Beating thousands of other nominees, online education and tech entrepreneur Atif Kamran has been named as a finalist in the Businessman of the Year category by The British Muslim Awards.

In a testament to the rising importance of the digital sector, Atif, who is Co-Founder of UK-based digital currency, LEOcoin, and Chief Marketing Officer of online education company, Learning Enterprises Organisation (LEO), has been shortlisted for the prestigious award.

Winners of British Muslim Awards in previous years have included Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, Olympian Mo Farah, and Dragon’s Den investor James Caan.

Atif, who lives in London and speaks four languages, embraces British diversity, and said: "This is one of my passions that drives me at LEO, that we can create a truly multinational and multicultural business.

"The world needs a business that connects people and unites them in entrepreneurship."

As well as online education, LEO’s other initiatives include LEOcoin, the leading UK based digital currency, and LEOcrowd, a crowd funding platform.

LEO, which has offices around the world, hundreds of thousands of members and is represented in over 140 countries across the globe.

The winners of The British Muslim Awards, which is celebrating its fifth year, will be announced on 25th January at a black tie ceremony in Leicester.

The evening will be a celebration of success as well as reflecting upon the significant role of Britain’s Muslims in society.

The awards aim to recognise a wide range of achievements, covering various aspects of society, including business, charity, sport, arts and culture and much more.