Harpreet Virdee, Director at Capita & Trustee at City Sikhs, named in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List 2020
Harpreet Virdee (Harry), once the youngest Finance Director in Capita, has been awarded a Medal of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen’s New Year’s 2020 Honours List, predominantly for his charitable work in his capacity as Trustee for the City Sikhs Foundation.
Harry has been a leading supporter and advocate for City Sikhs since it was founded in October 2010 as a network for British Sikh professionals. His vision, guidance & advice has seen it develop into one of the leading Sikh organisations in the country with over 7,000 individual members.
Throughout his life, he has championed diversity and fairness . He has also worked with a number of charities to raise awareness amongst the BAME community on issues such as promoting living organ donations and bone marrow transplants.
He has collaborated with the BBC and many other professional bodies to help BAME individuals to excel within the working environment. Being an individual basing decisions on facts not feelings, he is part of the founding team of the British Sikh Report (now in its 6th year) which is an annual report launched in parliament every year that assesses the views of Sikhs living in the UK, providing a voice for the Sikh community.
When not active in charity work, Harry is a Managing Director for Capita, where he has worked for 15 years, with current responsibility for the company’s operations in Poland.
Jasvir Singh OBE, Chair of City Sikhs, said “I’m so proud to see Harry being recognised for his extensive charity work. He is a true role model for young people of all backgrounds, and his unwavering commitment to various community projects shows how each of us can have a positive impact in society. This is a well-deserved honour.”
Harpreet Virdee BEM said “I am extremely humbled by the prestigious honour but I feel that this recognition is for my parents as I stand on their shoulders – if it was not for their struggles and hard work, then I would not be where I am today. I hope this honour will inspire other young people to give back to society however they can.”