Asian Power Couples
Navin & Varsha Engineer
Navin & Varsha Engineer
Navin Engineer arrived in London in 1969 at the age of 16 and went on to study at the London
School of Pharmacy. On graduation, he took a job as a pharmacist with Boots. He set up his
first pharmacy in Chertsey, Surrey, expanding to buy a former Boots store in Addlestone, near
Weybridge. By 1999, he had 14 pharmacies which he sold onto a German group for a reported
£12 million. The proceeds he invested in a smaller wholesale business. Chemidex is now a
wholesaler of both branded and generic medicines. Navin credits his wife Varsha Engineer for
being his rock in business, helping to run his chain of pharmacies while also bringing up their
two children. The duo regularly appear in The Sunday Times Rich List with an estimated net
worth of £620 million in 2013.
Baroness Kishwer Falkner & Robert Falkner
Baroness Kishwer Falkner is a British Liberal Democrat politician and Life Peer. Prior to her
enoblement in 2004, Kishwer worked in a variety of jobs for the Liberal Democrats. She obtained
a BSc (Econ) in International Relations from the London School of Economics and an MA in
International Relations and European Studies from the University of Kent. Born in Pakistan,
Kishwer spent a number of years in the Middle East before coming to the UK in the 1970s.
Robert Falkner is an Associate Professor in International Relations at the London School of
Economics and Political Science (LSE). He is also an associate fellow of the Energy, Environment
and Development Programme at Chatham House, London. He has a Master degree in politics
from Munich University and gained a D.Phil. in international relations from Oxford University
(Nuffield College).
Ahlya & Ali Fateh
Ahlya Fateh is currently the Managing Director of Tata Naka, and was previously the managing
editor of Tatler, the iconic British fashion magazine. With an impressive career spanning 13
years, Ahyla is a graduate of Modern Languages from Exeter University. Her first job was for
PricewaterhouseCoopers where she cut her teeth in the business world before moving, in
1996, to Condé Nast. Her husband Mohammed Ali Fateh is a lawyer and restaurateur running
Zisa, an English restaurant in Hornchurch, Essex.
Vilas & Reita Gadkari
Vilas Gadkari was Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer of Salomon Brothers from
1992-1999; Founder of Rubicon Hedge Fund; Partner at Brevan Howard Asset Mgt LLP, Europe’s
largest hedge fund managers, overseeing a £27 billion fund, from 2008-2011; the Promoter of
Nilgai group of companies; and the current Chairman at Pratham, UK, a Charity for Children in
India.
Vilas & Reita Gadkari
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Reita Gadkari is a Trustee, of Pratham UK. She spent her early years in Scotland, then India and
New York. She moved from New York to the UK in 1989 with her husband Vilas. Her primary
interest has been with music where she has sponsored many productions of musicals and
film - most notably as co-producer of The Far Pavilions in 2005. Currently she is working on a
documentary film about the Maestros of Indian classical music.