Mr Bob Singh Dhillon of Canada - Business Man of the Year

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CANADIAN BILLIONAIRE PROPERTY ENTREPRENEUR BOB
SINGH DHILLON PRESENTED BUSINESS MAN OF THE YEAR
AT THE SIKH AWARDS 2016 IN LONDON
Seventh Annual Sikh Awards Returns Held to Honor
Global Sikh Excellence
Sunday, 20th November 2016, London Mr Bob Singh
Dhillon, Founder, President and CEO of
Mainstreet Equity Corp, Canadas highest
performing real estate company with assets
valued over 1.5 Billion, was named Business Man
of the Year at the 7th annual The Sikh Awards
2016 on Saturday, 19th November 2016 at Park
Plaza Hotel, London. The coveted award is in
recognition of an organisation or individual that
has best demonstrated how they have made
exceptional financial returns, shown strong
growth, innovative strategies and clear market
leadership in the sector.
Hosted by Ranvir Singh, a journalist and
broadcaster, best known for her presenting role
on the ITV Breakfast programme 'Good Morning
Britain, The Sikh Awards recognises the pivotal
contributions made by the Sikh community across a
variety of fields, from business, charity,
education, entertainment, professional services,
seva (selfless service), and sport, with winners
selected across the globe from Asia, USA, Canada,
Australia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Other high profile winners this year included
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Ms Kiran Singh (UK) Business Woman award Mr
Supreet Singh Manchanda (USA) Entrepreneur
Award Khalsa Aid (UK) Sikhs in Charity Dr
Brinder Singh Mahon (UK) Sikhs in
Education Mrs Manika Kaur (Dubai) Sikhs in
Entertainment Akaal Television / Mr Amrik Singh
Kooner (UK) Sikhs in Media Mr Jaspal Singh
Bindra (India) Sikhs in Profession Mr Gurmeet
Singh (India) Sikhs in Seva Mr Ram Singh
Nayyar (Canada) Sikhs in Sport Natasha Kaur
Mudhar (UK) The Sikh Peoples Choice
Award Sant Baba Iqbal Singh Ji (India) The
Sikh Lifetime Achievement Award and His Highness
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum (Dubai)
The Special Recognition Award.
The prestigious event saw 750 guests in
attendance from elite international dignitaries
to public figures, community heroes, sports stars
and celebrities.
Mr Dhillon Founded Mainstreet which consists of
nearly 10,000 apartment units in Western Canada.
He sits on the Canadian Mortgage and Housing
Corporation Board and is also the Honorary Consul
General for Belize, owning a private 3,000-acre
island in Belize. Mr. Dhillon is also the owner
of National Payments, a Visa and MasterCard
approved merchant processing business. He has
been the recipient of numerous awards, the Ernst
Young 2015
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Entrepreneur of the Year, The Queens Diamond
Jubilee Medal, one of Albertas 50
Most Influential People and recognised as one of
the 25 Most Influential Indians in North America.
A major philanthropist donating 500,000 to the
town of San Pedro, Belize, he raised 60,000 for
underprivileged children in San Pedro and donated
free apartment suites to victims of the Slave
Lake, Fort McMurray Alberta fires.
Since its inception, The Sikh Awards has received
widespread acclaim, global media attention and
the participation of a number of high profile
dignitaries including the former UK
Prime Minister the Rt Hon. David Cameron who was
the recipient of a Special Recognition Award
in 2014 for the several firsts he had
instigated between the UK and the Sikh community
in India, including becoming the first serving
UK Prime Minister to pay his respects at the
Darbar Sahib (The Golden Temple, India), laying
a wreath and signing a book of condolence at the
memorial site in Jallianwala Bagh Gardens, in
Amritsar. He also commenced the annual Sikh
traditional festival of Vaisakhi, which has been
celebrated at 10 Downing Street since 2011.
The Sikh Awards, was founded by the successful
entrepreneur, Navdeep Singh. Speaking about the
event and on Mr Bob Singh Dhillons award,
Navdeep Singh says The Sikh Awards is now in
its seventh glorious year. Our purpose with the
awards is to recognize, honor and celebrate the
enormous achievements of the Sikh community who
continue to contribute immensely to the social,
cultural, and economic fabric of societies
globally, as well as making a difference to
peoples lives through philanthropy.
Mr Bob Singh Dhillon embodies everything we
strive to recognize business acumen, success,
generosity, kindness and humility. Finally, I
would also like to congratulate all of
this years winners. May they continue to be a
beacon that shines out to future generations, who
will continue to strive for excellence in their
chosen professions.
