Dolar Popat
Encyclopedia
Dolar Popat, Baron Popat (born Uganda, 14 June 1953) is a British Asian
businessman and politician. In July 2010 he became a Member of the House of Lords as a life peer
and is the first Gujarati to represent the Conservative party
in the House of Lords
. He emigrated to Britain in 1971 during the expulsion of Asians from Uganda. He is President of Harrow East Conservative Association and is a member of or adviser to various Asian groups within the Conservative party.
and brought up in Tororo
, Uganda
. He is one of eight siblings.
Lord Popat has his ancestral roots in the Gujarat state of India
, where his father, Shree Amarshibhai Haridas Popat, and mother, Parvatiben Amarshibhai Popat, were born. Lord Popat’s father left India for Uganda in 1938. After reaching there, he first secured a job and following several years of working alone, he was joined by his wife (Lord Popat’s mother) in 1942.
He arrived in the UK in 1971 at the age of 17, a year before the expulsion of many Indians from Uganda
, with only £10 in his pocket. Lord Popat sponsored himself through night school at Kilburn Polytechnic by taking on jobs including working as a dishwasher, waiter, and grill chef at Wimpey on Kilburn High Street. He qualified as a Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants
(CIMA) in 1977.
After practising as an accountant in the 1970s, Lord Popat specialised in business and corporate finance
. He remains an Affiliate Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants
.
Lord Popat diversified into the healthcare sector in the late 1980s and the hospitality
sector in the late 1990s, and secured a master franchise with Holiday Inn
and Express by Holiday Inn in the UK.
Lord Popat has been actively involved with the Conservative Party since the 1980s, serving two Conservative Party prime ministers – Margaret Thatcher
and John Major
. During that time he has acted as an advisor to help the party’s engagement with minority communities and groups, and to drive commitment to communities in marginal seats and throughout the party.
Lord Popat has advocated that the Conservative Party is a place where enterprise, hard work and social responsibility are respected and encouraged, and that these are values that the British Indian community naturally share. He has worked to bridge the gap between the Conservative Party and the British Indian community and believes that the party and the community will mutually benefit from a deeper and sustained engagement and understanding.
Lord Popat’s party appointments have included:
• Secretary to the Anglo Asian Conservative Association
• Chairman of the One Nation Forum
• Vice Chairman – subsequently Chairman – of the Strangers Gallery
(a Parliamentary Private Club for the business community)
• Speaker on behalf of the Conservative Party on the “Next Step” Diversity and Leadership in Britain in the 21st Century
• Advisor to the British Asian Conservative Link (BACL)
• Member of the Conservative Ethnic Diversity Council
• Chairman of the Stanmore Park Ward
• President of Harrow East Conservative Association
In 2009 Lord Popat was honoured with an award at the Asian Political and Public Life Awards at the House of Commons by the Conservative Party’s then Chairman, Eric Pickles
MP, for promoting the Conservative Party in the community.
On 12 July 2010 Lord Popat was ennobled on the recommendation of David Cameron
, Leader of the Conservative Party, for his services to small and medium sized businesses and to the wider community. He took the title of Lord Popat of Harrow as it was there that his parents lived when they moved to Britain. On 31 March 2011 he made his maiden speech in the Lords, during a debate on economic growth.
who follows the teachings of the Spiritual Leader Morari Bapu
.
Lord Popat founded and funds a registered charity, the Dolar Popat Foundation, which makes contributions to medical and educational institutions. In addition, he has made contributions worth over £400,000 to charities and voluntary organisations over the last five years. He is as the Strategic Planning Advisor to the Hindu Forum of Great Britain.
, the Middle-East and East Africa
, and is well acquainted with community and business leaders in the US, Canada
, South Africa
and Europe
.
He speaks four languages including Gujarati
, Hindi
, and Swahili.
British Asian
British Asian is a term used to describe British citizens who descended from mainly South Asia, also known as South Asians in the United Kingdom...
businessman and politician. In July 2010 he became a Member of the House of Lords as a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
and is the first Gujarati to represent the Conservative party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
. He emigrated to Britain in 1971 during the expulsion of Asians from Uganda. He is President of Harrow East Conservative Association and is a member of or adviser to various Asian groups within the Conservative party.
Early life
Lord Popat was born on 14 June 1953, in BusolweBusolwe
Busolwe is a town in Eastern Uganda. It is one of the two municipalities in Butaleja District, the other municipality being Butaleja, the location of the district headquarters.-Location:...
and brought up in Tororo
Tororo
Tororo is a town in Eastern Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative and commercial center of Tororo District. The district was named after the town.-Location:...
, Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
. He is one of eight siblings.
Lord Popat has his ancestral roots in the Gujarat state of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, where his father, Shree Amarshibhai Haridas Popat, and mother, Parvatiben Amarshibhai Popat, were born. Lord Popat’s father left India for Uganda in 1938. After reaching there, he first secured a job and following several years of working alone, he was joined by his wife (Lord Popat’s mother) in 1942.
