Sumerah Ahmad
Co-Founder & MD, Club Asia Radio
As co-founder of CLUB ASIA 963+972AM Sumerah joined her sister in launching the station in 2003 targeting London’s Asians. Sumerah is the creative force while her sister, Humerah Khan, provided financial skills. She created and translated the Club Asia brand and vision into every aspect of the company’s music, programming, production and development strategy.
From humble beginnings Club Asia now in its fifth year, is a multi award winning company. Under the guidance of Sumerah and Humerah Club Asia has become a nationally recognised success story with listenership and turnover figures exceeding projections.
Such energy and sense of purpose is typical of Sumerah. She completed her Law degree from City University but realised that her vocation lay in Media. She followed her creative instincts leading her to work with a number of prestigious companies in the British Film & TV Industry, working on a number of feature films and television productions.
In her tenure at Club Asia Sumerah has regularly been asked to advise or provide comment on Asian music, film and culture to organisations such as Channel 4, BBC TV, Sky News, ITV, MTV, Music Week, Eastern Eye and other radio stations. Sumerah also frequently speaks at marketing & diversity conferences, business seminars and career development functions.
She has won recognition as an entrepreneur along with her sister for their work with Club Asia by winning numerous awards including the Asian Women of Achievement Award, the National Business Credit Suisse Entrepreneur Award, the Thames Gateway Business Award, as well as being listed by Management Today in their ‘Top 35 Women under 35’: Women of Steel in business and the Daily Mail’s ‘Asian Hot List’.
As a company Club Asia’s greatest achievement was being voted ‘Best Radio Station’ at the 2006 UK Asian Music Awards as well as being named the ‘Brightest New Business’ in the UK at the prestigious HSBC Start-up Stars Awards in 2005, beating off competition from 600 businesses throughout the UK. Not only was Club Asia the first Asian owned business to win the awards but the sister duo were the youngest ever recipients.
Whilst Humerah manages Club Asia’s operations, Sumerah heads up the company’s growth activities translating the brand across sectors. Club Asia’s expansion strategy includes developing a national radio network and increasing reach across digital platforms as well as launching an entertainment division offering filmed and live entertainment products. Long term plans include diversification into publishing, retail and hospitality.
In addition Sumerah sits and advises on the following committees and steering groups:-
- Department for Business Enterprise & Regulatory Reform’s Women’s Enterprise Task Force advising government on women’s enterprise issues
- Barking & Dagenham’s Enterprise Growth Initiative Board overseeing £5m investment in enterprise within the region
- Barking & Dagenham’s Creative & Media Specialised Diploma Sub Committee aiding this local government action group on the implementation of a new & specialised diploma
- Sumerah is also an Ambassador for Enterprise Insight’s national Make Your Mark campaign and is currently working towards an Executive MBA specialism in Film business at Cass Business School