King’s New Year honours spotlight Indian entrepreneurship, community spirit

Key Highlights

• “I’ve always believed that being proud of where you come from only strengthens what you can give back, and that humility matters most precisely when responsibility grows,” said Dhruv Patel, with reference to his Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) honour for services to civic leadership and charity.
• “Honours are never destinations: they are reminders of responsibility.
• If they mean anything at all, it’s that we must keep showing up, keep building bridges, and keep creating space for others to thrive alongside us,” said Patel, founder and director of City Hindus Network.
• Others who received CBEs include Neeta Avnash Kaur Atkar for services to small business finance and the British Business Bank and Rupesh Mohan Mehta for services to transport planning in Buckinghamshire.
• “As a British Sikh, I hope this honour encourages others from every background and community to pursue their aspirations with confidence,” said Professor Gurpreet Singh Jagpal, who became an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to enterprise, entrepreneurship education and policy.