Each year, The Sikh Awards takes a theme as the
central focus for the evenings celebrations. The
seventh annual event recognized and honored two
major events the 547th Birth Anniversary of
Guru Nanak Dev Ji, who was born in 1469 in Rai
Bhoi Di Talwandi, now called Nankana Sahib in
Pakistan. As a child Guru Nanak Dev Ji was
extraordinary in many ways he had a
contemplative mind and rational thinking. He
amazed his teachers with his sublime knowledge
and by the age of 13 he had mastered Hindi,
Sanskrit and Persian. Not until 1522 did Guru
Nanak Dev Ji settle down at Kartarpur, which was
where he spent the rest of his life. Guru Nanak
Dev Ji had laid down the foundations of Sikhism
and ascended to heavenly abode on the 22nd
September 1539.
The event also looked ahead of the 350th birth
anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh Ji which takes
place on 5th January 2017. The ancient venerated
city of Patna, Bihar, is poised to
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host a magnificent celebration centered on Takhat
Sri Harimandir Ji, Patna Sahib, one of the five
seats of spiritual and temporal authority of
Sikhism. It is envisaged that over one
million Sikh and other pilgrims will visit Patna
over a two-month period from 1st December 2016
to 31st January 2017 for the celebrations. The
paramount purpose of celebrating Guru Gobind
Singh Jis 350th birth anniversary is to pay
loving tribute to the Saint-Soldier Guru, who not
only created the Khalsa fraternity, but also
blessed Sikhs with the highest exalted
spiritual authority Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
Another highlight of the event, which was hosted
by the media organization The Sikh Directory,
was the launch of the fifth edition of The Sikh
100 Power List, detailing the worlds most
prominent Sikhs in the global community.
Speaking about The Sikh Awards, The Prime
Minister of the United Kingdom, Ms Theresa May,
sent the following message I am delighted to
send my very best wishes to everyone at this
years Annual World Sikh Awards. Over half a
million British Sikhs make an immense
contribution to our country in so many ways.
Whether its in the fields of enterprise or
skills or whether its the way hard working
families who are doing the right thing and
getting on in life - Britains Sikhs are a
success story and model community that is doing
great things for our nation.
World Sikh Awards do a fantastic job of honouring
those with exceptional entrepreneurial achievement
s people of whom our country can be truly proud
of. I would like to take this opportunity to
once again to thank the World Sikh Awards for
everything you have done and continue to do.
Sadiq Khan, The Mayor of London also sent the
organisers of The Sikh Awards the
following message of support I would like to
send my best wishes and congratulations to all
the nominees and winners of The Sikh Awards.
Guru Nanak was born almost five and a half
centuries ago. His ideas were revolutionary
and universal. He upheld the rights of the poor
and underprivileged in society, and travelled
across Asia and the Arab world to preach equality
for all people, regardless of caste, religion or
gender.
The Sikh community continues to follow in Guru
Nanak's footsteps, be it by feeding the homeless,
fighting for equal rights for all, and by working
hard in all industries and professions. They are
an inspiration to all Londoners.
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London is an amazingly diverse city, and its
communities are what make it unique. Much
like Guru Nanak's vision of the world, London is
open to everyone, regardless of who they are,
where they come from or what they believe in.
Thank you to the organisers of the Sikh awards
for highlighting the fantastic work from
the community.
Sikhism is a religion founded by Guru Nanak Dev
Ji and has over 26 million followers worldwide.
It is ranked as the worlds fifth largest
religion.
-ENDS-
For further information please contact
thesikhawardspress_at_gmail.com
Notes to Editors
The Sikh Awards 2016 Winners
Sikhs in Business For the organisation or
individual that can best demonstrate how it has
made exceptional financial returns, shown strong
growth, innovative strategies and clear market
leadership in its sector. This category also
incorporates Business Man, Business Women and
Entrepreneur awards.
BUSINESS MAN AWARD MR BOB SINGH DHILLON -
(CANADA) Bob Singh is the Founder, President and
CEO of Mainstreet Equity Corp. Mainstreet is
Canadas highest performing real estate company,
with assets valued over 1.5 Billion it consists
of nearly 10,000 apartment units in Western
Canada. Bob sits on the Canadian Mortgage and
Housing Corporation Board. He is the Honorary
Consul General for Belize and owns a private
3,000-acre island in Belize. Bob is the owner of
National Payments, a Visa and MasterCard approved
merchant processing business. He has been the
recipient of numerous awards, the Ernst Young
2015 Entrepreneur of the Year, The Queens
Diamond Jubilee Medal, one of Albertas 50 Most
Influential People and recognised as one of the
25 Most Influential Indians in North America. Bob
is a big philanthropist, donating 500,000 to the
town of San Pedro, Belize, he raised 60,000 for
underprivileged children in San Pedro and donated
free apartment suites to victims of the and Slave
Lake, Fort McMurray Alberta fires.
