HUMZA Yousaf has been named Scot of the Year in the 2023 Scottish Asian & Business Awards.

Yousaf's father Muzaffar  (below) accepted the award on his behalf at the event, which raised over £6000 in an auction for charity event partner The Sarwar Foundation.

The awards, which celebrate achievements of Scottish-Asian businesses and people, are in their 16th iteration.

The National: Humza Yousaf's father Muzaffar accepted the Scot of the Year award on behalf of his son at the Scottish Asian & Business Awards 2023Humza Yousaf's father Muzaffar accepted the Scot of the Year award on behalf of his son at the Scottish Asian & Business Awards 2023 (Image: Scottish Asian & Business Awards 2023)

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Held at the Marriott Hotel in Glasgow, the ceremony took place on December 19 and was hosted by solicitor Rupa Mooker and model and actor Atta Yaqub.

It saw a range of achievements in a wide range of areas, including business, charity, food, law and finance honoured.

A spokesperson for the Scottish Asian & Business Awards 2023 said: “It was another excellent evening that allowed us to celebrate the talented Scottish Asian business community. 

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"We commend the entrepreneurial spirit, dedication, personal and professional achievements and the huge contributions Scottish Asians have achieved in their respective industries. 

"Those shortlisted for this event are the perfect role models for future generations of aspiring entrepreneurs and professionals. We want to congratulate our winners and highly commended recipients on their achievements."

The full list of winners is as follows:

Achievements in Civil Service / Third Sector 
Naghat Ahmed (Glasgow City Council, Glasgow)  
Highly commended went to Moi Ali (UK Home Office, Edinburgh) 

Young Achiever of the Year  
Iqra Ali (Edinburgh Medical School, Edinburgh)  
Highly commended went to Shailaa Kauser (Transport Scotland, Glasgow)  

Community Retailer of the Year 
Nads Store ltd (Carluke) 
Highly commended went to Nisa Local Mossvale (Paisley) 

The Bashir Ahmad Community Initiative of the Year 
Islamic Relief Celtic FC Partnership (Glasgow)  
Highly commended went to Glasgow Ansar (Netball Campaign, Glasgow)  

Medical Professional of the Year  
Sanjay Mantry (Vision Scotland, Glasgow)  
Highly commended went to Tariq Bashir (Visage, Glasgow) 

Micro Business of the Year 
Jewahir Home Fragrances (Glasgow) 
Highly commended went to Capture 360 Events (Glasgow) 

One to Watch Award 
Asim Muhammad (Avidity, Glasgow)  
Highly commended went to Zubi Hussain (WESCO Anixter, Glasgow) 

Achievements in Accounting  
Tayyib Gondal (Yousaf & Co Ltd, Glasgow) 
Highly commended went to Sadia Ali (Martin Aitken, Glasgow) 

Achievements in Finance  
Aleesha Ghaffar (Contineo FRS, Glasgow) 
Highly commended went to Anisha Gill (Aon, Glasgow) 

Achievements in Education 
Khadija Mohammed (The University of the West of Scotland, Paisley) 
Highly commended went to Norin Arshed (University of Strathclyde, Glasgow) 

The Abid Bashir Entrepreneur of the Year 
Yusuf Shabbir (PharmacyOnline.co.uk, Clydebank) 
Highly commended went to Sannah Aron Santharaj (Chennai’s Marina, Edinburgh) 

Business Leader of the Year 
Harris Aslam (Glenshire Group, Kirkcaldy)  
Highly commended went to DC Singh (Edinburgh Cashmere, Edinburgh) 

The Mohammad Ramzan Convenience Retailer of the Year 
Ali’s Convenience Store Tranent (Tranent) 
Highly commended went to Jaz’s Premier Grangemouth (Grangemouth) 

Woman of the Year  
Poonam Malik (University of Strathclyde, Glasgow) 
Highly commended went to Shafaque Shaikh (Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen) 

Rising Star in Law  
Kiran Bahia (Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie LLP, Dunfermline) 
Highly commended went to Henna Jamil (SGN, Glasgow) 

Franchise Business of the Year 
Chaiiwala (Glasgow)  
Highly commended went to Cupp (Glasgow) 

Restaurant Entrepreneur of the Year 
Shahid Ghani (Shezan & Kahani, Edinburgh)  
Highly commended went to Manish Kaushik/Devender Sharma/Amit Sachdeva (Masala Twist West End & Punjabi Tadka, Glasgow) 

Restaurant of the Year 
Kebabish Grill (Glasgow) 
Highly commended went to Rustom Restaurant (Edinburgh) 

Spirit of Scotland 
Scottish Asian Ekta Group (Cooking Tales, Glasgow) 
Highly commended went to Aileen Singh (Spicy Mo, Montrose) 

Takeaway of the Year 
Raja Glasgow (Glasgow) 
Highly commended went to Asian Tandoori (Glasgow) 

Food Retailer of the Year 
World Foods (Glasgow)  
Highly commended went to Strawberry Garden Cash n Carry (Glasgow) 

Food Brand of the Year 
Chapter IV (Glasgow) 
Highly commended went to BurgurGrill (Glasgow) 

Scot of the Year 
Humza Yousaf (First Minister of Scotland) 

Makeup Professional of the Year 
Humera Tayyub (humerawr, Glasgow) 
Highly commended went to Mubeenah Chaudhary (ZaZo Beauty, Glasgow) 

Corporate Rising Star 
Aysha Canning (Azets, Glasgow)  
Highly commended went to Rasiba Norin (Aggreko, Glasgow) 

New Business of the Year 
Glasgow Private Clinic (Glasgow) 
Highly commended went to Laser Clinics UK Glasgow Central (Glasgow) 

Small Business of the Year 
Limitless Learners Education & Development (Glasgow) 
Highly commended went to Palladium Executive Hire (Glasgow) 

Best Professional in Business 
Nowsheen Farhan (Farhan and Co Solicitor, Glasgow) 
Highly commended went to Umair Mohammed (Cherrybank Dental, Edinburgh) 

Medical Leader of the Year  
Kamal Deep (Golden Jubilee National University Hospital, Clydebank) 
Highly commended went to Syed Ahmed (NHSGGC, Glasgow) 

SME Business of the Year 
SpotHost (Glasgow) 
Highly commended went to Whitehill Farm (Ayrshire) 

Business Professional of the Year 
Dilveer Kaur Hoonjan (ECD Architects, Glasgow) 
Highly commended went to Amna Ashraf (Burness Paull, Glasgow) 

Retail Business of the Year 
Ally's UK (Glasgow) 
Highly commended went to GLR Stores (Glasgow) 

Achievements in Law  
Omar Ali (Harper Macleod, Glasgow)  
Highly commended went to Susith Dematagoda (Drummond Miller Solicitors, Glasgow) 

Diversity Brand of the Year 
NHS Scotland (Glasgow) 
Highly commended went to Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (Glasgow) 

Influencer of the Year 
Myles Omar (Myslesomar, Glasgow)  
Highly commended went to Emman Ajaz (Emman.ajaz, Glasgow)