CEFTUS 8th Anniversary Gala and Community Achievement Awards
On Monday, more than 400 guests joined the Centre for Turkey Studies’ (CEFTUS) 8th annual gala and community achievement awards at the Park Plaza Riverbank hotel.
Marking 8 years since CEFTUS’ foundation, the evening sought to celebrate the previous year’s achievement and highlight the contribution made by the Turkish, Kurdish and Turkish-Cypriot communities to all aspects of life in the United Kingdom.
The black-tie event was attended by distinguished guest from Turkey and the UK including parliamentarians, academics, journalists and businesspeople. CEFTUS founder Ibrahim Dogus gave the key-note speech, followed by words from Lord Bilimoria representing sponsors Cobra beer, and Luther Blissett representing charity partner Show Racism the Red Card.
Award winners were selected in fields such as entrepreneurship, law, education, and culture, with presenters including distinguished journalists Cengiz Candar and Nurcan Baysal, human rights activists Barbaros Sansal and Afzal Khan MP.
Entertainment during the three-course meal was provided Olcay Bayir and band as well as the She’Koyokh ensemble, who each played music influenced by the Anatolian region and beyond. The raffle and charity auction, with prizes including a signed Chelsea FC shirt and tickets to the X-Factor final, raised more than £1,000 for Show Racism the Red Card.
Please consider making a donation to the Centre for Turkey Studies to allow us to continue doing what we do – producing research and analysis, putting on events with expert speakers from all shades of political opinion in and around parliament, and building bridges between the UK and Turkey. You can donate as little as £5; a £25 or £50 donation would go a long way in helping us put on our next event – just click here to donate.
Winners of the Community Achievement Awards 2019:
Businessperson of the Year
Brusk Kıvılcım Korkmaz
Media Award
Güney Yıldız
Education Award
Emre Caliskan
Law Award
Semira Dilgil
Charitable Organization Award
Alliance of Turkish Businesspeople
Female Role Model of the Year
Yasemin Brett
Male Role Model of the Year
Sabri Ozaydin
Young Entrepreneurship Award
Inan Ors
Art, Culture and Music Award
Tugba Tirpan
Education in Arts and Sciences Award
Ozcan Celik