The IIW SHE INSPIRES AWARDS 2025, organized by IIW (Inspiring Indian Women), shone a spotlight on the remarkable strength, talent, and achievements of women from across the globe. Held in the prestigious Houses of Parliament, this award ceremony has grown into a highly coveted event, honouring the unsung heroines who inspire, uplift, and bring about change in their communities.
The theme for the 2025 awards was clear: “Let all women rise, let all women become extraordinary from ordinary, let all be happy, let us lift, support, and rise together!” IIW’s mission to spread respect, love, and acknowledgment for women resonated deeply with everyone in attendance.
The IIW SHE INSPIRES Awards honour women who demonstrate exceptional strength in various roles, encouraging others to take that extra step, venture into the unknown, and bring out the best in their lives. “Naari” (Women) is often referred to as “Shakti” (Strength) in Indian culture, and this award serves as a tribute to women who exhibit that strength in diverse ways. It seeks to recognize those who have worked behind the scenes to create transformative change, impacting the lives of others with their quiet, yet powerful contributions.
A Prestigious Ceremony
This year, the awards were hosted by prominent figures, including Honourable MP Joy Morrissey, Opposition Deputy Chief Whip and MP for Beaconsfield, who graced the stage on 24th March 2025. The Dharma Dubey Special Awards were presented on 25th March by Honourable MP Bob Blackman, MP for Harrow East. These private events were held with the support of a few MPs and are not affiliated with the UK Government.
The award ceremony continued to gain recognition for its transparent and thorough selection process, with nominations open to women from all walks of life, irrespective of background or ethnicity. The rigorous process involves two rounds of assessment, ensuring only the most deserving women are chosen. This year’s awards were made possible through the generous sponsorships and donations from various partners, including prominent figures from the Yorkshire Indian Business Network (YIBN).
Esteemed Personalities and Judges
Several eminent personalities were in attendance, including Lord Meghnad Desai, Padma Bhushan awardee, and Honourable Former MP Theresa Villiers, Former Secretary of State. Other distinguished guests included His Worshipful Mayor Harrow Cllr Salim Choudhury, Her Worshipful Mayor Gerrards Cross Cllr Prerna Bhardwaj, and a variety of other respected figures from the world of politics, business, and community service.
The judging panel, comprising distinguished individuals from around the world, remained anonymous until the awards ceremony to ensure fairness and impartiality. Among the judges were renowned figures like Ms. Aina Rao, Author and IIT Delhi and IIM Bangalore Alumnus; Cllr Lade Hephzibah Olugbemi, a mental health advocate; and Dr. Soma Ghosh, Padmashree awardee, among others. Their expertise and global perspectives ensured that the award process remained rigorous and unbiased.
The Winners of IIW SHE INSPIRES AWARDS 2025
This year’s winners were a true reflection of the diversity and dynamism of women worldwide, across various categories:
IIW She Inspires Dharma Dubey Special Awards
- Alli Ramanathan – Community Spirit
- Dr. Anjali Ghosh – Remarkable Mentor
- Arpita Thakur – Bright Artist (Art, Music, Drama, Media, Creative, age 40+ Level 3)
- Aruna Bansal – Spirited Fighter
- Caroline Rozario – Community Spirit
- Dimple Sanghani – Best Entrepreneur
- Divya Singh – Spirited Fighter
- Dona Ganguly – Bright Artist (Art, Music, Drama, Media, Creative, age 40+ Level 3)
- Heather Rosemary Lloyd – Best Entrepreneur
- Imambay Kamara – Community Spirit
- Juhi Srivastava – Spirited Fighter
- Krishna Mazumdar – Outstanding Educational Role Model
