Power List salute to Covid heroes

Rishi Sunak tops annual ranking of most influential Asians in the UK

PANDEMIC heroes who went above and beyond their call of duty have been honoured in a special edition of the GG2 Power List, which ranks the 101 most influential Asians in Britain.

Thirty Asian doctors, nurses and researchers are recognised in a ‘Heroes of the Covid-19 pandemic’ feature, celebrating their bravery over the past 18 months.

Commended for their “sheer bravery, selflessness, and dedication”, the list reflects the contribution of NHS staff across the country who risked their lives to help countless others.

The GG2 Power List also ranks a number of healthcare leaders including Dr Chaand Nagpaul, council chair of the British Medical Association (BMA) and Dr Nikita Kanani, the medical director of primary care at NHS England.

Dr Nikita Kanani. (Photo by Adam Davy - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Shailesh Solanki, executive editor of GG2 and its sister title Eastern Eye, as well as the chair of judges said, “It’s been a unique 18 months for the UK, and those from our south Asian communities have been at the forefront, battling the pandemic.

“While south Asian cabinet ministers hold the highest offices in the land, they couldn’t have succeeded without the wealth of world-leading scientists, doctors and medical professionals.

“We know, and appreciate, how frontline NHS staff have made the ultimate sacrifice. This year, we pay tribute to their tremendous contribution to our nation.”

Topping the GG2 Power List this year is chancellor Rishi Sunak, who took charge of the Treasury in February last year, shortly before the coronavirus crisis began in March 2020.

Second on the list is Sajid Javid, who assumed office as the health secretary last month. Home secretary Priti Patel, the country’s most powerful female Asian politician, is ranked third.

“This has been our hardest year to judge since our first GG2 Power List a decade ago,” Solanki said.

“We are blessed with real talent from our different communities. They each play a special role in helping the UK thrive.”

Sunak, Javid and Patel, who hold three of the four great offices of state, are members of the most diverse cabinet in British history.

Assistant commissioner for specialist operations Neil Basu; and Dr Nagpaul, one of the first medics to highlight the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on BAME communities are fourth and fifth respectively.

London mayor Sadiq Khan, court of appeal judge Sir Rabinder Singh, actor Riz Ahmed, political advisor Munira Mirza and COP26 president Alok Sharma round off the list of the top 10 most powerful British Asians.

Published by the Asian Media Group (AMG), the GG2 Power List is a compilation of the 101 most influential south Asians in the UK.

The full list was set to be unveiled on Wednesday (28).

Riz Ahmed (Photo by Chris Pizzello-Pool/Getty Images)

This year’s list includes Asians from a variety of sectors, from entertainment and business to activism and sport. Five among the top 20 are women, while on the list as a whole, 28 are female.

More than a third of the list are new entries. Among them are Krishnendu Majumdar, BAFTA chair, (ranked 28); BBC journalist Naga Munchetty (36); Sanjay Bhandari, chair of Kick It Out (46) and Anas Sarwar, leader of the Scottish Labour party (83).

The list also recognises several healthcare leaders who have contributed to the country’s response during the pandemic.

Kanani is the highest new addition to the list, debuting at 15. The London-based GP has been praised for her leadership qualities throughout the pandemic, occasionally accompanying the prime minister Boris Johnson during his live coronavirus briefings from Downing Street.

In 2018, she made history when she was appointed as the director of primary care in the NHS, the first female in the role.

Vaccines deployment minister Nadhim Zahawi paid tribute to Kanani when he told Eastern Eye last week, “The pressure of the vaccination programme and protecting the nation is on the shoulders of the whole team and we know every step has to be right and that’s been the challenge. But in many ways I am blessed to have worked with the best people and also have the privilege and pleasure to work with Dr Niki Kanani.

“(She is) One of the incredible human beings as a GP herself, and now she is the deputy senior officer responsible for the booster vaccination campaign.”

Sajid Javid. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Other new entries from the healthcare sector include Professor Kiran Patel (37); the chief medical officer and consultant cardiologist at University Hospitals of Coventry and Warwickshire; and Professor (Dr) Kailash Chand (78), the BMA’s honorary vice-president.

Patel, the founder of charity South Asian Health Foundation (SAHF), helped to provide guidance on how to reduce risks of Covid-19 in BAME groups by working with the health services and ethnic communities.

Chand, a former deputy chair of the BMA, was one of the first leaders in healthcare to highlight the disproportionate impact of coronavirus on ethnic minorities. The retired doctor, who was elected to the BMA board of directors last year, was vocal on the issue, blaming structural racism for the problem.

Among the entries from the corporate world are Salman Amin (25); Ivan Menezes (29); Laxman Narasimhan (32); and Nitin Paranjpe (42).

Amin, a former UK CEO of Pepsico, is the global CEO of Pladis, the grocery multinational, while Menezes heads multinational alcoholic beverages firm Diageo. Narasimhan is the CEO of Reckitt Benckiser, one of the largest producers of hygiene products in the country.

Paranjpe is the chief operating officer of Unilever, one of the world’s biggest consumer goods

companies.

In politics, there are several new faces on the list, including Labour’s Lisa Nandy (61); Dr Rosena Allin-Khan (68); Seema Malhotra (77); and Preet Kaur Gill (80).

In the arts, Oscar nominee Ahmed is ranked highest on the list. The award-winning British actor once again wowed audiences and critics alike with his performance in Sound of Metal, earning him a Best Actor nomination at this year’s Academy Awards.

Joining him on this year’s list are BBC Radio 4 controller Mohit Bakaya (19); broadcaster Mishal Husain (23); Sanjeev Bhaskar and Meera Syal (26); comedian Romesh Ranganathan (31); Nihal Arthanayake (45); Anita Rani (57) and actor Dev Patel (67).

Solanki said, “The list is immensely significant because it shows how rich our south Asian talent base is in the UK.

“It also demonstrates how far we’ve come as a nation since our grandparents and parents contributed their blood, sweat and tears in building today’s Britain.

“From the sons of bus drivers, to owners of news agents, via children of doctors and Irish mothers, this says that institutional, structural and systemic racism won’t win in a place we call home.

“It’s a privilege being the chair of judges, and every year it gets harder and harder.

“But this augurs well for our United Kingdom in celebrating diversity and inclusion and making sure no one is ever left behind.”

As well as the launch of the GG2 Power List, AMG announced that the GG2 Leadership Awards will take place later this year. The award ceremony will celebrate top achievers from Britain’s ethnic minority communities.

Past winners include author Bernardine Evaristo; fashion designer Ozwald Boateng; Unilever’s Paranjpe; mental health campaigner Poppy Jaman and Labour MP David Lammy.

The GG2 Power List is available from www.easterneye.biz/full-power-list/