A Scottish Minister has made a list Britain’s most powerful Asians
H umza Yousaf, SNP MSP and Scottish minister for Europe and international affairs, has been ranked as one of the UK’s most prominent and influential Asians.
The list, which was put together by the Asian Media and Marketing Group, placed Yousaf at number 87 on the GG2 Power 101 list.
The 30-year-old MSP is the sole Scot to have made the list, after becoming the Scottish Government’s first Muslim minister.
The list is comprised of a mixture of media, business, and political figures, and aims to highlight Asian figures that have had a significant impact on British society.
UK business secretary Sajid Javid topped the list, and was named Britain’s most influential Asian. He beat public figures such as Nobel Peace prizewinner Malala Yousafzai, artist Anish Kapoor and musician Zayn Malik.
Priti Patel, the UK pensions minister, ranked 3 rd and was the highest-ranking woman on the list.
Other young influential Asians joining Yousaf in the top spots were sitar player and composer Anoushka Shankar, Malala Yousafzai, and Ameet Gill, David Cameron’s director of strategy.
Nobel Prize for Chemistry winner Sir Venkatraman Ramakrishna leapt 47 places to number five on the list, after being elected president of the Royal Society. Venkatraman is the first Indian-born person in 350 years to hold this post.
A spokesperson from the GG2 awards was quoted in the Herald stating: Named the One to Watch at The Scottish Politician of the Year Awards in 2012, Humza Yousaf has lived up the billing.
“His achievements have made him the youngest and the first ethnic minority to be appointed in the history of the Scottish Government.
“During his tenure, he has helped to distribute more than PS30 million to good causes and helped coordinate the response to disasters including the Ebola virus in Africa, the Haiti typhoon, the Gaza conflict and the Nepal Earthquake.
“He also managed to persuade the UK Government to take Syrian refugees, of which a portion have been granted asylum in Scotland.”
Organisers of the awards stated that Yousaf had also acted as a role model for ethnic minorities and young people to enter the world of politics.
GG2 Power 101 Top 10
1. Sajid Javid MP
2. SP & GP Hinduja of the global conglomerate Hinduja Group
3. Priti Patel MP
4. Lakshmi Mittal, steel magnate, and wife Usha.
5. Ameet Gill
6. Sadiq Khan
7. Rakesh Kapoor, businessman and CEO of consumer goods company Reckitt Benckiser
8. Sir Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Nobel winner for chemistry
9. Sir Anish Kapoor
10. Malala Yousafzai
Picture courtesy of Scottish Government