MBCC Awards announces shortlist to celebrate nations unsung heroes

(L-R: Leah Charles-King, Neil Cayley , Hon Stuart Lawrence, Katherine Henry, Alex Beresford)

Following a record number of public votes, the finalists for the up-and-coming Multicultural Business & Community Champion (MBCC) awards have now been announced.

Thousands across the country picked their winners, resulting in a final shortlist that shines a well-deserved light on the nation’s unsung heroes.

After receiving hundreds of applications for the categories, the public has chosen its finalists; among these are the 15 victors who will be crowned at a glitzy ceremony in November, celebrating those who have gone above and beyond in the corporate world and local communities.

This year’s awards, sponsored by Birmingham City Council, boast categories specially devoted to highlight those who work in the health & wellbeing sector and those who champion diversity. The ‘Health & Wellbeing Champion’ award has been introduced to celebrate those who are passionate about health and wellbeing and wants to raise awareness of health topics across the nation.

‘Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion’ award is designed to highlight those individuals and companies who has made significant impact in the D&I space and continues to widen participation for all.

‘Employee of the Year’ award will be presented to an individual who has gone above and beyond in their place of work.

Dr Tru Powell, a multi award-winning entrepreneur himself, heads up the MBCC awards and has been overwhelmed by the number of votes cast this year. He commented: “I am completely blown away by the amount of nominations and votes we have received this year. The UK really came out to choose their winners. The calibre of nominations has been extremely high and I know the judges have a difficult task ahead.

“The three new categories that we have added to this year’s awards are those we felt were necessary following the last two years we’ve had. One of MBCC’s missions has always been to focus on the people who make a real difference within their communities; so I hope that the introduction of these categories will aid us in celebrating these inspiring individuals”.

The next stage will see the MBCC Awards’ expert judging panel of entrepreneurs, activists, and household-names pick the winners for each category. With notable contributors such as presenter Adil Ray OBE and David Whitely, to Jamelia, and new judge Marverine Cole, who will sit alongside business titans including The Football Association’s Dal Dorrach, The Prince’s Trust’s Jonathan Townsend, The Business Desk’s Lee-J Walker, Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce’s Chief Executive Officer, Henrietta Brealey, Dr Carmen Watson from Pertemps and newly appointed Director of Communications at the LEP, Satnam Rana.

Also joining them are award-winning entrepreneurs Cordell Jeffers, Jodie Cook, and Justice Williams MBE, as well as industry & community leaders Keith Shayaam-Smith and Prof Monder Ram OBE.

“With so many incredible finalists, the judges will certainly have a tough decision to make this year! I’m really looking forward to seeing who they choose as their winners, and celebrating with them at the MBCC Awards in November,” Tru concluded.

Taking place on 5 November at the Eastside Rooms in Birmingham, and will be supported by
headline sponsor Birmingham City Council.

The full list of shortlisted finalists and their respective categories are:

Charity of the Year
Sponsored by COAL
Azaylia Foundation
Birmingham Black Lawyers
Birmingham Says No
Deaf-initely Women
Young at Heart

Community Unsung Hero of the Year
Sponsored by Niyo Group
Alvin Brandy
Emmanuel Adeseko
Sabah Ahmedi
Sebastian Clough
Steven Oram

Community Unsung She-ro of the Year
Sponsored by Merlin Entertainment
Ameena Muflihi
Janet Douglas
Lorna Phillip
Rupinder Sandhu
Sadie Jones

Entrepreneur of the Year
Sponsored by Motorserv UK
Anita Champaneri
Derek Rawlins
Jay Williams
Jamelia Donaldson
Timothy Armoo
Monique Salmon

Employee of the Year
Sponsored by West Midlands Growth Company
Baljinder Singh Atwal
Marika Beckford
Nav Ahmed
Nicole Riley
Sharniya Ferdinand

Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion
Sponsored by Pertemps Catering
Birmingham City University
Black Leaders
Everyday Racism
Pamela Aculey
Marcell Edwards

Lifetime Achievement
Sponsored by West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner
Hector Pinkney
Joe Aldred
Dr Martin Glynn
Sylwia Juranek
Vanley Burke

Health & Wellbeing Champion
Sponsored by Birmingham City Council
Daniel Wilsher
Eleanor Hoath
Dr. Emeka Okorocha
Mikey Spice
RESET Mental Health

Mentor of the Year
Sponsored by Birmingham City Football Club
Barrington Watt
Bola Sol
Herman Stewart
Marlon Walters
Jason Hadden

Most Influential Business Person of the Year
Sponsored by McDonalds
Andy Wilkinson
Ben Amanna
Emily Jayne Roa
Kameese Davis
Waheed Mohammed

Most Inspirational Person of the Year
Sponsored by Gleeson Recruitment Group
Ashley John-Baptiste
Avril Grant
Byron Walker
Ian Ward
Sarah Louise Rose
Sayce Holmes-Lewis

Networker of the Year
Sponsored by Bootcamp Media
Yiannis Maos
Eloise Idoine
Angela Rose
Debbie Assinder

Outstanding Business of the Year
Sponsored by Deloitte
Genflow
ISA Support Services Ltd
Moore Education
The Leon Group
Voilo
4Corners Property

Role Model of the Year
Sponsored by Bruntwood
Daina Anderson Mpunzi
Fidel Thompson
Keisha Adair Swaby
Marissa Jacquet
Nadine White

Social Campaigner of the Year
Sponsored by Lets Sanify
Anna Whitehouse
Calum McFabulous (McDermott)
Kwajo Tweneboa
Shereen Daniels
Richie Brave

To learn more about MBCC, the awards, and some of the categories that are included in this year’s ceremony, head over to: https://mbccawards.com/.

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