London: Indian start-ups like Ola and Oyo, which have been on an expansion mode in the UK, are among some of the key names on the shortlist for the UK-India Awards this year.
The awards, which will mark the closing of UK-India Week between June 24 and 28, are being judged by an all-women jury for the first time and cover a wide range of sectors including business, tech, trade, and social impact. Taxi hailing firm Ola and hospitality group Oyo, which entered the UK market last year, will compete with Taj Vivanta in the Market Entrant of the Year category.
Leading financial organisations like Santander, Barclays, Axis Bank and Sun Global will fight it out in the Financial Organisation of the Year category, while British giants BT and BP will compete in the Social Impact Project of the Year segment.
“The UK-India Awards recognise people and organisations who work to build the bridge between the UK and India. They bring a wealth of innovation and creativity to this rich and winning partnership,” said Manoj Ladwa, Founder of India Inc Group, the organisers of the annual awards and UK-India Week.
“This year’s nominations are no different – they are companies and individuals that recognise the importance of the UK-India relationship and the global role the countries must fulfil,” he said.
Last year’s awards, attended by London Mayor Sadiq Khan and UK Foreign Office minister Mark Field, saw winners such as Standard Chartered Bank, London Stock Exchange and Carbon Clean Solutions.
Now in its third year, the awards mark the conclusion of UK-India Week – attended by senior Indian and British ministers, policymakers, entrepreneurs and executives.
UK-India Week, described as a key event in the bilateral calendar, will this year launch with the first-ever “India Day” in the Houses of Parliament complex in London on June 24 and include a Leaders’ Summit in the English countryside of Buckinghamshire and conclude with the awards ceremony in London June 28.