Slough doctor alongside Rishi Sunak and Naughty Boy in 'British Asians Power 100'

A Slough doctor has been named alongside former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and music producer Naughty Boy as one of the top 100 ‘most powerful’ British Asian people.

Dr Kesar Singh Sadhra, 68, celebrated the accolade from the British Asian’s Who’s Who awards at a ceremony at London’s The Savoy Hotel on Saturday, May 10.

The long-serving Manor Park Medical Centre practitioner, who has worked in Slough for more than 30 years, was also crowned the awards’ Professional of the Year.

“Being placed in a list of the Power 100 British Asians and then actually being at the top end of that, you feel speechless, so humbled about it,” Dr Sadhra told the Express.

“It’s certainly very overwhelming.”

Dr Sadhra with the Professional of the Year award.

The Who’s Who awards, attended by 300 people this year, champion British Asian people working across the country: from politics and business to music, film and television.

Its top 100 lineup saw former PM Rishi Sunak and London Mayor Sadiq Khan in the top 10.

Music producer Naughty Boy and Dr Sadhra were in the list’s top 50.

Discussing his ranking, Dr Sadhra said: “For me, it is the relationship of representing and caring for our patients and our community.

“Influencing our patients and community – empowering the patients.

“That is where I think, in my eyes, the power list comes in.”

This year’s award follows his success last year, winning Professional of the Year at the Asian Achievers Awards 2024.

Dr Sadhra founded community group Meri Sahit – meaning ‘my health’ in Punjabi, Urdu and Hindi – in 2011. The group offers exercise classes and health talks to people across Slough.

He has also been a career-long champion of research into diabetes, which disproportionately impacts people of South Asian heritage.

“I’m very, very happy,” Dr Sadhra said. “I love my work.

He said: “Eight years ago, I was asked at my appraisal, a yearly appraisal, ‘it’s time to think about retirement, when are you going to take it and what are you going to do afterwards?’

“I said, ‘I don’t treat it as work, I treat it as a vocation where I feel I’m helping and I’m giving what I can to my patients, to my community’.

“I’ve been very blessed, I’m doing what I would be doing in my retirement, so why would I retire?”

For Dr Sadhra, the awards night was an opportunity to celebrate another event – his daughter Manveer’s birthday.

“It was lovely having a quick catch-up with them [winners and attendees],” Dr Sadhra said. “But I've got to confess, my time was spent mainly with my family.

“For me to take them for such a treat, and for me to then disappear, I don’t think they would have let me forget that.”