Aug 31, 2023

Pratham UK announces new details for their upcoming annual Gala this October

 

We’re delighted to announce Pratham’s annual Gala will be returning in the magnificent surroundings of Raffles London at The OWO, Whitehall on Friday 6th October at 6.30pm.

Our Gala is not only a fantastic way to celebrate the growth of our programmes in the past year with like-minded people, but also a powerful way to raise funds for transforming children’s education in India.  

If you haven’t bought your table for the Gala yet, there’s still time! Please reach out to Tijana: tijana@pratham.org.uk or Deepti: deepti@pratham.org.uk to arrange a call about buying a Gala table or tickets – we’d love to see you there!

As we approach the Gala we’re excited to give a sneak peek at what we have in store on the night, including details about our host, guest speaker and fantastic auction lots! 

Host: Matt Forde 

We’re pleased to announce that comedian, writer and presenter, Matt Forde will be hosting this year’s Gala!

Starting his comedy career at just 16 years old, Matt Forde is one of the best political satirists in the UK today. Matt’s long list of career highlights include hosting a weekly show on talkSPORT, co-writing the ‘Spitting Image’ stage show, contributing to features on ITV News and running a podcast. In addition to presenting an often sold-out monthly show, ‘The Political Party’ which combines comedy with current affairs, often featuring prominent politicians. 

As an undeniably incredible performer, we look forward to enjoying Matt intertwining his brazen comedy style throughout the evening to entertain Gala guests! 

Special guest speaker: Sunaina Haldea 

We’re delighted to announce entrepreneur, Sunaina Haldea as our special guest speaker for this year’s Gala.

As Global Head of the Private Capital Advisory Group at Raymond James, Sunaina Sinha Haldea is a leading figure in the world of finance, an extremely successful entrepreneur since she founded Cebile Capital (acquired by Raymond James) and served as early investor and Chairman of the Board of companies like Mindful Chef (acquired by Nestle), Barrecore (acquired by United Fitness).

She serves on public, private and university Boards. She is an amazing example of a woman paving the way in a heavily male-dominated field. Named one of the ‘50 Most Influential People in Private Equity’ by Dow Jones last year, we are thrilled to hear Sunaina speak about her journey, including the role education has played in her life.

 

Entertainment: Soumik Datta with Preetha Narayanan & Gurdain Singh Rayatt 

We have Soumik Datta with Preetha Narayanan & Gurdain Singh Rayatt providing the entertainment at this year’s Gala! 
 
Fusing his musical performance together with his skilled technique on the Sarod and both emotional and artful composition, Soumik has been described as a “master musician” by the Philharmonia Orchestra. 
 
Soumik is not only an incredible musician but is passionate about philanthropy and harnessing the power of arts for social change. 
 
We can’t wait to see him, and his talented collaborators perform a beautiful set for the Pratham UK family in October! 

Photo credit: Souvid Datta

Live Auction  

We are back this year with some brilliant live auction lots, from luxurious vacations in Sri Lanka to signed sports memorabilia from cricket legend and Pratham UK guest, Sourav Ganguly.

Here is the list of our generous live auction supporters: 

We will also be organising a silent auction which will include lots from Minar Jewellers, RYS Hair & Beauty and Barry’s Gym.  

A full list of auction lots will be released in the upcoming weeks, so keep an eye out for some fantastic items and experiences. 

A big thank you goes to our generous donors for all the amazing lots! 

You can find out more about sponsorship opportunities at the Gala here.