- Loveena Tandon – Promising Professional
- Madhu Chaurasia – Promising Professional
- Manjari Singh – Community Spirit
- Manjulika Singh – Community Spirit
- Nabomita Mazumdar – Best Entrepreneur
- Nithya Sowmy – Special Award for Community Spirit
- Pallabi Ghosh – Spirited Fighter
- Pam Suri – Best Entrepreneur
- Dr. Renuka Anand – Bright Artist (Art, Music, Drama, Media, Creative, age 40+ Level 3)
- Sagarika Chakraborty – Dharma Dubey Special Award for Spirited Fighter
- Dr. Satya Vadlamani – Best Entrepreneur
- Shagun Parihar – Spirited Fighter
- Shiwani Manna – Community Spirit
- Sudha Rawat – Community Spirit
- Dr. S Sukanya Iyer – Community Spirit
- Surinder Kenth – Community Spirit
- Vaishali Nagpal – Community Spirit
- Varsha Bavishi – Community Spirit
- Veena Jain – Bright Artist (Art, Music, Drama, Media, Creative, age 40+ Level 3)
- Anita Nayyar – Outstanding Educational Role Model
- Anju Narang – Spirited Fighter
- Christine Mahanta – Community Spirit
- Dr. Nirmala Murugandoss – Promising Professional
- Indu Barot – Bright Artist (Art, Music, Drama, Media, Creative, age 40+ Level 3)
- Kavita Gulati – Community Spirit
- Nalini Vellaswamy – Spirited Fighter
- Pallavi Joshi – Promising Professional (Pioneer in Aviation Asset Management)
- Shilpa Raj – Promising Professional (Aviation Industry)
- Bhuvana Lenin – Community Spirit
- Veena Jagpal – Community Spirit
- Vijayalakshmi Thirugnanarajah – Community Spirit
- Zamiha Desai – Spirited Fighter
- Nancy Wadhwa – Community Spirit
IIW She Inspires Awards 2025
- Aaral Shrivastava – Bright Artist – age 3-20 (Art, Music, Drama, Media, Creative) – Winner
- Anya Iyengar – Bright Artist – age 3-20 (Art, Music, Drama, Media, Creative) – Winner
- Manasvini Rathish – Bright Artist – age 3-20 (Art, Music, Drama, Media, Creative) – Winner
- Shanika Hodge-Constantin – Bright Artist – age 3-20 (Art, Music, Drama, Media, Creative) – Winner
- Kaira Sawhney – Remarkable Mentor – Winner
- Dr. Sudipti Arora – Champion of the Earth (Environmentalist) – Winner
- Juhie Radia – Community Spirit – age 16 to 35 (Welfare or Social Worker) – Winner
- Enam – Community Spirit – age 16 to 35 (Welfare or Social Worker) – Winner
- Soumita Basu – Rising Star (Differently Abled / Divyang) – Winner
- Zainab Patel – Super Special (LGBTQ) – Winner
- Richa Vashista – Super Special (LGBTQ) 1st Runner Up
- Sushma Johari Madan – Outstanding Educational Role Model – Winner
- Meena Chauhan – Outstanding Educational Role Model 1st Runner Up
- Geeta Manish Khubchandani – Outstanding Educational Role Model 2nd Runner Up
- Pinal Mahendrabhai Rajani – Outstanding Educational Role Model 2nd Runner Up
- Adwitee Raychaudhuri – Promising Professional – Winner
- Manpreet Kaur Maycock – Promising Professional – Winner
- Anjali Nagaraj – Promising Professional 1st Runner Up
- Jayasree Varadarajan – Promising Professional 1st Runner Up
- Dr. Anjana Jadeja – Promising Professional 2nd Runner Up
- Khushbu Varshney – Promising Professional 2nd Runner Up
- Chitra Pandilwar / Malkar – Remarkable Mentor
- Chaitrali Chitre – Remarkable Mentor 1st Runner Up
- Surinder Kaur Jassal – Remarkable Mentor 1st Runner Up
- Parul Jain – Remarkable Mentor 2nd Runner Up
- Jyoti Babbar – Best Nani/Dadi – Winner
- Rekha Senapati – Most Popular Choice – Winner
- Tarla Joshi – Special Mom/Best Homemaker – Winner
- Faridah Gullam – Special Mom/Best Homemaker 1st Runner Up
- Namrata Pandya – Community Spirit – age 35+ (Welfare or Social Worker) – Winner
- Sweta Mohanty – Community Spirit – age 35+ (Welfare or Social Worker) – Winner
- Lou Langford – Community Spirit – age 35+ (Welfare or Social Worker) – Winner
- Nitya Chawla – Community Spirit – age 35+ (Welfare or Social Worker) 1st Runner Up
- Rangamani Tirumalai Vinjamoor – Community Spirit – age 35+ (Welfare or Social Worker) 1st Runner Up
