Raminder Singh Ranger, Baron Ranger, CBE (May 1948) is a British businessman, and the founder of Sun Mark and Sea Air & Land Forwarding, an international marketing and distribution company. He is also chairman and managing director of Sea Air and Land Forwarding Ltd.
The Lord Ranger | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2019 | |
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |
| Assumed office 11 October 2019 Life peerage | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Raminder Singh Ranger May 1948 (age 76) Gujranwala, West Punjab, Pakistan |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse | Renu Ranger |
| Children | 3, including Reena Ranger |
| Occupation | Businessman |
His company, Sun Mark, was awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise in International Trade five years in a row, from 2009 to 2014. This is the only time a British company has won the award consecutively for such a long period.[1]
He was nominated for a life peerage in Theresa May's 2019 resignation honours,[2] and was created Baron Ranger, of Mayfair in the City of Westminster, on 11 October 2019.[3][4]
He has been awarded an honorary degree by the University of Wolverhampton in 2021 [5] the University of West London in July 2016 [6] & London South Bank University in 2022.[7]
Early life and education
editRaminder Singh Ranger was born on 28 May 1948[8] in Gujranwala, Pakistan. The family moved to Patiala in Indian Punjab as refugees of the partition of India.[9] There he attended Mohindra College and obtained a Bachelor of Arts from Government College, Chandigarh.[9]
He has seven brothers and a sister. Ranger ceased his studies after reaching the UK, where he had gone to study law, in May 1971.
Career
editRanger is the Chairman of Sun Mark Ltd and Sea Air & Land Forwarding Ltd.[10] He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of West London in July 2016.[11]
An employment tribunal ruled in 2021 that Ranger harassed a woman who complained about sexual harassment in his company.[12][13][14][15]
Honours
editHe was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2005 Birthday Honours for services to business and the Asian community,[16] and made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to business and community cohesion.[17]
Social and political work
editAs of January 2018, Ranger, through Sun Mark, had donated more than £1 million to the Conservative Party, and £25,000 to Theresa May's party leadership campaign.[18]
Ranger was appointed the joint chairman of Conservative Friends of India in 2018, sharing the role with then-MP Zac Goldsmith. The group, which is affiliated to the Conservative Party, aims to build stronger links between the party, the British Indian community and India.[19]
Hindu Forum of Britain
editA representative of Nithyananda attended a Diwali event held in October 2022 at the Houses of Parliament as a guest of the Hindu Forum of Britain. Nithya Atmadayananda, a prominent supporter of Nithyananda, was photographed with Bob Blackman and President of the Hindu Forum of Britain, Trupti Patel. The event was attended by Rami Ranger. The brochure for the event featured a full-page advert for Kailasa UK containing images of Nithyananda.[20][21][22][23] Ranger told The Observer he had no knowledge of Nithyananda or his organisation stating: "I do not know Kailaasa or this person."[24]
Intrusion with journalists
editRanger was reported in December 2022 to be under investigation by authorities at the House of Lords in regard to the alleged harassment of journalist Poonam Joshi who reported on Ranger's attendance at a Diwali event in the Houses of Parliament also attended by a representative of fugitive Cult-leader Nithyananda. Ranger is alleged to have used Twitter and WhatsApp to send Joshi messages that threatened her.[25] In June 2023 Ranger was criticised by the House of Lords Commissioner for Standards for bullying and harassing Joshi.[26][27]
In January 2023 it was reported that Ranger had sent a letter to BBC Director General Tim Davie regarding the documentary "India: The Modi Question" in which he asked if "Pakistani-origin staff were behind this nonsense".[28][29]
Personal life
editRanger is married to Renu, and they have three daughters.[30][31] His eldest daughter, Reena Ranger, is also a Conservative politician, and has taken over from him as co-chairman of Conservative Friends of India.[30] Reena is married to Harmeet "Sunny" Singh Ahuja, who is the CEO of Sun Mark and the Ranger family businesses.[30][31]
References
edit- ^ "Who We Are". Sun Mark. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
- ^ "LORD RAMI RANGER: Refugee Boy to Become a Lord in Britain - Asian News from UK". 10 September 2019.
- ^ "No. 62799". The London Gazette. 17 October 2019. p. 18632.
