“I’m really excited to be your host for the night,” says comedian and presenter Shappi Khorsandi
The Island’s most prestigious event is set to get even bigger this year, with the announcement that comedian and TV star Shappi Khorsandi is to host the IW Chamber Business Awards, sponsored by WightFibre.
“I love the Isle of Wight – it’s one of my favourite places in the world and I love spending time here,” Shappi says. “I’m really excited to be your host for the night and I’m looking forward to celebrating with all of the winners and nominees on this prestigious evening. We’ll have some laughs and we’ll give out some lovely looking trophies. See you there!”
Shappi Khorsandi is a comedian, author and speaker whose career has taken her to all corners of the globe. She has appeared on countless TV & radio shows, including: Live at the Apollo, Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, I’m a Celebrity: Get Me Out of Here, Mock The Week, 8 Out Of 10 Cats, MasterChef, Have I Got News For You, QI, Pointless Celebrities, Question Time and Just a Minute, as well as her own show, Shaparak Talk.
Shappi will be hosting the Chamber’s flagship event at Cowes Yacht Haven on Friday May 12th. Entries have closed for this year’s Business Awards, which is supported once again by WightFibre. The independent judging panel are currently working hard to assess this year’s bumper crop of submissions. A shortlist will be announced at the end of March.
“We’re incredibly excited about this year’s event,” says IW Chamber Chief Executive Steven Holbrook. “I’m delighted to be able to welcome a star of Shappi’s calibre as our host. Every year we work really hard to re-imagine the event and raise the bar. This year will be our biggest yet.
“I’m also genuinely thrilled to see which Island businesses are nominated. This year we’ve once again seen a huge show of strength from the Island’s business community. Our panel of impartial judges are making their way through a bumper crop of submissions received, and I’m sure we are set for a very strong shortlist, which will be published soon.
“I don’t like to concentrate too much on the competitive nature of this event. We will have some incredible winners on the night, but I’m sure we will also have a spirit of shared success. The IW Chamber Business Awards are all about recognising the brilliant businesses who make their home on the Island.
“I can’t thank our headline sponsor enough for their support, as ever. WightFibre have been consistently encouraging and have helped us to aim high. We wouldn’t be able to stage our awards at such a high level without their backing.”
The shortlist for the IW Chamber Business Awards 2023 will be published at the end of March, when tickets will go on-sale for the event.
