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The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
The Asian rich list is a powerful rebuke to anti-immigrant rhetoric
When he was young, Surinder Arora took evening jobs to make ends meet. One of those stints was as a waiter at the Renaissance Hotel at Heathrow. Today, he owns the hotel and a host of others at airports and elsewhere. One of his current projects is the redevelopment of Luton Hoo as a luxury golf and health spa. Another, with the support of airlines and advice from Bechtel, the giant US construction and engineering company, is to build the third runway at Heathrow. Remarkable as it is, Arora's story typifies the members of this year's Asian Rich List. He is ranked 14th, with a fortune estimated at £1.4bn. While they are all different, what characterises many is a strong work ethic, coupled with relentless drive and determination to succeed. Published by Eastern Eye, the survey provides a fascinating insight into an increasingly powerful and significant cohort of UK society, responsible for generating billions of pounds in investment, donating heavily to charities and creating tens of thousands of jobs. The combined wealth of the 101 richest British Asians in the country is put at £126.26bn, an increase of £6.22bn from a year ago. The number of billionaires has risen from 16 to 17, while there are several hovering outside this top level. Arora is representative for another reason. Now 66, he is gradually handing over the reins of the family empire to his son, Sanjay. Says Eastern Eye: 'If there is a trend, it is that in many families, the second or, in some cases, the third generation, are either taking over or have already done so.' The first generation was schooled in what Gopi Hinduja, who heads the number one Hinduja dynasty with £34.5bn, likes to call UOL – the university of life. Their children and grandchildren have been educated at the best schools and universities in Britain and America. Having inherited the same ambition and hunger, they are putting that education to good use in expanding the family business. The old North of England adage of 'clogs to clogs in three generations' does not apply to them. Keeping it in the family and protecting the line, while broadening and diversifying the firm, is a central tenet. Like many others, the Hindujas have also focused on the future, investing in tech solutions to provide sustainable transport and manufacturing and clean energy supply. One foot forward, another strongly rooted is their mantra. Gopi, for instance, is inordinately proud of his grandson, aged five, who 'begins every morning with his prayers to the world'. Another theme, again exemplified by Arora and the Hindujas, is hotels. After eight years and at a cost of £1.2bn, the latter have transformed the former Old War Office Building in Whitehall into the 120-room, top-of-the-London market, Raffles Hotel, complete with nine restaurants. The site also encompasses 85 serviced apartments. The Hinduja Group, which covers a myriad of concerns, among them oil, motor manufacturing, tech and finance, is looking for other similar property and hospitality opportunities. Coming up fast in the chart is Sharan Pasricha. Currently 42nd and worth £450m, he saw that figure climb £50m in the past 12 months – this, while the rest of the UK was suffering from sluggish or next-to-zero growth. Pasricha is establishing himself as a force in global hospitality, via his Ennismore commercial vehicle. After completing his MBA at London Business School, he set out to disrupt the traditional international hotel industry. He bought The Hoxton, an underperforming hotel in London, in 2012, and is rolling out the Hoxton brand across the UK and overseas. Meanwhile, he purchased Gleneagles, the prestigious Scottish hotel and golfing complex and has completely refurbished the grand hotel and its sporting and leisure facilities. On he goes, partnering Accor, one of the world's biggest hospitality companies, and launching the sumptuous private members club, Maison Estelle, in Mayfair, followed soon after by Estelle Manor, the country house hotel in Oxfordshire, chosen by Apple heiress Eve Jobs for her recent wedding. One irony is that the stately homes of former aristocrats who prospered on the might of the British Empire, which of course owned vast swathes of Asia, are being sold to people who can trace their heritage to those former colonies. That historic connection is maintained by Nirmal Sethia, fourth richest at £6.7bn. The entrepreneur has interests in sugar refining, security printing, gold mining and investment banking. However, he is best known for his devotion to tea, once an imperial preserve of British planters, and for founding Newby Teas, which he hails as 'the world's finest