BUSINESS WOMEN AWARD MS KIRAN SINGH -
(UK) Kiran is a multi-award winning entrepreneur,
born and brought up in Norway and now based in
London since 2008. She is a life
coach at Design the Lifestyle You
Desire, an author and residential and hospitality
interior designer at Studio Kiran Singh, founder
and chief editor of Vivacious Mum, My Unique Home
and Passion for Food. Kiran has won numerous
awards over years such as, the Inspirational
Award in 2014, the Design Creative Award in
2014, the 'Best in Creative Industries' at the
British Indian Awards, 2015, the Star Award 2015
and BoConcepts Ones to Watch in 2015.
ENTREPRENEUR AWARD MR SUPREET SINGH MANCHANDA -
(USA) Supreet Singh is the CEO of Akal Global a
1Billon global security firm. The U.S.
government has turned to Akal to provide
specialised security services for many of
Americas most critical national security
facilities and agencies, including Homeland
Security and the Departments of Justice, Defense,
State and Transportation. Supreet is also
chairman of board for the website SikhNet.com and
the creator of Super Sikh, the first Sikh
superhero comic. As a Silicon Valley
entrepreneur, he builds companies with
innovation, mergers and acquisitions, IT and
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strategy. A former venture capitalist and global
consulting partner he has worked with IBM,
SGI, KPMG, and The White House. He is also an
Adjunct Professor and Executive-in-Residence
at University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Sikhs in Charity For an individual, organisation,
or society, which can best demonstrate that it
has the community at heart and has had a positive
impact whilst improving the health and wellbeing
of society.
KHALSA AID - (UK) Khalsa Aid a global charitable
organisation with a vision to spread the message
of humanity as taught by the Sikh Gurus. In 1999
the Sikh community throughout the world was
celebrating the 300th anniversary of the Khalsa.
Ravinder Singh wanted the world to know about the
meaning of Khalsa. It is fearless in fighting
tyranny, equally and fearless in serving
humanity. The concept of Langar and Seva is
associated with Gurdwaras worldwide, Khalsa Aid
decided to take this a step further and introduce
it to disaster hit areas and conflict zones.
Ravinder Singh and his team of volunteers, since
1999, have launched over 40 relief missions
across the globe and are currently supporting
refugees in the Middle East, especially the
Yezidi refugees who have suffered much in the
conflict in Iraq. Khalsa Aid carries out its
international relief projects without prejudice
and truly following the Gurus teaching of,
Recognising the whole human race as one.
Sikhs in Education For any Sikh educational
establishment, teacher or individual that is
taking a strategic approach to recognising,
educating and developing the talent and skills
within the community.
DR BRINDER SINGH MAHON - (UK) Brinder Singh is
the Chief Executive Officer and Director of The
Nishkam School Trust. He has been involved in
postgraduate education for 10 years. Nishkam
Schools have developed an educational system
based not only on academic excellence but also on
a foundation of values common to those of all
faiths or no religious faith to help raise trust,
hope and ultimately faith in each other and the
world around us. Within Nishkam schools the faith
of every individual is equally cherished and goes
far beyond the traditional single faith school
model. Niskham Schools have become one of the
leading Multi Academy Trusts with four free
schools, two in Birmingham, one in Isleworth, and
a fourth in Wolverhampton. At present, three of
these schools are rated by outstanding by
Ofsted. As the schools grow to capacity in the
next few years, they will be privileged to be
serving over 3000 pupils.
Sikhs in Entertainment This category recognises
directors, presenters, comedians,
instrumentalists and musical artists etc
respected role models who promote the Sikh
identity within the entertainment industry.
MRS MANIKA KAUR - (DUBAI) Manika sings sacred
songs of true devotion. Her Seva is offered up in
musical form and her mission is to heal the world
with her voice. Born in Australia and now
resident in Dubai, Manikas charitable work
focuses on the Northern Indian region of rural
Punjab. One hundred per cent of the revenue from
her music career is directly channeled into the
work of Kirtan for Causes, which funds
education and construction projects. Manikas
work has directly funded the schooling of 2000
children. Currently the foundation is building
homes for its most vulnerable participants. Her
first album Bandhanaa was made in collaboration
with bhangra legend Sukhbir Singh. Over 1,000,000
dirhams, was donated to the construction of the
Guru Nanak Darbar in Dubai. Her second album I
Bow To You Waheguru featured multi-award winner
Talvin Singh OBE and the album placed Kirtan in
the World Music Charts Europe for the first time.
