Jalandhar-born NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul passes away in London at 94
Lord Swraj Paul, the eminent Indian-born British business magnate, philanthropist, and member of the House of Lords, passed away on Thursday evening in London at the age of 94.
The founder of the UK-based Caparo Group of industries, Lord Paul had been hospitalised recently due to illness and died surrounded by his family.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences, stating on X, “Deeply saddened by the passing of Shri Swaraj Paul Ji. His contributions to industry, philanthropy, and public service in the UK, and his unwavering support for closer ties with India will always be remembered. I fondly recall our many interactions. Condolences to his family.”
Lord Paul was born on February 18, 1931, in Jalandhar and completed his high school education there. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Punjab University in 1949 and then went to the US to pursue his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA.
Lord Paul relocated to the United Kingdom in the 1960s seeking treatment for his young daughter, Ambika, who tragically succumbed to leukemia at the age of four.
In her memory, he established the Ambika Paul Foundation, a charitable trust that has donated millions to support children’s education, health, and well-being worldwide. The foundation notably contributed to the Ambika Paul Children’s Zoo at London Zoo, a place Lord Paul fondly recalled as where his daughter “was always the happiest” during an annual commemoration last month.
Following the death of Lady Paul in 2022, the Paul family wished to rename the Foundation to honor her memory and to recognize the tremendous support and contribution that she made to the many causes, which the Foundation supported during her lifetime.
The Foundation is now known as the Aruna and Ambika Paul Foundation, according to the Caparo group. Lord Paul founded the Caparo Group in 1968, transforming it into a global steel and engineering conglomerate with operations across the UK, North America, India, and the Middle East. Employing over 10,000 people at its peak, the company specialized in structural steels, precision tubes, and industrial wires. Despite stepping down from management in 1996, Lord Paul remained a guiding figure, with his son Akash Paul serving as Chairman of Caparo India and Director of the Caparo Group. Caparo is a diversified global association of businesses with a turnover of over £1 billion. With interests predominantly in the design, manufacture, marketing, and distribution of value-added steel and niche engineering products, Caparo’s wider activities encompass hotels, property, power generation, logistics, financial services, and investment.
A prominent figure in the Indian diaspora, Lord Paul was a dedicated advocate for Indo-British relations.
His steadfast support for former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi during her political challenges in the 1970s earned him respect as a “man of steel” in both character and industry. He was knighted in 1978, appointed a life peer in 1996 by Conservative Prime Minister John Major as Baron Paul of Marylebone, and served as Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords from 2008 to 2010. In 2009, he was appointed to the Privy Council.
His contributions to public service were recognized with the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian honor, in 1983. Lord Paul’s philanthropy extended to education, with significant donations to institutions like the University of Wolverhampton, where he served as Chancellor since 1998, and the University of Westminster, where he was Chancellor from 2006 to 2014. His foundation’s £1 million donation to Wolverhampton in 2015 marked the university’s largest single gift, and the Ambika Paul Student Union Centre there stands as a testament to his legacy. He also supported MIT, establishing the Swraj Paul Theatre and scholarship funds.
At the inauguration of the Lady Aruna Swraj Paul Hall at London’s Indian Gymkhana Club in 2023, he paid tribute to his wife of 65 years, noting they “never had an argument.” His commitment to family was evident in his close bond with his surviving children, including Akash and Anjli Paul.
Diaspora