tea company'. Ominously for the Labour government, Sethia, who has a house in London, mostly divides his time these days between Dubai and Kolkata. He is thought to be one of the non-doms unimpressed by Rachel Reeves's first Budget and her proposed removal of the preferential tax status for wealthy foreigners. While Sethia's UK tax payments may be relatively small, there is no doubting his monetary contribution by other means. Through his N Sethia Foundation, he has given close to £1bn to a variety of good causes, many of them in the UK. He was one of the first to offer financial assistance to victims of the Grenfell fire and he is a major backer of the newly revamped Museum of London. Philanthropy is a common thread. Cyrus and Priya Vandrevala are ninth, with £2.5bn, but it is their success in impact investing and mental health from the Vandrevala Foundation that sets this well-connected duo apart. They are also passionate about the environment and are patrons of Elephant Family, the charity dedicated to saving Asian elephants from extinction. Their involvement arose through their friendship with the late Mark Shand, brother of Queen Camilla. One power couple that needs little introduction is Akshata Murty and her husband, Rishi Sunak. The former prime minister and his wife experienced a whopping £200m increase in their paper fortune, put at £920m, most from her stake in her father's flourishing Infosys tech operation. Still only 45, no former PM has ever been as wealthy as Sunak. Despite this and hardening ties with Goldman Sachs, his first employer after he graduated from Oxford, he remains a backbench MP and insists he is not going anywhere. 'I am happy to confirm that I will now be spending more time in the greatest place on earth, where the scenery is worthy of a movie set and everyone is a character,' he said of his North Yorkshire constituency, while leading the Opposition response to that Labour Budget. Against the present backdrop of protests against immigration, the Asian Rich List illustrates that the UK has so much to be thankful for. It is hard to imagine where the economy, wider society, would be without the loyalty, tenacity and public spirit of those on the list and the ones ascending fast. We urgently need more like them, not less.
The Independent
08-07-2025
- The Independent
Man charged with sexually assaulting four women during treatments at luxury spa
A man has been charged with sexually assaulting four women during treatments at a luxury health spa. Ibrahim Ali, 36, of Percy Place in Datchet, Berkshire, was charged on Saturday in relation to four incidents at the Nirvana Spa in Wokingham, Thames Valley Police said. Four women reported being touched inappropriately during treatments at the spa. The suspect was subsequently charged with four counts of sexual assault by touching following a police investigation. Nirvana Spa has an annual membership of more than £2,200 and describes itself as 'the UK's leading pure water retreat' on its website. In a statement, the spa said: 'We are aware of the outcome of a police investigation involving a massage therapist who previously worked at Nirvana Spa. First and foremost, we want to express our heartfelt empathy to anyone affected by this matter. 'Matters of this nature are taken extremely seriously by Nirvana Spa and as such there was an immediate internal investigation. 'We can confirm that the individual in question is no longer employed by Nirvana Spa, and we have fully cooperated with the police throughout their investigation. 'We cannot comment further on an ongoing court case but the safety, trust and well-being of our customers have always been, and will always remain, our highest priority.' Ali will appear at Reading Magistrates' Court on August 6.
Telegraph
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Luxury health spa worker ‘sexually assaulted guests during treatments'
A luxury health spa worker was charged on Saturday with sexually assaulting four women during treatments. Ibrahim Ali, 36, of Datchet, Berkshire, is accused of four counts of sexual assault by touching at the Nirvana Spa in Wokingham, Thames Valley Police said. Nirvana Spa has an annual membership of more than £2,200 and describes itself as 'the UK's leading pure water retreat' on its website. It has hosted famous guests including actors Dames Helen Mirren, Judi Dench, Daniel Craig and Brad Pitt. Diana, Princess of Wales also visited and it was reportedly a favourite of pop stars Kylie Minogue and Robbie Williams in the 2000s. The spa's roster of celebrity guests has been cited by reviewers as part of its attraction. According to The Guardian, its website at one point quoted a review saying: 'If it's good enough for Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue, it's good enough for me.'
