Fatima Patel, founder of the leading regional newspaper in the UK focusing on South Asian communities, has been announced as a key-note speaker at the upcoming Asian Business Connexions Awards Ceremony.
The Asian Sunday newspaper was founded by Fatima in 2011 as the UK’s first, free Sunday paper. With a focus on the news and lifestyles of South Asian communities in the UK, the Asian Sunday has become a leading voice for the South Asian community, literally delivering cross-community awareness to diverse, local communities. The Asian Sunday and the Asian Standard were originally launched in Bradford in 2011 and has now expanded across the North East to Kirklees, Leeds and Newcastle, as well as in London, with plans to expand to a further 6 regions by 2025.
Asian Business Connexions (ABC) is a not-for-profit social enterprise founded by Ammar Mirza CBE and Jalf Ali in 2009 with the goal to address inequality and promote community cohesion within the Asian business community and wider communities. Since then, ABC has become one of the most recognizable names on inclusion in the North East and their annual awards ceremony is a highlight of the business calendar. This year, the Asian Standard is one of the event’s sponsors and will be sponsoring and presenting the Public Sector Award at the event which is taking place on Thursday 14th October at the Gosforth Park Grand Hotel.
Fatima has also recently joined the list of AWEsome Women, which is one of the campaigns that ABC runs. The AWEsome (Asian Women Enterprising) Women campaign provides inspiring role models for young Asian women, encouraging them with the success that they have all achieved.
“I am delighted to be supporting this year’s ABC awards,” Fatima says. “It’s been a tough couple of years for businesses and so every recognition is richly deserved particularly as everyone has taken up the challenge of surviving through these unprecedented times.
“This also proves why organisations like ABC are much needed; it allows opportunities to be profiled, but also allows us all to come together and celebrate the diverse business community of the North East. It’s going to be a great night and I am looking forward to meeting people in person.”