Kadra Ege with Brent Ladies at Wembley Stadium
Kadra Ege, founder of Brent Ladies FC, has worked very closely with Kick It Out over the last five years, and on Tuesday evening her hard work was recognised when she was awarded the GG2 Football In The Community Award.
Kadra first got in touch with Kick It Out in 2005, and since then Brent Ladies FC have gone from strength to strength. You can read more about Kadra and her award-winning community project by clicking here.
Kadra expressed her shock and delight at receiving the award: "This nomination has been a big surprise and to follow it by winning was totally unexpected, but a real thrill and a very special honour.
"I consider it a highlight of my long dedication to community, and some of the credit must also go to Kick It Out who felt that I was worthy of nomination."
The GG2 Leadership and Diversity Awards also saw a number of high-profile names both attending and winning awards.
Winners
Dragons' Den entrepreneur James Caan and the Financial Times’ chief operating officer, Yasmin Jetha, walked away with the Man Of The Year and Woman Of The Year awards respectively at the ceremony, which recognise high achievers among ethnic minorities in the UK.
The event in London on Tuesday (September 16), was attended by actress and writer Meera Syal, singer Annie Lenox, Sarah Brown, the wife of Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and Karren Brady, the managing director of Birmingham FC, among others.
Hosted by the Asian Media and Marketing Group (AMG), the GG2 Leadership and Diversity Awards are now in their tenth year. This year the theme was women and leadership, and a highlight of the evening was a discussion featuring Brady, Syal and Naina Lal Kidwai, the CEO of HSBC in India.
More than 800 guests were in attendance at the event where a dozen awards were presented to people from all walks of life.
The GG2 Hammer Award, presented to an individual who has broken through the glass ceiling, was given to Ruby-McGregor-Smith, chief executive officer of Mitie, a company whose activities range from catering to providing security at Sellafield. McGregor-Smith, an accountant by training, created history by becoming the first ever Asian woman to head a FTSE 250 company.
Panel
An independent panel of judges including Sarah Brown, Terry Mansfield CBE, director, Hearst Corporation; Peter Preston, former editor of the Guardian and Ramniklal Solanki CBE, editor in chief of AMG, picked the winners.
Highlighting this year’s theme of women in the workplace, Ramniklal Solanki said; "This year’s GG2 Leadership and Diversity Awards marked our 10th year anniversary and proved bigger and better than ever before.
"They not only showcased women who have broken boundaries, smashed stereotypes and have been a driving force in business, but they also highlighted the importance of ethnic diversity in the workplace."
Other winners included Jayantibhai Chande KBE, who collected The Lifetime Achievement Award, Rita Sharma, the founder of Best at Travel who was named Entrepreneur of the Year and GG2’s Young Journalist of the Year, Nafeesa Shan, who works as a reporter with the Lancashire Telegraph.
The full list of winners:
GG2 Football in the Community Award – Kadra Ege, Brent Ladies FC
GG2 Man of the Year – James Caan, Chief Executive Officer, Hamilton Bradshaw
GG2 Woman of the Year – Yasmin Jetha, Chief Operating Officer, Financial Times
GG2 Hammer Award – Ruby McGregor-Smith, Chief Executive Officer, MITIE
GG2 Lifetime Achievement Award – Jayantibhai Chande KBE
GG2 Entrepreneur of the Year – Rita Sharma, Founder, Best at Travel
GG2 Young Journalist of the Year – Nafeesa Shan, Reporter, Lancashire Telegraph
GG2 International Business Leader of the Year – R C Patel, Chief Executive Officer, Diplomat Companies USA and Mukesh (Mike) Patel, President, Diplomat Companies USA
GG2 Civil Servant of the Year – Danny Lafayette, Chair of The Network, Home Office
GG2 Achievement through Adversity – Dr June Bam-Hutchison
GG2 Community Award - Gopalbhai Popat, Asian Foundation for Help and Dr Rami Ranger, CEO of Sun Oil Products and Chairman of the India-Pakistan UK Friendship Forum
