Britain is home to a large Punjabi community that arrived in the UK from different parts of the world especially northern and central parts of Punjab in India and Pakistan. The word 'Punjab' is derived from the five rivers that flow through the land - Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej, and Beas, all of which are tributaries of the Indus river.
According to the 2011 Census their total population in the UK is estimated to exceed 700,000 with Indian origin Punjabis estimated at 466,563 constituting 45% of the British Indian community. A majority of the community is Sikh but there are Hindu Punjabis too. Their culture is one of the oldest in the world and is rich and sophisticated. Music and dance are very much a part of the Punjabi culture with the high-energy 'Bhangra' dance being universally popular. Punjabi cuisine is heavily influenced by agriculture and farming and the tandoori style of cooking has won world-wide acclaim.
Notable entrepreneurs and their contribution to the UK
Many of UK's successful entrepreneurs are from the British Punjabi community. From The Times Rich List to our own Asian Giants magazine, there are many key people who are worthy of mentioning.
Created in 1999 the Arora Group was pioneered by Surinder Arora and his wife Sunita. The group consists of hotels, property and construction. The hotel business situated across all the major UK airports and the O2 arena includes 4,000 bedrooms and employs 2,500 staff.
Jasminder Singh OBE, considered a giant in the UK's hospitality sector, founded the privately-owned hotel group Edwardian Hotels London in 1979. The group owns and operates upscale, luxurious, distinctive hotels and restaurants across multiple cities in the UK. It is now one of the largest privately-owned hotel group in the UK. He was awarded an OBE in 2007 for his services to the hotel industry. His new £300 million development The Londoner in Leicester Square is a five-star, 15 level hotel set to transform London’s hospitality scene complementing the capital and the West End neighbourhood. It will include leisure facilities, two ODEON Luxe cinemas, spa, and state-of-the-art conference facilities.
Born in Gujranwal, now in Pakistan, Dr Rami Ranger CBE migrated to Patiala in Indian Punjab during India's turbulent partition. Starting with modest means he is now the Chairman of Sun Mark Ltd and Sea Air & Land Forwarding Ltd both of which are recipients of the Queen's Award for Export Achievement and the Queen's Award for Enterprise.
Another successful Punjabi is Atul Pathak OBE. He started his first McDonald’s franchise in 2003 in Southall. Today, his company Appt Corporation has 31 McDonald’s restaurants located across London and Berkshire, employs 3000 staff and serves 24 million customers annually.
Chairman of the Mastcraft Group of companies, Joginder Sangar is a highly successful hotelier. His hotel portfolio of 11 properties includes the Washington Mayfair Hotel, The Bentley Hotel, and the Courthouse Hotel London. He is Chairman of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Britain’s largest Asian cultural organisation.
From steel to rice, Moni Verma's passion for innovation and commitment to his customers has seen Veetee Rice soar to the top of the league.
Avnish Goel and his brother Ram along with oldest brother Vidya is actively involved in the strategic direction of award-winning Hallmark Care Home which has a portfolio of seventeen high quality care homes.
Tony Matharu is Chairman of the Asian Business Association, Chairman of GHS Global Hospitality, Managing Director Grange Hotels and a board member of a number of other charitable, sports and arts related organisations.
The Next Generation
Message for young entrepreneurs
Speaking to the British Punjabi magazine in November 2017, Jasminder Singh said, “As Britain prepares for a time of change, I think it is vital to remember and draw upon the values of Sikhism. We should continue to work hard and treat everyone equally, without distinction of faith, religion or background. Our younger generation has admirable role models, whose drive and commitment to their principles have helped to shape our community and make it what it is today. Their parents have a role to play in instilling this confidence and educating their children on the importance of remaining true to our values. This should give them the blueprint to hopefully become the best in their chosen field and maximise their own potential.
“Our young people should have the confidence that they can make a positive impact on British society and the world. They should recognise, and harness, this accumulation of knowledge and expertise from the generations which have gone before them. They should want to preserve this and feel proud of such a varied and impactful heritage. This is an exciting time. Industries are growing, driven by technological progress; future jobs and businesses cannot even be imagined today, and it is up to us to keep a pace of this evolution and continue to spot the great number of opportunities it will bring.”
Echoing the words of Jasminder Singh several young British Punjabi entrepreneurs have taken up the baton of leadership from their parents and taken their businesses to the next level.
Harnoop Singh Atkar, Chief Executive of Oakland Care in Newbury Park, is changing the face of his care home and hospitality businesses in the UK and aims to make his care homes the care homes of choice for the elderly in the South East of the UK. In July 2016, at the age of 29, Harnoop successfully led a fundraise that provided his business with £60 million of total investment. He has plans to build luxury apartments for those over the age of 55, which will be co-located near his care homes. The Willows, their award-winning banqueting hall has seen significant success since opening in Summer 2014. In his message to the Spring edition of the Asian Giants magazine Harnoop said,“My aim is to establish a legacy by taking the business, which was developed by my father, and progress it as far as I can before handing it over to the next generation so it can continue to flourish for many more years."
Naman Pathak, is a passionate and experienced real estate developer based in London. Son of restaurateur Atul Pathak, has a background in finance. But 29-year-old Naman has completed several projects amounting to over 60 residential houses and apartments and currently delivering circa £40 million of developments across London.
Harmeet (Sunny) Ahuja is another such example. He is the CEO of Sunmark Group of companies, married to founder Rami Ranger's daughter Reena.
