At the Asian Women of Achievement Awards ceremony on 27 May 2004, Naaz Coker won award in the public sector category for her 30 years of work in the public and voluntary sector, and her efforts to fight against racism, health inequalities and hardship suffered by asylum seekers and refugees.

The Asian Women of Achievement Awards, now in their fifth year, highlight and celebrate the Asian women’s personal and professional achievements in commerce, arts and culture, and the humanitarian field, and are supported by Cherie Booth QC and Her Highness Begum Inaara Aga Khan.

Naaz, 55, has been the Chair of the Refugee Council since November 1998. She spent 20 years in the NHS as Pharmaceutical and Clinical Director to General Manager in NHS trusts. She was Director of the Race and Diversity Programme at the King’s Fund, and has also written extensively on racism and ethnic health inequalities during her time in the NHS and of course on the rights of asylum seekers and refugees since she joined the Refugee Council. In November 2003, the NHS Appointments Commission appointed Naaz Chair of St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust.

For more information about the Asian Women of Achievement Awards, visit: http://www.awaawards.com