by the Indian Government in 2014. With a determined focus to empower people with hope and happiness. To give them a foundation on which they can then fulfil their true potential. Setting them up for life. Not with charity and pity, but with dignity. www.mmpc.in