Global visionaries honoured at LOSD Excellence Awards 2026 at University of Oxford

Global leaders, innovators, policymakers and changemakers from more than 40 countries gathered at the Saïd Business School and the historic Examination Schools, University of Oxford, as the London Organisation of Skills Development (LOSD) hosted its prestigious LOSD Excellence Awards 2026.

The awards ceremony, held physically recently, followed a successful virtual edition in April, creating a truly inclusive international celebration of excellence. With 77 awardees recognised across Business, Education, Health, Media, Social and Technology, the event reflected LOSD’s expanding global footprint and its mission to empower excellence and inspire transformational leadership.

The event was led by Professor Parin Somani, CEO of LOSD, alongside Louise Upton, The Worshipful Mayor of Oxford.

Distinguished dignitaries in attendance included Sunny Lambe, The Worshipful Mayor of Southwark; Anjana Patel, The Worshipful Mayor of Harrow; Tushar Kumar, The Worshipful Deputy Mayor of Elstree & Borehamwood; and Smita Rajesh, Deputy Mayor of Chelmsford City.

The gala evening also welcomed distinguished royalty, civic leaders and global advocates including HRH Princess Kendal Aminat, H.E Daniel Wood, Lance Haggith OBE, Sunil Chopra, Salim Chowdhury, Cllr Mohammad Amirul Islam, Shehzad Sajid, Zulfikar Bhutto, Desziree Richardson and Muhammad Nissan Abdul Rasheed.

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In the Business category, LOSD recognised leading entrepreneurs and corporate executives driving innovation and enterprise growth. Honourees included Ayub Shaikh for Excellence in Human-Centred Leadership, Carlota A. De Gula-Iremedio for Excellence in Business Leadership, Dr. Mina A. Iskander for Outstanding Achievement in Law & Arbitration, and Kamran Khan for Global Hospitality Leadership.

Additional business honours went to Sanjay Muthal for Lifetime Achievement in HR Excellence, Mahendrasinh C. Jadeja (Dada) as a Business Icon, and Muhammad Nissan Abdul Rasheed for International Business Leadership. Recognition was also given to Fahmi Rais, Wazid Hassan Shelim BEM, Chaitanya R. Metkar and several others for outstanding achievements in business transformation and innovation.

The Education category celebrated academic excellence and research leadership. Among those recognised were Farah Ghanem for Global Impact in Education, Joyce Wazirali as Global Women Visionary Leader of the Year, Matthew Siu Ting Yip as The GOAT in Mathematics Education, and Yahia Baiza for Global Research Excellence.

In Health, LOSD honoured professionals making exceptional contributions to healthcare, mental wellbeing and preventive medicine. Recognised figures included Mudhsuden Singh “Monty” Panesar as Global Mental Health Champion, Amish Purohit for Healthcare Transformation Leadership, Greg Kunst for Lifetime Achievement in Healthcare Innovation, and Nishtha Sareen as Healthcare Changemaker of the Year.

The Media category recognised influential voices shaping communication and creative storytelling. Afsha Khan was honoured for Media Influence, Hari Krishna Maram for Creative Media Impact, while Ivan Siyanko of PHOTO. VIDEO. LONDON received the Professional Photography Excellence Award.

The Social category highlighted leaders driving public service, humanitarian work and community development. Anjana Patel, The Worshipful Mayor of Harrow, was recognised for Lifetime Public Service, while Sunny Lambe, The Worshipful Mayor of Southwark, received recognition for Community Empowerment.

Further honours went to Tushar Kumar for Outstanding Public Service, Rami Ranger for Community Service, Lance Haggith OBE for Humanitarian Excellence, and HRH Princess Kendal Aminat as Community Hero.

In Technology, LOSD recognised digital innovators and technology leaders shaping the future of engineering, AI and cybersecurity. Awardees included Amit Lingarchani for Technology Leadership, Howard L Zach for Lifetime Achievement in Engineering & Sustainability, Loukas Tzitzis as Global Technology Visionary, and Sergey Tairyan for Excellence in Cybersecurity & Managed Services.

Speaking on the significance of the awards, organisers described the ceremony as a celebration of leadership, resilience and impact across sectors. They noted that LOSD remains committed to recognising individuals whose work continues to drive meaningful global change.

The organisation also announced that its next major global recognition event will take place at Harvard University in August 2026, as LOSD continues to expand its international platform for excellence and innovation.

With participants spanning more than 40 countries, the LOSD Excellence Awards 2026 reinforced the growing importance of global collaboration in advancing leadership, innovation and social progress.