Sikhs in Media For an individual or organisation
that has made a substantial positive impact
within the media industry, including newspapers,
websites, radio and television stations and all
other media platforms.
AKAAL TELEVISION / MR AMRIK SINGH KOONER (UK)
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Amrik Singh came to the UK 1976 at very young
age. He owns many commercial properties and farms
in and around Birmingham. He started the Akaal
Channel on the 1st September 2013, with limited
resources. Today the channel is most
watched Sikh Channel in 106 countries. With
its head office in Birmingham, the channel has 87
staff and sub studios in Southall, Leicester and
Bradford. In India there are 16 staff and there
are studios in Amritsar, Dehli and Patiala. The
Akal Channel is big on charity and giving back to
the community. In 36 months total donations given
to numerous organsations total 492,000, amongst
these where the Kashmir floods and the earth
quakes in Nepal and Italy. Amrik Singh in 2002
opened one of the 1st de-addition centers, a
stadium and a charitable hospital in Punjab to
benefit the local community.
Sikhs in Profession Nominees in this category are
employees whose contributions have made an
exceptional difference on a local or global
scale, in any field such as financial, medical,
technology, government or legal.
MR JASPAL SINGH BINDRA - (INDIA) Jaspal Singh is
a global financial services industry executive
with a consistent track record of driving
profitable growth and increasing brand and
shareholder value in a broad range of leadership
roles with major banking groups such as Standard
Chartered Bank, UBS and Bank of America. He has
successfully led businesses with revenues ranging
from 1-13 billion. Jaspal has vast experience in
leading large complex businesses, turnarounds, M
A and divestitures. He is skilled at developing
strategies, building high performance teams,
driving organisational alignment and managing
initiatives that deliver customer satisfaction
and lasting financial results. Recently he turned
entrepreneur as promoter and Executive Chairman
of Centrum, a leading financial services provider
listed, headquartered in Mumbai, India with
offshore presence in Hong Kong, Singapore and
Dubai.
Sikhs in Seva This category recognises an
outstanding individual who has shown exceptional
vision and contribution to society through means
of Seva (Selfless Voluntary Service).
MR GURMEET SINGH - (INDIA) Gurmeet Singh is a
55year old small business owner from Patna, Bihar
in India. For over 20 years he has been visiting
the abandoned patients ward of Bihars biggest
government hospital every night with food,
medicine and compassion for poor patients who
have no one to turn to. He has never had a
vacation or ever stepped out of Patna because he
cannot abandon the abandoned. Around nine every
evening, he leaves his modest apartment where all
his five brothers live on a floor in one of the
city's oldest high-rises and heads to the
hospital. The five brothers put away 10 of their
monthly earnings in a donation box at home to pay
for Gurmeet Singhs patients that are not
provided by the hospital. Once at the ward, he
enquires about the patients' condition, playing,
at once, nurse, doctor, provider and kin. He goes
through their prescriptions and pays for the more
expensive medicines, tests, scans, and
chemotherapy for cancer patients. He also donates
a lot of blood.
Sikhs in Sport For an individual that has made a
significant contribution to the sports industry
on a regional, national or global scale whilst
promoting their Sikh Identity.
MR RAM SINGH NAYYAR - (CANADA) Ram Singh is the
first turbaned Sikh to have led a Canadian team
to the Olympic games. He started his formal
training in Badminton with David Folinsbee
and Michael Chan. After competing at the
highest levels, he turned to his real passion,
the field of coaching. He is a certified Level
5 Coach, the highest level possible in
Canada and has earned a High Performance
Coaching Diploma and Chartered Professional Coach
designation. Ram Singh was named Coach of the
year in Manitoba in 1999, BC in 2001 and Canada
in 2008 and Via Sport High Performance Coach for
overall sport in 2015. He is the only Canadian
coach to have successfully coached a woman to a
gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in
Glasgow 2014. The only Canadian Badminton Coach
to have coached athletes in the Medal rounds of
the Olympic games in London 2012. He is also the
recipient of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal.
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The Sikh People's Choice Award Chosen by the
community through the online voting process this
category recognises an individual who has had a
positive impact on people's lives and has great
admiration from others
NATASHA KAUR MUDHAR - (UK) Natasha Mudhar is CEO
of Sterling Media, an international
communications consultancy. The company was
launched in 1995 by Sikh property-film
entrepreneur Teji Singh, arguably the first Sikh
to set up an international communications agency
in the UK. In the last 10 years, Natasha has
spearheaded the companys global strategy.