- Anjana Thaker – Community Spirit – age 35+ (Welfare or Social Worker) 1st Runner Up
- Ushma Issar – Community Spirit – age 35+ (Welfare or Social Worker) 2nd Runner Up
- Vaishnavi Vaitheeswaran – Community Spirit – age 35+ (Welfare or Social Worker) 2nd Runner Up
- Gayatri Lokhande – Community Spirit – age 35+ (Welfare or Social Worker) 2nd Runner Up
- Madhuri Joshi – Bright Artist – age 21-40 (Art, Music, Drama, Media, Creative) – Winner
- Parvinder Shergill – Bright Artist – age 21-40 (Art, Music, Drama, Media, Creative) – Winner
- Shreena Patel – Bright Artist – age 21-40 (Art, Music, Drama, Media, Creative) 1st Runner Up
- Simmy Kaur Bakshi – Bright Artist – age 21-40 (Art, Music, Drama, Media, Creative) 1st Runner Up
- Soumya Mahapatra – Bright Artist – age 21-40 (Art, Music, Drama, Media, Creative) 2nd Runner Up
- Sreya Sarkar Biswas – Bright Artist – age 21-40 (Art, Music, Drama, Media, Creative) 2nd Runner Up
- Pradipta Ray – Bright Artist – age 40+ (Art, Music, Drama, Media, Creative) – Winner
- Anashmita Saha – Bright Artist – age 40+ (Art, Music, Drama, Media, Creative) 1st Runner Up
- Sabitha Nalli – Bright Artist – age 40+ (Art, Music, Drama, Media, Creative) 1st Runner Up
- Maya Shah – Bright Artist – age 40+ (Art, Music, Drama, Media, Creative) 2nd Runner Up
- Ritu Saxena – Bright Artist – age 40+ (Art, Music, Drama, Media, Creative) 2nd Runner Up
- Priti Raichura – Best Entrepreneur – Winner
- Divya Garg – Best Entrepreneur – Winner
- Purvi Shah – Best Entrepreneur 1st Runner Up
- Sukhninder Chatha-Johal – Best Entrepreneur 1st Runner Up
- Irah Raj Prakash Bahl – Best Entrepreneur 1st Runner Up
- Neha Chandok – Best Entrepreneur 2nd Runner Up
- Shilpam Bidasaria – Best Entrepreneur 2nd Runner Up
- Ammupriya Munusamy – Best Entrepreneur 2nd Runner Up
- Chitra Roshini Ronald – Spirited Fighter (Defied the Odds) – Winner
- Dolly Ahuja – Spirited Fighter (Defied the Odds) – Winner
- Ankita Sharma – Spirited Fighter (Defied the Odds) 1st Runner Up
- Himani Agarwal – Spirited Fighter (Defied the Odds) 1st Runner Up
- Niati Khanna – Spirited Fighter (Defied the Odds) 1st Runner Up
- Sruchi Vadalia Oza – Spirited Fighter (Defied the Odds) 2nd Runner Up
- Bhavna Pandya – Spirited Fighter (Defied the Odds) 2nd Runner Up
Judges for Preliminary Round:
- Abarna Muthupalaniappan
- Rania Lampou
- Nyla Khan
- Nancy Chawla
- Anmol Kaur
- Josephine Raj
- HH Dr. Winfred Wanjiku Gitonga
- Eula Clarke
- Anjali Mavi
- Anu Sharma
- Carol Edmondson
- Reena Bagga
- Harsha Trivedi
- Neha Gupta
- Kamalpreet Madaan
- Shailaja Veeranki
- Sushma Bhanot MBE
Acknowledging the Judges and Team
The success of the IIW SHE INSPIRES Awards would not have been possible without the dedicated work of the judging panel who shortlisted the finalists from 150 nominations. Their careful selection process ensured that each awardee truly deserved their recognition. Special thanks were also given to the hardworking IIW team, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes, including Rashmi Mishra, Betania Fernandes, Chinu Kishore, and many more.
A Long-Lasting Impact
As the event came to a close, the overwhelming sense of pride and accomplishment among the attendees was palpable. The IIW SHE INSPIRES Awards have certainly come a long way since its inception in 2017, growing in prestige and impact every year. This event not only celebrates women’s achievements but also serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of lifting each other up, supporting one another, and striving for greater equality and empowerment.
The IIW SHE INSPIRES Awards 2025 was a testament to the strength of women who continue to inspire, lead, and create positive change in the world. Their stories serve as a beacon of hope and motivation for future generations.
