Comedian and presenter Shaparak Khorsandi will host the Isle of Wight Chamber Business Awards this May and a shortlist of nominees will be announced at the end of this month.
"I’m really excited to be your host for the night," said star, Shappi.
"I love the Isle of Wight - it’s one of my favourite places in the world and I love spending time here."
She added "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."
The Island's awards event, sponsored by WightFibre, will take place at Cowes Yacht Haven on Friday, May 12.
Its host will be the comedian, author and speaker who has appeared on a host of tv 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; and Pointless Celebrities.
Meanwhile, entries have now closed and the members of a global independent judging panel are assessing the submissions.
"We’re incredibly excited about this year’s event," said Isle of Wight 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."
- Tickets will go on-sale for the event at the end of this month (March).
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