YOUNG entrepreneurs, fledgling firms and budding business brains from the region will be honoured at a celebrity-packed awards ceremony and conference in Leeds.
The Royal Armouries will host the 11th annual ABDN Business Awards and Dinner on Thursday, March 26.
Leeds-based ABDN, the Asian business development network, is hosting the showcase event, with more than 600 guests from the worlds of commerce, me
dia and the public sector expected.
Among the celebrity guests on the night will be actor and comedian Kulvinder Ghir (Goodness Gracious Me and Bend It Like Beckham) who started out as a market trader in Yorkshire before hitting the big time.
A mystery TV star – a well known national broadcaster and comedian – will deliver the evening's keynote speech.
Arshad Chaudhry, chairman of ABDN, said: "The awards continue to be the benchmark for high-achieving Yorkshire businesses.
"Bearing in mind the current climate, the dinner organisers have designed a way of making sure that every attendee gets the opportunity to turn dinner into profit."
Awards to be presented on the night will include Business of the Year, Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Female Entrepreneur of the Year, Brand of the Year and Media/ Entertainment Business of the Year
Among the successful entrepreneurs on the expected guest list is 'teddy bear millionaire' Imran Hakim, the creator of I-Teddy.
Imran, 30, appeared on the BBC's Dragon's Den two years ago and after winning the support of tycoons Peter Jones and Theo Paphitas, has never looked back.
His interactive toy has now gone truly global, with an expected turnover of £11m this year.
ABDN was established by Arshad Chaudhry in 1997 as a membership organisation which strives to assist and promote the development of black and ethnic minority (BME) owned businesses throughout the Yorkshire region.
This year's showcase event is sponsored by BusinessLink. For further details call 0113 3229203.
