Amirali Alibhai "Amir" Bhatia, Baron Bhatia, (born 18 March 1932) is a British businessman and politician.
Background
An
Ismaili Muslim born in
East Africa, Bhatia was educated in schools in
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...
and
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. He is married to Nurbanu Amersi and has three daughters. He moved to the United Kingdom in 1972.
Career
Bhatia was chairman and managing director of
Forbes Campbell International Ltd between 1980 and 2001. He was the co-founder of the
Ethnic Minority Foundation and its chair until 2009, and also helped establish the Council of Ethnic Minority Voluntary Sector Organisations (CEMVO). He is additionally a former trustee of various charitable organisations, including the
National Lottery Charities Board and
Oxfam, serving as chairman of Oxfam Trading.
In 2006 he was the chair of the
British Edutrust foundation, the organisation planning to sponsor
Rhodesway School
Dixons Allerton Academy (formerly Rhodesway Academy) is a coeducational all-through school and sixth form located in Allerton area of the City of Bradford, in the English county of West Yorkshire.
Previously a community school administered ...
. He stepped down from the post in March 2009.
Honours
Bhatia was appointed an
Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the
1997 Birthday Honours
The 1997 Birthday Honours were announced on 14 June 1997 for the United Kingdom and on 2 June 1997 for New Zealand.New Zealand list: Queen's Birthday Honours are announced on or around the date of the Queen's Official Birthday in the United Kingd ...
. On 5 June 2001, he was created a
life peer as Baron Bhatia, ''of
Hampton
Hampton may refer to:
Places Australia
*Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia
*Hampton, New South Wales
*Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region
* Hampton, Victoria
Canada
* Hampton, New Brunswick
*Ha ...
in the
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames'', one of the first '
people's peers
The House of Lords Appointments Commission is an independent advisory non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom. It has two roles:
*to recommend at least two people a year for appointment as non-party-political life peers who sit on the ...
'. He took his seat in the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...
as a
crossbencher.
In 2003 Lord Bhatia received the Beacon Fellowship Prize for his leadership role in countering social deprivation and exclusion in the UK and internationally.
Lord Bhatia – The Beacon Prize for Leadership
Beacon Fellowship. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
Controversy
In October 2010, Lord Bhatia was suspended from the House of Lords for eight months due to the United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal
The United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal was a major political scandal that emerged in 2009, concerning expenses claims made by members of the British Parliament in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords over the previous year ...
.BBC Newsnight
''Newsnight'' (or ''BBC Newsnight'') is BBC Two's news and current affairs programme, providing in-depth investigation and analysis of the stories behind the day's headlines. The programme is broadcast on weekdays at 22:30. and is also availab ...
reported that Lord Bhatia had been accused by the Ethnic Minority Foundation of misappropriating £600,000 from the charity. Lord Bhatia was suing the charity for unfair dismissal, and his lawyers said that the allegations were confusing the historical position with the present dispute.
References
External links
Millionaire Lord Bhatia claimed £20,000 on small flat
* ttp://www.parliament.uk/business/news/2010/10/prileges-committee-report-on-conduct/ Conduct of Lord Bhatia, Lord Paul and Baroness Uddin
1932 births
Living people
British businesspeople
Crossbench life peers
People's peers
Officers of the Order of the British Empire
British politicians of Indian descent
Tanzanian emigrants to the United Kingdom
British Ismailis
British people of Indian descent
British people of Gujarati descent
Khoja Ismailism
Life peers created by Elizabeth II
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