Inspiring Stories of Indian Origin Business Women in the UK

By: Rachita Sharma, special Editor | Monday, 9 May 2022

The ties between India and the United Kingdom go way back in time. The tale of Indians coming over to UK did not however begin on a very positive note. Going back to the 19th century, Indian indentured labor was taken over to the British colonies in different parts of the world. The East India Company also recruited East Indian men as lascars on voyages in India. These individuals often moved and settled down in Britain. Indian men were also brought along in the 19th century as workers and scholars.

But that was then. The tide has certainly changed in favor of Indians. In present day UK, the Indian diaspora is one of the largest and most prominent minority community. The 2011 consensus reported 1.5 million people of Indian origin as being part of UK bringing their share in the UK population to 1.8 percent.

While Indians might be a minority in the UK, yet they are one of the most prosperous minorities across the globe. The impact that Indian culture has had on UK as a whole cannot be discounted. After all, UK's national dish happens to be `Chicken Tikka Masala'.

But contribution of Indians go much beyond adding spice to the British culinary world. The Indian diaspora is also an active contributor towards the UK economy and business landscape. A Grant Thornton report named India in the UK: The Diaspora Effect' concluded that Indian diaspora-owned companiesemployed 1,74,000 people and generated a combined revenue of 36.84 billion pounds.

Indian owned businesses also paid over 1 billion pounds in Corporation Tax.Of the companies studied, London was home to 52 percent of the Indian owned companies. The report also found that some of the key verticals where Indian business leaders and entrepreneurs have created wonders are hospitality, healthcare & pharmaceuticals, retail & wholesale, real estate & construction and food & beverage.

While the numbers do tell a positive story in the macro perspective, yet it is important to peek into each of these success stories. Every entrepreneur and business leader has a different story to tell. But the only thread connecting each of these stories is persistence, grit and passion.

It also should also come as no surprise that British Indian women have played a key role in the success of the community as a whole. The present issue of Women Entrepreneur Magazine brings a few such prolific women to the fore. We also narrate their success stories from their perspective to give our readers an insider's perspective on the great Indian success story in the UK.