On Wednesday, October 8, the South Asian Bar Association of New York held their 8th Annual Leadership Awards Gala at the Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers, honoring and celebrating South Asian attorneys as leaders within the legal and business communities.

Following a delightful cocktail reception, attendees sat down to a delicious dinner. Each of the incredible honorees spoke about their personal journeys, how their ties to their home countries color their understanding of justice today, and how important it is to uphold the notions that Americans of South Asian descent are Americans too. Anu Aiyengar, Managing Director of Mergers and Acquisitions at JPMorgan Chase & Co., delivered a brief keynote address about how the picture of success in America is not represented by a short female woman of foreign nationality, but how it is truly an American quality to succeed anyway.

We thank the many leaders in this community. AABANY commends the impressive group of honorees:

Legal Trailblazer Award – The Honorable Anil C. Singh, New York State Supreme Court, Civil Branch, New York County

Corporate Leadership Award – Asim Rehman, Corporate Counsel, MetLife

Litigation Achievement Award – Guruanjan Singh Sahni, Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York

Access to Justice Award – Amardeep Singh, Co-Founder and National Director of Programs, Sikh Coalition