Winners of The Bengal's Pride Awards in 2023
Life Time Achievement Award
Ratan Tata
Ratan Naval Tata is an Indian industrialist, philanthropist and former chairman of “Tata Sons”. He was a chairman of the Tata Group from 1990 to 2012, and interim chairman from October 2016 through February 2017. He graduated from the Cornell University College of Architecture with a bachelor’s degree in architecture. He joined Tata in 1961, where he worked on the shop floor of Tata Steel. He later succeeded J. R. D. Tata as chairman of Tata Sons upon the latter’s retirement in 1991. Under his tenure the Tata Group acquired Tetley, Jaguar Land Rover, and Corus, in an attempt to turn Tata from a largely India-centric group into a global business. Tata is also one of the largest philanthropists in the world, having donated around 60–65% of his income to charity.
Pride of Bengal Award
Chandra Shekhar Ghosh
Mr. Chandra Shekhar Ghosh has been one of India’s foremost proponents of financial inclusion. He has more than three decades of experience in microfinance, banking and development terrain. Bandhan is the name of the not-for-profit entity that Mr. Ghosh had set up in April 2001, with the objective of changing the lives of the underprivileged by giving them small loans and handholding them in their entrepreneurial journey. The entity transformed from an NGO to an NBFC in April 2006, and finally into a universal bank in August 2015. This is the first instance of a microfinance institution transforming into a universal bank in India. The ethos of inclusive banking drives Mr. Ghosh. The banking licence recognises his seminal work in financial inclusion in India. Under Mr. Ghosh’s leadership, the Bank, with a pan-India presence, caters to 3.07 crore customers and has more than 72,000 employees on its payroll as of June 30, 2023.
Business Person of the Year
Supratim Bose
Supratim Bose is Chief Executive Officer of CMR Surgical, Executive Vice President and President, of Asia- Pac, Middle East and Africa (AMEA) for Boston Scientific and a member of its Executive Committee. In this role, Supratim oversees the Company’s business and growth opportunities across Asia-Pacific, the world’s fastest- growing region, plus the Middle East and Africa. Before joining Boston Scientific in January 2012, Supratim was the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Singapore-based Bose Consulting Group, which specialized in strategic management consulting services for the healthcare industry. Previously, he worked for nearly 30 years at Johnson & Johnson, where he concluded his tenure as Company Group Chairman of its Medical Devices and Diagnostics (MD&D) business. In this role, he managed Johnson & Johnson’s MD&D companies throughout Asia-Pacific, including Japan, having pioneered its entry into all emerging markets in Asia, including China, India, and Vietnam.
Entrepreneur of the Year
Jaydeep Barman
Jaydeep founded Rebel Foods, world’s largest internet restaurant company, with presence in 10 countries and employing 6000+ people worldwide. Rebel Foods is also world’s leading firm in applying AI and technology in food industry.
Women Entrepreneur of the Year
Rushna Miah
Empowering Communities and Making a Difference Rushna Miah, the Director and co-founder of HAWA Multicultural Services CIC, is a dedicated community leader and social entrepreneur based in Hertfordshire, England. With a remarkable journey spanning 19 years in community work, Rushna has been unwavering in her commitment to serving ethnically diverse communities and empowering women to excel and integrate into mainstream society. Her journey began with a profound focus on Asian women, particularly Bengali women, who faced unique challenges in their pursuit of confidence and integration. In response to these challenges, Rushna embarked on a mission to create projects and initiatives that would uplift and support these communities. One of her most notable achievements is the establishment of the Saheli Women’s Day Centre, a vibrant hub of activity that operates during term time for women over 45 from diverse backgrounds. At Saheli, women gather to socialise, participate in group activities, enjoy guest speaker sessions, and engage in physical exercise.
Achievements in Health/Social care
Madhusree Ghosh
Dr. Madhusree is a medical doctor by profession, currently working as a NHS Consultant in Gloucester. She is the only Indian doctor in her department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and is the clinical director of her service, she is the first Bengali Doctor to hold such a prestigious position. She is also the training programme director for Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health for whole of Gloucestershire. In March 2020, shortly before the Covid pandemic the Gloucestershire Hospitals Trust wrote to Community Trust that Acute Trust Hospital theatres will not be available for Surgical Termination of Pregnancy under General Anaesthesia, due to urgent operational reasons. It was recognised the need to provide patients choice of procedure and the importance of access to all types of procedures within county.
Achievement in Media/Art/Culture
Anita Bose
Anita is based in Bangkok and is constantly engaged in the promotion of Bengali culture in Thailand. She is also teaching Bengali to Thai people with regular classes on Bengali language and culture and volunteer at the Bangkok Museum to educate school kids and tourists on tell the story of Ram and other Indian mythological God and Goddess. She is currently working on a project to establish connection between Durga statue to South East Asia and Bengal. She is also part of Global Ramayana Encyclopedia project. She consistently working to develop cultural relationships between Bengal and India to south east Asia and also looks after her two kids and husband who is based as senior executive of Agriculture focused multinational business across South East Asia. Anita Bose is also the author of Ramayana Footprints in South-East Asian Culture and Heritage: Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar: The Ramayana is a peerless epic composed by Maharshi Valmiki in the ancient Bharatvarsha.
Achievement in Community work
Jane Richter
Jane Richter is a regular traveller to Calcutta. She is also an expert on the Victorian pioneer portrait photographer Julia Margaret Cameron. Jane lives on the Isle of Wight (off the south coast of England) where she runs her own tour guiding company, Isle of Wight Guided Tours. She recently made a documentary-style film based on a research project she carried out during Covid-19 lockdown. With her many visits to Calcutta – but most specifically in February/March 2020, Jane’s starting point was ‘looking for signs of Julia Margaret Cameron in Calcutta to inspire photographers and Calcutta residents.
Sports Person of the Year
Raj Chaudhuri
Raj Chaudhuri, Director of First Class Cricket Academy (FCCA) Ltd for the past 15 years. Raj is an English Cricket Board level 4 qualified coach, Ex-Indian First class ( Ranji Trophy & East Zone) cricketer working as Founder-Director at First Class Cricket Academy and Head of Cricket at Worth School in Sussex, UK. Raj is also Head of Cricket at the Worth School. Raj’s Cricket Academy caters for all age groups and specializes in skill development and optimization of player potential. Also organizes cricket tours and coaching camps across the cricketing globe in India, UAE,West Indies, Malta, and SA.
Sir David Amess Memorial Award
Chalkwell Lifeguard
Chalkwell Lifeguard formed in 1978 to help prevent incidents on the mud banks along Leigh Creek and Hadleigh Ray. The unit is a declared a HM Coastguard and Rescue Facility. Affiliated to Royal Lifesaving Society UK and following their codes of practice, including Safeguarding.
