Raj Loomba, Baron Loomba
The Lord Loomba | |
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Assumed office
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 November 1943 Dhilwan, Punjab, British India |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Non-affiliated |
| Spouse | Veena Chaudhry |
| Alma mater | University of Iowa |
Rajinder Paul Loomba, Baron Loomba, CBE (born 13 November 1943, Dhilwan, Punjab, India) is a philanthropist, founder and executive chairman of clothing company Loomba Group, and a member of the House of Lords.[1]
Life and career
[edit]Loomba was born as one of seven children in Dhilwan, in the state of Punjab, India. He was educated at D.A.V. College, Jallandhar and at the University of Iowa;[2] his family moved to England in 1962. Loomba built up his fashion business from scratch, graduating from a stall at Widnes market to a shop, a wholesale business and then an import company, Rinku Group Ltd. The company has over 200 retail concession outlets in the UK, offices in London, Delhi and China, and supplies major retail groups.[3]
Loomba is a member of the Rotary Club in London, the Institute of Directors and is a 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 is the Founding Patron of the World Punjabi Organisation.[4] He is Vice President of Barnardo’s[5] and of the Safer London Foundation, a charity backed by the Metropolitan Police.[6] In 1997 he was named Asian of the Year UK by Asian Who's Who International.[2]
Loomba is married to Veena Chaudhry, with whom he has two daughters and one son.
Charity work
[edit]Loomba has become well known for his fundraising and campaigning concerning the issue of widowhood in the developing world. His mother, Shrimati Pushpa Wati Loomba, was widowed at the age of 37 in India,[7] and Loomba experienced first-hand the social and economic discrimination that widows in that country faced.
It was in his mother’s memory that Loomba set up his charity, The Loomba Foundation, which works to raise awareness of the issue of widowhood and which raises funds to educate the children of poor widows in India and empower widows in other developing countries in south Asia and across Africa. The flagship of the charity’s awareness campaign is International Widows Day, which takes place annually on 23 June, the anniversary of his mother’s widowhood. Following a sustained campaign, on 21 December 2010 the United Nations General Assembly formally recognised, by unanimous acclaim, 23 June as International Widows Day.[8]
In recognition of his contribution to charity, in the 2008 Birthday Honours Loomba was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE);[9] he received his award from Prince Charles at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace.[10]
House of Lords
[edit]On 12 January 2011 Loomba was ennobled as a life peer with the name, style and title of Baron Loomba, of Moor Park in the county of Hertfordshire.[11] He took up his seat in the House of Lords on 13 January 2011, representing the Liberal Democrats.[12] He was introduced to the House on 17 January 2011, supported by the Lords McNally and Dholakia.[13] On 21 January 2011 he gave his maiden speech in the House during a debate on the Rehabilitation of Offenders (Amendment) Bill.[14]
In December 2016, Lord Loomba left the Liberal Democrats and now sits as a non-affiliated Peer. Explaining his decision he said: "I now wish to concentrate on issues such as human rights, gender equality, education and above all the United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Goals".[15]
Arms
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References
[edit]- ^ "The Lord Loomba, CBE Authorised Biography – Debrett's People of Today, the Lord Loomba, CBE Profile". Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
- ^ a b "Asian Who's Who". Archived from the original on 30 October 2005. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Strategic Advisors - Global Partnerships Forum". Archived from the original on 17 August 2011.
- ^ "Lord Loomba | Peers Detail". Archived from the original on 19 April 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
- ^ "Lord Loomba". Archived from the original on 1 October 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
- ^ "The Loomba Foundation | Empowering Widows Worldwide | Children's Education". www.theloombafoundation.org. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
- ^ "United Nations Official Document". www.un.org. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
- ^ "No. 58729". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 June 2008. p. 25.
- ^ http://www.india-server.com/news/nri-entrepreneur-raj-loomba-receives-cbe-5111.html[permanent dead link]
- ^ "No. 59672". The London Gazette. 17 January 2011. p. 615.
- ^ "Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes takes Lords seat". BBC News. 13 January 2011.
- ^ "Introduction: Lord Loomba: 17 Jan 2011: House of Lords debates". TheyWorkForYou. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
- ^ "Lord Raj Loomba's maiden speech". Liberal Democrat Voice. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
- ^ "British Indian Lord Raj Loomba exits Lib Dem fold". IndiaGB News. 14 December 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ Debrett's Peerage. 2015. p. 771.
External links
[edit]- Lord Loomba - website of the Liberal Democrats
- The Loomba Foundation
- International Widows Day
- Rinku Group Ltd
- 1943 births
- Living people
- University of Iowa alumni
- Liberal Democrats (UK) life peers
- Indian emigrants to England
- People from Kapurthala
- Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
- Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom
- Recipients of Pravasi Bharatiya Samman
- Life peers created by Elizabeth II
- British people of Indian descent
- British people of Punjabi descent