Bengal British Icon Awards Return to House of Lords to Celebrate Excellence Across Borders

The third edition of the Bengal British Icon Awards was held at the historic House of Lords in the UK Parliament, recognising outstanding individuals and institutions from across the global South Asian diaspora for their contributions to business, education, healthcare, media, philanthropy and public service.

Hosted by Baroness Uddin and organised by Candid Communication UK, the event celebrated excellence while strengthening cultural and professional ties between Britain, India and Bangladesh.Hosted at the prestigious Cholmondeley Room and Terrace, the ceremony brought together policymakers, entrepreneurs, academicians, business leaders, philanthropists and community figures from the United Kingdom, India, Bangladesh and other countries.

Among the distinguished guests were The Rt Hon Baroness Uddin, The Rt Hon Baroness Winterton of Doncaster DBE, former MP Virendra Sharma, Atique Choudhury, Khaleda Choudhury, Hasina Khan and Shila Rashid.

The event was anchored by broadcaster and former BBC and Sky News presenter Sarah Lockett.The awards honoured an accomplished list of individuals whose work has made a significant impact across sectors. This year's recipients included Sakuntala Sanyal, CEO and Executive Director of SBI UK; fashion designer Jaya Mishra; Soma Chakraborty, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Goodace Hospital and President of Gouris Foundation; Subrina Hossain, CEO and Director of NTV Europe; Prof.

Dr. Parvez Iqbal Haris of De Montfort University; educationist and philanthropist Dr.

Syed Ragib Ali; media entrepreneur Tapan Roy; Dr. M.P. Rozario, Principal of St. Sebastian's School, Kolkata; Satya Prakash Sangwan, Vice-President of the Paralympic Committee of India; Rajiv Sabharwal, Chairman of Real Impact Pvt. Ltd.; Sanjoy Mukherjee, Founder and Managing Director of Surgical Technology for Life; Prakash Ghosh, Chairman of LMET International; Dr.

Chinmoy Roy; Sombuddha Ghosh, Managing Director of Go Everywhere Tours and Travels; Sohani Hossain, Managing Director of Universal Group; Prof. Biswajoy Chatterjee; Prof. Satyajit Chakrabarti; the Institute of Engineering and Management; Rajarshi Das, Managing Director of Jac Olivol; and Ritesh Das, Chairman of Jac Olivol.The ceremony also recognised several institutions for their contribution to innovation and society, including Sister Nivedita University, the UEM-IEM Group, Dey's Medical, Go Everywhere Tours and Travels and Shreenath Global.A highlight of the afternoon was a special posthumous honour conferred on the late Dabirul Islam Choudhury OBE for his exceptional legacy of philanthropy, humanitarian work and service to the community. The tribute celebrated his lifelong commitment to improving lives and acknowledged the enduring impact of his work across generations.The celebrations concluded with an exclusive guided tour of the Palace of Westminster, followed by a networking luncheon hosted by Baroness Uddin, providing awardees and guests an opportunity to foster new collaborations and strengthen cross-border connections. Speaking on the occasion, Sayantan Das Adhikari, Director of Candid Communication UK, said, “The Bengal British Icon Awards is a celebration of excellence beyond boundaries. The remarkable individuals and institutions honoured today exemplify leadership, innovation, perseverance and service. Their achievements enrich their respective fields while creating a broader impact on society. Through this platform, we celebrate inspiring journeys and strengthen the enduring cultural, professional and people-to-people ties between Britain, India and Bangladesh.

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