WINNERS 2017

Mr Yuvraj Singh Dhesi (CANADA)

SIKHS IN SPORTS

Yuvraj Singh Dhesi aka JinderMahal is the Indian Superstar and is the very definition of a self-made man, having battled his way to the WWE Championship despite suffering trials and tribulations that would have sent a lesser person running for the hills. He made it his business to target the biggest dog in the yard from his first days in WWE, when he confronted the towering Great Khali. In 2016 in just a two-month span, he finished as the runner-up in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, defeated five of SmackDown LIVE’s finest to earn a WWE Championship Match, he recruited Sunil and Samir Singh to his side and made good on his title opportunity, defeating none other than Randy Orton to attain the supreme prize of sports-entertainment. He is currently the WWE world champion.

Sardarni Mann Kaur Ji (india)

THE SIKH LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Mann Kaur Jiis 101 years old and is a world athletics champion who holds 8 world records and has been entered in the Limca Book of Records for her achievements to date. She won two gold medals while participating in World Masters Athletics in 2011 held at Sacramento in the 100 and 200 meters races and was declared as ‘Athlete of the Year’. In 2012 she participated in Asian Masters Athletics Championships held in Taiwan and won a gold medal in the 100 meters race. 2013, she won 5 gold medals in Canadian Masters Athletics Championships. Also in 2013 she took part in Huntsman World Senior Games where more than 10000 participants from around the world took part and won 5 gold medals and in the Shot Put and Javelin throw, she broke the existing world records. Last year Mann Kaur Jiwon 4 gold medals and all are World Records while participating in Americas Master Games held in Vancouver. She is an Amritdhari Sikh and true role model for future generations around the world.

Pakistan Sikh Council (Pakistan)

SIKHS IN CHARITY

Sardar Ramesh Singh Khalsa is a Pakistani young Sikh leader and a social worker from Karachi Sindh; Ramesh Singh is the Patron in Chief for the charitable organisation the Pakistan Sikh Council. The council works for the rights of Sikh community and undertakes social work for all communities in Pakistan. They provide food, supplies, and sometimes shelter for the less fortunate. He is the first Sikh member of the Sindh Non-Muslim Welfare Committee and the Government Of Sindh. Ramesh Singh is the Chairman of the Sikh NaujawanSabha Pakistan, and also a member of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). He has been serving the Sikh community in Pakistan for the last 16 years and has support from all communities living nearby.

Mr Navdeep Singh Bhatia (CANADA)

SIKHS IN SEVA

Navdeep Singh Bhatia, ‘Toronto Raptors Superfan’ spends more than $300,000 a year on Raptors’ tickets. Each year Navdeep celebrates Baisakhi and Diwali on the court purchasing thousands of tickets and bringing kids from all backgrounds to the games. He is constantly giving back to the community and the country that has given him so much, while also trying to help the mainstream population in North America learn more about his Sikh identity and South Asians as a whole. Arriving in Canada in 1984 with close to nothing Navdeep humbly began his career as a janitor and landed his first job as a car salesman shortly thereafter at Rexdale Hyundai. Today Navdeep owns both Rexdale and Mississauga Hyundai locations. His passion today lies with his foundation whereby he is focusing his attention on building basketball courts across Canada and working with World Vision to build girls washrooms in India so they feel safer attending school.

Rt Hon Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (CANADA)

SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD

Justin Trudeau is Canada’s 23rd Prime Minister. He also serves as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Youth. He was born on 25th December 1971. Justin studied literature at McGill University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts. He went on to complete the University of British Columbia’s education program, and spent several years teaching French, math and other subjects in Vancouver. In 2005 he married Sophie Grégoire and they are now the proud parents of Xavier, Ella-Grace and Hadrien. Justin was elected Leader of the Liberal Party in April 2013. On 19th October 2015, Justin led his party to victory and was sworn in on 4th November 2015. One of his first public appearances, as Prime Minister was a visit to the Gurudwara in Ottawa to celebrate Diwali. Last year, he also attended the Vaisakhi celebrations in Parliament and the first Akhand Paath that was held in Centre Block where Kirtan was performed and Langar was served by the MP’s. Punjabi has become the third most spoken language by Members of the House of Commons. The current Cabinet consists of 17 Sikh members, 4 cabinet ministers and this year he also appointed the first Sikh to the Canadian Senate..

Mr Jaspreet Singh Nyotta (UK)

SIKH PEOPLES CHOICE AWARD

In 2010, after graduating from the University of Manchester with a degree in Architecture and a Masters in Business, Jaspreet co-founded the Niveda Group at the age of 22, with his good friend BhavikJayendrakumar Shah. Initially Niveda was a multi-family office backed by a handful of East African-Indian families with a key specialism in real estate development and private equity investments across London. Today, the visionary of Niveda has transformed the company into a multi-disciplinary investment firm syndicated and backed by a variety of institutional investors, single and global family offices with a presence spanning across the UK and is currently diversifying its operations via strategic investment partnerships across Europe and North America. Niveda invests and develops mixed-use real estate within the residential, purpose-built rental, student housing and hospitality sectors with an estimated portfolio of assets under management of over $500 million and still growing.