The Independent
07-07-2025
- The Independent
Man charged with sexually assaulting four women during luxury spa treatments
A man has been charged with sexually assaulting four women during treatments at a luxury health spa. Ibrahim Ali, 36, of Percy Place in Datchet, Berkshire, was charged on Saturday in relation to four incidents at the Nirvana Spa in Wokingham, Thames Valley Police said. Four women reported being touched inappropriately during treatments at the spa. The suspect was subsequently charged with four counts of sexual assault by touching following a police investigation. Nirvana Spa has an annual membership of more than £2,200 and describes itself as 'the UK's leading pure water retreat' on its website. The spa has been contacted for comment. Ali will appear at Reading Magistrates' Court on August 6.
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Hollyoaks star Davinia Taylor 'wins planning battle to give her £1.7million rural mansion a luxury makeover after bio hazard discovery'
Hollyoaks star Davinia Taylor has reportedly won a planning battle to give her £1.7million a makeover. The actress, 47, bought the rural retreat with her husband Matthew Leyden four years ago. And now she has got the go ahead to transform the mansion into a gym and health spa amid her move to a bio-hacking lifestyle. Davinia is set to convert a derelict barn at the sprawling property into a mini wellness treat featuring a gym, sauna and two spa treatment rooms. The barn, which used to be stables, will also be kitted out with a lobby for checking in guests, staff areas and even an en-suite bedroom for one employee who will help run it. But there could be a problem to contend with, after a bat survey held before the development kicked off found that a protected species of bat, pipistrelle bats, had flown into the barn. The Wildlife and Countryside Act says it is an offence to intentionally or recklessly harm or disturb pipistrelle bats, so Davinia will have to install bat boxes on the barn and nearby trees if she wants to go ahead with the development. According to The Sun, an ecologist report read: 'Due to the transient nature of bats, their presence can never be entirely ruled out and a precautionary method of working should be adopted. 'Therefore if bats are found during any stage of the development, work should stop immediately and a suitably qualified ecologist should be contacted to seek further advice.' It comes days after Davinia revealed that if she had 'one more drink, she could have died' as she opened up about her former party life. The former actress, who ditched the party scene to live a healthy life style, has confessed that she kept drinking through her 20s until she hit rock bottom. Davinia was famed for her position in the notorious Primrose Hill party set, where she joined her then-husband Dave Gardner in partying through the Nineties with pals including Kate Moss, Sadie Frost and Jude Law. And now, Davinia, who has been sober for 17 years after battling alcohol addiction, has become a fitness guru and credits 'biohacking' for her 'biological age of 20'. Chatting to the Sun, Davinia explained that she 'flatlined' and was drinking to survive rather than for enjoyment. She told the publication: 'I was constantly hungover, riddled with anxiety, and alcohol didn't work for me any more. 'Not even a glass of red wine would lift me. 'I was shown these awful videos of myself drunk, and numerous times I was told by doctors, 'one more drink will kill you'. Biohacking involves making small, strategic scientific-backed changes to habits and behaviors to improve things like cognitive function and weight management. Davina ditched her party girl ways in favour of a cleaner existence, after a 12-week rehab stint in South Africa where she was eventually able to kick her habits. The former actress described her battle with alcoholism as a an 'eternal hell', because she knew she shouldn't be drinking but was in a heavy period of withdrawal Once she got clean, Davinia said she became addicted to other areas of life, such as eating when she gained 'stones', before eventually finding a happier balance. She shares son Grey, 17, with Dave, and Luxx, 13, whose father has never been revealed, and Asa, six, and Jude, seven, with her partner Matthew Leyden. Davinia recently told The Sun how she wishes her mother, who died in 2013, could see the woman she has become. She said: 'For her to see me now, as a mother – happy, settled and not needing the fineries to support my ego – would have made her really proud.' At one point in her life, Davinia faced a custody battle and was suicidal, however, now she said her old self would not have been able to recognise the woman she is today. Explaining why her younger years were so wild, Davinia said that she has a high dopamine drive, meaning the impulsiveness to do things to feel alive was stronger. She said that this is a classic symptom of ADHD, but that it is not as widely diagnosed in women as it is in men. 'A girl with ADHD will be referred to as 'Dolly Daydream', and that was me,' she said. 'I'm hoping over the next few years that a lot of women my age realise they can get help for it now – it's not too late.'
