Dr Richie Nanda, Executive Chairman of Indian guarding firm Topsgrup, and the UK-based The Shield Group, won the ‘Global Leader Award for Entrepreneurship’ at the inaugural “SkillTree Great Place To Study – India Edition” awards ceremony at Madame Tussauds in London.
The accolade was presented at a dinner in recognition of his work. Dr Nanda’s companies provide security for some of the world’s leading brands such as Apple, IBM and TATA, events such as the IPL and World Cricket Champions League, celebrities, VIPs and venues such as 30 St Mary’s Axe (The Gherkin), the Imperial War Museums and Bournemouth University.
The “SkillTree Great Place To Study – India Edition” has been headed by SkillTree Knowledge Consortium, an Indian syndicate of private universities and institutions, and was presented in association with the brand consultancy Sterling Media, and powered by Lavasa Corporation Limited, a subsidiary of HCC (Hindustan Construction Company). The awards acknowledged the contribution of 20 of India’s educational institutions to promote India as a place to study, as well as honouring UK business leaders and public office dignitaries, who have all played their part in promoting relations between India and the UK.
Dr Nanda received the award in the presence of more than 200 guests, which included representatives from many of India’s most prestigious universities, as well as political, business and education leaders from the UK and India, celebrities and billionaires including: Deputy Indian High Commissioner Virander Paul, Keith Vaz, MP for Leicester East and Home Affairs Select Committee Chairman, Dr Rami Ranger MBE, Lord Navnit Dholakia OBE, Lord Swraj Paul of Marylebone, Chairman of Caparo Group, Mark Pritchard MP, Baroness Sandeep Verma (pictured presenting the award), Minister for Energy and Climate Change, Commodore Sandeep Beecha, Dame Asha Khemka, Principal and Chief Executive of West Nottinghamshire College, Baroness Prashar CBE, Deputy Chair of British Council, Indian film stars Upen Patel and Amy Jackson, former Transport Minister for London, Kulveer Ranger.
A self-made entrepreneur, Dr Nanda took over the reins of Topsgrup at the age of 22. From revenues of £30,000 a year and eight customers, the security group whasith revenues in excess of £200 million, 93,000 employees, 120 offices and about 8,000 customers. Dr Nanda said: “It is a great honour to be presented with this award. This accolade is yet another tribute to the dedication and commitment of my talented team at The Shield Group and Topsgrup, who have worked so hard to bring both of these companies to new heights. I am also humbled and delighted to have been honoured at the launch of such a noble global campaign, as education is a cause that is very important to me and close to my heart. We have tremendous plans for each of these companies. Our aim is to position Shield amongst the top four security solutions providers in the UK within the next two years. In addition, we plan to make Topsgrup a leading brand in the global security space and a USD $10 billion security group by 2020.”
SkillTree Knowledge Consortium Founder, Shekhar Bhattacharjee said: ‘We are delighted to present this award to Dr Richie Nanda and feel that he is a very worthy winner. Dr Nanda is a visionary entrepreneur, who applies an innovative, dynamic and far-sighted approach to any project he undertakes. His stellar achievements are testament to the vast talent, skill and knowledge pool that exists in India.’