Mr Jagmeet Singh Dhaliwal (CANADA)

SIKHS IN PROFESSION

Jagmeet Singh Dhaliwal is a Canadian lawyer and politician who is the new Leader of the New Democratic Party and the Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Bramalea-Gore-Malton in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 2011. Jagmeet began his career as a criminal defense lawyer for different law firms. In 2012, the Toronto Star named him as one of Toronto’s top 12 personalities to watch in 2012, calling him a “trailblazer” in Ontario politics. In 2015, he became Deputy Leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party. Despite entering the leadership race as a dark horse candidate who polled as low as 2% in early opinion polls, Jagmeet emerged as the leading candidate in the contest and was elected Leader on October 1, 2017, with a first round vote of 53.8% in a field of four. He became the first person of a visible minority group to lead a Canadian federal political party on a permanent basis. He is also the first turban-wearing Sikh to sit as a provincial legislator in Ontario.

Mr Harmeek Singh (DUBAI)

SIKHS IN BUSINESS – ENTREPRENUER

In 2003, Harmeek Singh came to Dubai with just grit and fiery ambition in his wallet. Today, he runs the Plan B Group, which comprises of eight companies with presence in three continents. The company has its headquarters in Dubai. Year on year, Harmeek is the forerunner of Plan b team delivering quality experience at landmark events like Dubai Standard Chartered Marathon, Dubai’s Crown Prince annual heritage championship, Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament 2016, FIFA. Harmeek was instrumental in introducing 3D out of home advertising in Dubai. Last year, Harmeek Singh led his team to close a five-year long contract with Dubai’s Women Run to completely undertake the event, which hosts over 10,000 women annually. Harmeek Singh has been instrumental in establishing a strong rehabilitation system for the youth of Punjab entwined in substance abuse. He has enabled the youngsters to drop their dependency on substance, become responsible breadwinners for their respective families and more importantly respectable members of the community and society.

MRS GURINDER KAUR CHADHA OBE (UK)

SIKHS IN ENTERTAINMENT

Gurinder Kaur was born on January 10th 1960 and is an English film director of Kenyan Asian origin. Most of her films explore the lives of Indians living in England. This common theme among her work showcases the trials of Indian women living in England and how they must reconcile their converging traditional and modern cultures. Although many of her films seem like simple quirky comedies about Indian women, they actually address many social and emotional issues, especially ones faced by immigrants caught between two worlds. Much of her work also consists of adaptations from book to film, but with a different flare. She is best known for the hit films Bhaji on the Beach (1993), Bend It Like Beckham (2002), Bride and Prejudice (2004), Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (2008), and the comedy film It’s a Wonderful Afterlife (2010). Her latest feature is the partition drama Viceroy’s House (2017).

PANTH RATTAN BHAI SAHIBA BIBI JI INDERJIT KAUR (USA)

SIKHS IN EDUCATION

Panth Rattan BhaiSahibaBibiJiInderjit Kaur, PHD is the Chief Religious Minister of Sikh Dharma International and the wife of late Yogi Bhajan. Thousands of students’ lives around the world have been changed by her lifelong work and mission to spread the Guru’s teachings. Many of her students have started practicing the Sikh faith and these new western Sikhs have built Gurudwaras, throughout the U.S.A. and other countries. BibiJi’s outstanding work for humanity has brought recognition globally. She was given the title of “BhaiSahiba” by the Sri Akal Takhat Sahib in 2004, the Jewel of the Nation in 2005, Ambassador of Peace in 2006, the Pride of India award in 2007, named the Governor’s Representative to India in 2007 and the Jewel of the Punjab in 2017, There are many students from diverse countries who study at the MiriPiri Academy, a boarding school she co-founded in Amritsar. BibiJi has authored numerous of books on Sikh education.

MRS BALVINDER KAUR TAKHAR (CANADA)

SIKHS IN BUSINESS – BUSINESS WOMEN

Balvinder Kaur has served as the President and CEO to Chalmers Group of companies for the last 14 years, which has manufacturing plants in Ontorio, British Columbia and the United States. Under her leadership Chalmers Group has emerged as a global OEM supplier of transportation and Medical equipment, she’s recently acquired two new companies and diversified into real estate. The Chalmers Group supplies heavy-duty off-road suspension systems to all major truck OEMs and medical equipment to leading research labs, pharmaceutical companies as well as academic and medical facilities. In access of 95% of the group products are exported to international markets. Balvinder has received awards from the Ontario Chambers of Commerce, Mississauga Board of Trade, Gannon University, Frost & Sullivan, and Quality Achievement Award from PACCAR. She has contributed generously as a volunteer at local long-term care centres as well as religious and political organisations. She has also supported various humanitarian causes.

Mr Balbir Singh Kakar (CANADA)

SIKHS IN BUSINESS – BUSINESSMAN

Balbir Singh is real estate entrepreneur, hospitality developer, philanthropist and social worker. He migrated to Canada in 1969. He invested in real estate projects in Edmonton Alberta, Guelph, Kitchener, London, Brantford, and Ottawa in Ontario, Prince George, and Kamloops in British Columbia. In the USA his office was in Denver Colorado, which controlled his investment in Denver, Omaha and in Maryland. After successful ventures in Canada and USA, he was invited by the government of Haryana, India in 1982 to develop his first residential project – Surya Vihar – the housing colony consisting of 600 apartments in Gurgaon. Today owns the BMK Group, which has a turnover of over $200m. After 4 decades in business he now is concentrating on philanthropy activities. Balbir Singh is a trustee of the Loomba Foundation that educates children of poor widows and provides social economic empowerment of these widows, regardless of any religions or caste across 13 nations. The foundation has helped over 15 thousand impoverish widows, educated over 10,000 students and supported over 60,000 of their family members.