THE ASIAN INDEPENDENT UK-
Manish Tiwari, founder of the largest independent multicultural marketing agency, Here & Now 365, was honoured with the Outstanding Contribution to British Asian Media award at the recently held British Asian Media Awards 2025.
The award was presented to him by H.E. Jovilisi Suveinakama, the High Commissioner of Fiji, and Jo Sherlock, Group Rights and Commercial Director at the BBC, who also served as one of the judges for the event.
Upon receiving the award, Manish reflected on the ‘globalisation’ of Indians from the subcontinent during the 18th and early 19th centuries, when they were sent to Commonwealth nations to work under the British Empire. This migration led to the creation of a global diaspora, some of which later settled in the UK coupled with waves of migration from the Indian subcontinent when Britain needed work force both skilled as well as nation building work force post-World War II, laying the foundation for British Asian media. He expressed his gratitude to present-day Britain, noting that when he arrived 25 years ago, he never had to alter any aspect of his identity – neither his name nor his accent – and was able to not only build a successful media agency but also establish an entire industry. This legacy was celebrated on the night in a significant way.
In addition, Here & Now 365 won ‘Agency of the Year’ for its exceptional work with brands such as Dabur Vatika’s Gender Pay Gap campaign for ethnic minority women, Remitly, NHS, Watchdog Locksmiths, Vitabiotics, and Tilda, among others.
The agency now in its 20th year in U.K. also took home the ‘Creative Excellence in Media’ award for its outstanding creative work across media platforms like ZEE and Sony, as well as OOH and radio campaigns with Sunrise and Lyca Radio. Notably, Here & Now 365 produced a TV advert featuring Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui for Watchdog Locksmiths, and a radio campaign with global icon Hans Raj Hans, which led to the product selling out.
Tiwari expressed his gratitude to the judges from Arqiva and the BBC for the recognition and discussed how his agency focus is not just on trendy ‘DEI’ (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives, but on fostering deeper connections that help clients leverage media more effectively for ‘real results.’ At the same time, he stressed the importance of creating a world that is culturally vibrant and accepting of all.