Campaigns have included directing the GODAN
Summit for President Barack Obamas office to end
world hunger, a 9trillion bauxite project in New
Guinea, representing Hollywood and Bollywood
stars like Al Pacino, Salma Hayek, Akshay Kumar
and The Bachchans to launching Aston Martin in
India and Harrods in the Middle East. She manages
Project Everyones international campaign,
working closely with PM Narendra Modis office to
popularise the UNs SDGs to end poverty. She
strategised the global launch of the film
WhatIReallyReallyWant promoting girls rights,
breaking the internet with 150million views. She
was also appointed Jamie Oliver Food Foundations
India/Africa Director to tackle double burden
nutrition issues affecting children in developing
nations.
The Sikh Lifetime Achievement Award For a Sikh
who has made a significant contribution to
Sikhism on a global scale, an individual who has
demonstrated a positive impact on society whilst
progressing Sikhism to higher levels.
SANT BABA IQBAL SINGH JI - (INDIA) Sant Baba
Iqbal Singh Ji was born in a farmers family in
Gurdaspur yet he chose to give up his comforts to
serve humanity with his life. Inspired by Sant
Teja Singh Ji (M.A. LL.B. A.M. Harvard), he
shifted to the Agriculture Department in Himachal
Pradesh from Punjab and worked relentlessly to
achieve the vision of Sant Attar Singh ji
Mastuanewale, of providing value-based education
to rural youth. Baba Ji retired as Director of
Agriculture, HP and started the first school at
Baru Sahib with only 5 kids in 1986. Today he
leads a chain of 129 schools, 2 universities
benefitting 60,000 rural students across 6450
villages. He is Chancellor of two universities
and President of Kalgidhar Trust and Society.
Baba Ji was also awarded a citation in 2014 by,
the New York State Assembly, for promoting
tolerance to all people irrespective of culture
or race, and a lifetime achievement award, by the
National Institute of Cleanliness Education and
Research in 2016.
The Special Recognition Award
HIS HIGHNESS SHEIKH MOHAMMED BIN RASHID AL
MAKTOUM - (DUBAI) His Highness Sheikh Mohammed
bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is the United Arab
Emirates, Vice President and Prime Minister and
the Ruler of Dubai. He was born on July 15, 1949
and is the third of four sons for His Highness
Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum. Since his
accession in 2006, he has undertaken major
reforms in the UAE. In 2010 he launched UAE
Vision 2021 with the aim of making the UAE One
of the best countries in the world by 2021. He
is a recognised poet in his native Arabic, a
major figure in international thoroughbred horse
racing and breeding and is well known for his
charitable work. In 2003, he set up the Dubai
Humanitarian City, which has since grown to be
the world's largest logistics hub for
humanitarian aid. In 2007, he announced plans to
give 10 billion to set up the Mohammed bin
Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation. In June 2010
foundations were laid for the Guru Nanak Darbar,
which is located in Jebel Ali. It was formally
opened on 19th January 2012 and is the first
'official' Sikh temple in the entire Gulf.
About The Sikh Awards The Sikh Awards was founded
by Navdeep Singh Bansal, for more information
please visit http//www.thesikhawards.com/ For
more information on The Sikh Group, please visit
http//www.thesikhgroup.com The Sikh 100 is
available on request. Via http//www.thesikh100.c
om The Sikh Directory further info at
http//www.worldsikhdirectory.com
About the founder Navdeep Singh
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Navdeep Singh, a founder and publisher is
dedicated towards serving and connecting
businesses around the world. He has been
honoured, by the former Prime Minister of India,
Sardar Manmohan Singh for his services to the
Sikh community throughout the world. Navdeep
Singh has created three established and trusted
global brands The Sikh Directory, The Sikh
Awards and The Sikh 100. Navdeep is one of
most networked individuals who is extremely
active in the Asian business community. In
January 2015 he was selected to form a part of
delegation that attended The Vibrant Gujarat
Summit lead by Lord Livingston the Minister of
State for Trade and Investment in the UK. Navdeep
glorifies Sikhism and emphasises on embracing
Sikh values and business ethics including
excellence, elegance, loyalty and spirituality.
On noticing Navdeeps holistic approach towards
Sikhism, other faiths have approached him for
guidance on organising similar events for their
community. Navdeep is being recognised and
supported by major brands and dignitaries from
around the world.