A non-profit organisation which aims to empower young women of colour has been crowned the region's top Asian business.
Birmingham-based GirlDreamer was co-founded by Amna Akthar in 2016 and says it strives to create a more equitable future for women of colour aged 18 to 35 in the º£½ÇÊÓƵ by dismantling barriers and promoting opportunities.
GirlDreamer was named overall business of the year at the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce Awards 2024 after Ms Akthar took home the female entrepreneur of the year category (scroll down for the full list of winners).
She started her entrepreneurial journey with a desire to address barriers faced by thousands of young women of colour in accessing leadership opportunities.
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During the past year, the organisation has launched the GirlDreamer Advocate initiative which is a programme aiming to engage with high-net-worth individuals and influential supporters to provide funding and connections.
GirlDreamer also managed to secure £120,000 from the Alliance for Gender Equality in Europe to expand.
This allowed them to provide financial support to social entrepreneurs, enabling them to grow their ventures and make a broader impact on their communities.
Ms Akthar was also selected to be one of 12 leaders globally chosen for the Obama Foundation Global Scholarship at Columbia University in New York City.
Her desire for change comes through her own experience where she witnessed the challenges faced by women of colour, particularly in accessing leadership opportunities and spaces that nurtured their potential.
The Asian Business Chamber is part of the wider Greater Birmingham Chambers group whose director of external affairs Raj Kandola chaired the judging panel.
He said: "On behalf of the judges, I'd like to congratulate GirlDreamer on their historic win. GirlDreamer's entrepreneurial journey is a testament to Amna's resilience and vision.
"The judges were particularly impressed with the work GirlDreamer has undertaken with underrepresented communities and the desire to empower members of those communities to access leadership opportunities.
"As previous winners will testify, winning this award can act as a significant springboard to further success and we look forward to watching Anna grow and develop the business in the years to come."
Business and community leader Jason Wouhra received the president's award from Omar Rashid.
He is a highly experienced company director and successful entrepreneur with a wealth of business leadership experience in addition to holding numerous civic and philanthropic roles.
Mr Wouhra is the chief executive of Lioncroft Wholesale in Birmingham which supplies more than 10,000 independent retail and hospitality companies in the West Midlands.
He also became the first person of Asian heritage and the youngest to be appointed chancellor of Aston University.
The annual awards was held at the ICC in Birmingham and hosted by former Eastenders actor Nitin Ganatra.
The full list of winners is:
Charity of the Year
Focus Birmingham
Contribution to Diversity and Inclusion
Connected Places Catapult
Female Entrepreneur
Amna Akhtar, GirlDreamer
Male Entrepreneur
Farhad Tailor, V12 Sports & Classics
Professional Services Business
Lawrence Kurt Solicitors
Small Business
Primo Dialler
Start-Up Business
Kapadia Rose
Young Achiever
Kiran Shergill, Barclays