He arrived in the UK in 1971 at the age of 17, a year before the expulsion of many Indians from Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
, with only £10 in his pocket. Lord Popat sponsored himself through night school at Kilburn Polytechnic by taking on jobs including working as a dishwasher, waiter, and grill chef at Wimpey on Kilburn High Street. He qualified as a Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants
Chartered Institute of Management Accountants
The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants is a United Kingdom-based professional body offering training and qualification in management accountancy and related subjects, focused on accounting for business; together with ongoing support for members.CIMA is one of a number of professional...
(CIMA) in 1977.
Family
Lord Popat married Lady Sandhya Popat on 19 July 1980, who is the daughter of Hansaben & Jamnadasbhai Lukka. Lord and Lady Popat have three sons: Rupeen, Paavan and Shivaan.Career
After completing his studies, Lord Popat held a number of positions, including trainee accountant at Abagjan Ltd, UDT Finance (Barclays), Rockware Glass, and personal accountant to Peter Parker.After practising as an accountant in the 1970s, Lord Popat specialised in business and corporate finance
Corporate finance
Corporate finance is the area of finance dealing with monetary decisions that business enterprises make and the tools and analysis used to make these decisions. The primary goal of corporate finance is to maximize shareholder value while managing the firm's financial risks...
. He remains an Affiliate Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants
Chartered Institute of Management Accountants
The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants is a United Kingdom-based professional body offering training and qualification in management accountancy and related subjects, focused on accounting for business; together with ongoing support for members.CIMA is one of a number of professional...
.
Lord Popat diversified into the healthcare sector in the late 1980s and the hospitality
Hospitality
Hospitality is the relationship between guest and host, or the act or practice of being hospitable. Specifically, this includes the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers, resorts, membership clubs, conventions, attractions, special events, and other services for travelers...
sector in the late 1990s, and secured a master franchise with Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn is a brand of hotels, formally a economy motel chain, forming part of the British InterContinental Hotels Group . It is one of the world's largest hotel chains with 238,440 bedrooms and 1,301 hotels globally. There are currently 5 hotels in the pipeline...
and Express by Holiday Inn in the UK.
Politics
Lord Popat is an advocate of community cohesion and the importance of reconciling and uniting different cultures under the UK’s central democratic process.Lord Popat has been actively involved with the Conservative Party since the 1980s, serving two Conservative Party prime ministers – Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
and John Major
John Major
Sir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
. During that time he has acted as an advisor to help the party’s engagement with minority communities and groups, and to drive commitment to communities in marginal seats and throughout the party.
Lord Popat has advocated that the Conservative Party is a place where enterprise, hard work and social responsibility are respected and encouraged, and that these are values that the British Indian community naturally share. He has worked to bridge the gap between the Conservative Party and the British Indian community and believes that the party and the community will mutually benefit from a deeper and sustained engagement and understanding.
Lord Popat’s party appointments have included:
• Secretary to the Anglo Asian Conservative Association
• Chairman of the One Nation Forum
• Vice Chairman – subsequently Chairman – of the Strangers Gallery
Strangers Gallery
The Strangers' Gallery is set aside for members of the public at the British House of Commons, and is intended for both invited and uninvited members of the public to watch the proceedings of the House. A similar gallery exists in the House of Lords. Members of the public may obtain tickets from...
(a Parliamentary Private Club for the business community)
• Speaker on behalf of the Conservative Party on the “Next Step” Diversity and Leadership in Britain in the 21st Century
• Advisor to the British Asian Conservative Link (BACL)
• Member of the Conservative Ethnic Diversity Council
• Chairman of the Stanmore Park Ward
• President of Harrow East Conservative Association
In 2009 Lord Popat was honoured with an award at the Asian Political and Public Life Awards at the House of Commons by the Conservative Party’s then Chairman, Eric Pickles
Eric Pickles
Eric Jack Pickles is a British Conservative Party politician. Pickles was appointed Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government of the coalition government headed by Prime Minister David Cameron on 12 May 2010....
MP, for promoting the Conservative Party in the community.
On 12 July 2010 Lord Popat was ennobled on the recommendation of David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
, Leader of the Conservative Party, for his services to small and medium sized businesses and to the wider community. He took the title of Lord Popat of Harrow as it was there that his parents lived when they moved to Britain. On 31 March 2011 he made his maiden speech in the Lords, during a debate on economic growth.
Religion
Lord Popat is a HinduHindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
who follows the teachings of the Spiritual Leader Morari Bapu
Morari Bapu
Morari Bapu , who has been giving 9 day-long sermons in both Gujarati and Hindi all over the world—including in India, the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean Sea, and on an airplane travelling the world—since the...
.
Charity
Lord Popat has also been involved with a number of Hindu community organisations. He is a founding Director of St Luke’s Hospice, Harrow and has been an advisor to the Nightingale House Trust (a charitable organisation that provides care to the Jewish community).Lord Popat founded and funds a registered charity, the Dolar Popat Foundation, which makes contributions to medical and educational institutions. In addition, he has made contributions worth over £400,000 to charities and voluntary organisations over the last five years. He is as the Strategic Planning Advisor to the Hindu Forum of Great Britain.
Other interests
Lord Popat regularly visits IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, the Middle-East and East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
, and is well acquainted with community and business leaders in the US, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
He speaks four languages including Gujarati
Gujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
, Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
, and Swahili.