- ^ https://members.parliament.uk/member/4729/contact [bare URL]
- ^ "Lord adds an honorary award to his enterprising accolades". www.wlv.ac.uk. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
- ^ SunMarkLimited (24 July 2016). West London University confers an Honorary Doctorate upon Rami Ranger CBE. Retrieved 28 September 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ London South Bank University (14 December 2022). Lord Rami Ranger CBE, Honorary Doctor of Business, October 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Raminder Ranger". api.parliament.uk. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
- ^ a b Punjab-origin Rami Ranger moves from Partition rags to House of Lords. Hindustan Times.
- ^ "Lords inquiry launched into Tory peer accused of bullying female journalist". The Guardian. 20 December 2022.
- ^ "Honorary Doctor of Letters". University of West London. 21 July 2016.
- ^ Rushton, Katherine; Young, Charles (13 April 2021). "Exclusive: Tory peer who championed equality 'victimised' female complainant". The Telegraph. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ Pogrund, Gabriel (13 April 2021). "Lord Ranger called worker who feared abuse a 'silly girl'". The Times. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ Ms Raminder Kaur v Sun Mark Ltd,Lord Rami Ranger,Mr Kapil Sharma,Mr Ravi Gidar,SARR Management Ltd,Sea Air and Land Forwarding Ltd,Mr Harmeet Ahuja,Mr Nayaz Qazi,Lady Renu Ranger (Watford Employment Tribunal 7-11,14-18 September 2020) ("Lord Ranger did victimise the Claimant contrary to section 27(1) of the Equality Act 2010, harass her contrary to section 26(1) of the Act, and directly discriminate against her contrary to section 13(1) of the Act when, in an intemperate telephone call on 5 October 2018, the Claimant having informed him she was raising allegations of sexual harassment, he stated – (a) he would not ‘spare her’; (b) he would get the evidence together and see her in Court; (c) she was insolent; (d) she had no virtues and compared her to a female member of a non- elite peasant caste; (e) she was silly and stupid; (f) she was a liar; (g) she was an absolute troublemaker; (h) she was a horrible girl; (i) she had ruined her parents’ honour"), Text.
- ^ SUN MARK LTD,LORD RAMI RANGER.SEA AIR LAND FORWARDING LTD,HARMEET v MS RAMANDEEP KAUR (Employment Appeal Tribunal 25 January 2022), Text.
- ^ "No. 57665". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 June 2005. p. 20.
- ^ "No. 61450". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2015. p. N10.
- ^ Doward, Jamie; Neate, Rupert (28 January 2018). "Presidents Club party guest backed Theresa May's Tory leader bid". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
- ^ "Welcome to my website". www.conservativefriendsofindia.co.uk. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
- ^ Sawer, Patrick; Joshi, Poonam (11 December 2022). "Work of cult leader wanted by Indian police promoted in Houses of Parliament Diwali pamphlet". The Telegraph. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
- ^ "Nithyananda's representative attends House of Lords' Diwali party on Tories invite". The Indian Express. 12 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
- ^ "UK Conservative leaders invite rape-accused Nithyananda's deputy to event in Parliament". The News Minute. 12 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
- ^ "Events". www.hfb.org.uk. Hindu Forum of Britain. Archived from the original on 13 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
- ^ "Tories invited UK representative of fugitive Hindu guru to party at House of Lords". The Guardian. 11 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
- ^ Stacey, Kiran (20 December 2022). "Lords inquiry launched into Tory peer accused of bullying female journalist". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
- ^ Stacey, Kiran (13 June 2023). "13 June 2023 Tory peer 'undermined and humiliated' journalist, finds Lords commissioner". The Guardian. Guardian. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
- ^ Sawer, Patrick (13 June 2023). "Tory peer bullied, harassed and humiliated women's rights campaigner". The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
- ^ Allegretti, Aubrey; Stacey, Kiran (30 January 2023). "Tory peer accused of 'racially charged' attack on BBC Modi documentary". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
- ^ Allegretti, Aubrey; Stacey, Kiran (31 January 2023). "Tory peer withdraws 'racially charged' comments". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
- ^ a b c "Lord Rami Ranger". Eastern Eye. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ a b "Entrepreneur and philanthropist Rami Ranger celebrates his 70th birthday with style". Asian Voice. 17 July 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2024.