Raj Loomba, Baron Loomba
Rajinder Paul " Raj " Loomba, Baron Loomba, CBE ( born November 13, 1943 in Dhilwan, Punjab, India) is the founder and CEO of Rinku Group and Liberal Democrat Member of the House of Lords.
Life and career
Lord Loomba was offered as one of seven children in Dhilwan in the state of Punjab in India. He went to the DAV College, Jallandhar and studied at the University of Iowa. In 1962 his family moved to England. Loomba built his fashion empire from the ground up. He began with a booth at the market in Widnes, then had a shop, a wholesale and finally an import company that Rinku Group Ltd. The company has over 200 stores in the UK, offices in London, New Delhi and China and is a supplier of several major retail chains.
He is married to Veena Chaudhry, with whom he has two daughters and a son.
Charitable work
Loomba made a name for himself with his fundraising and campaigning on the topic of widowhood in the Third World. His mother, Shrimati Pushpa Wati Loomba was, at the age of 37 years Widow and Loomba experienced firsthand the social and economic discrimination against widows in India.
Loomba is a member of the Rotary Club in London, the Institute of Directors and Freeman of the City of London. He is chairman of the Friends of the Three Faiths Forum, is patron of Children In Need India and founding member of the World Punjabi Organisation. He is vice president of Barnardo's and the charity of the Metropolitan Police, the Safer London Foundation. In 1997 awarded the title Asian of the Year was awarded UK.
In memory of his mother, he founded the charity The Loomba Foundation, which aims to draw attention to the widowhood and to improve the education of their children in India and other countries of the Third World. Figurehead of the organization is the International Witwentag on June 23, the anniversary of his mother's widowhood. He was recognized by the United Nations General Assembly.
In recognition of his charitable work him the Order of the British Empire ( CBE) was awarded by Prince Charles at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace.
House of Lords
In January 2011, Loomba was raised as Baron Loomba for Life Peer. Since 13 January 2011, he sits for the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords. On 17 January 2011, he was introduced in the House of Lords, assisted by McNally and Dholakia. On 21 January 2011, he made his first speech. His peerage caused controversy when it became known that one of the three members of the Nomination Committee had been paid by the Loomba Trust six air travel.