imported>Billjones94 at 12:15, 11 August 2021

2021-08-11T12:15:55Z

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{{Short description|India-born British businessman, owner of "The East India Company"}}
{{Distinguish|Sanjiv Mehta (Indian businessman)}}
[[File:Sanjiv Mehta, Chairman of The East India Company.jpg|alt=Sanjiv Mehta, Chairman of The East India Company|thumb|Sanjiv Mehta, Chairman of The East India Company ]]
{{EngvarB|date=June 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}
'''Sanjiv Mehta''' (born October 1961) is an India-born British businessman. He is the owner of "The East India Company", which he launched in 2010, presenting it as a revival of the historic [[East India Company]] that was dissolved on 1 June 1874.<ref name="ST_Caravan_2011"/><ref>{{cite news|title=East India Company returns after 135-year absence|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-10971109|accessdate=1 May 2015|publisher=BBC}}</ref><ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/06/east-india-company-british-businessman How the East India Company became a weapon to challenge UK’s colonial past.] The Guardian, 7 May 2017</ref><ref>[https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/jewel-in-the-crown-of-british-trade-is-being-polished-for-a-new-generation-gl8l6hjns Jewel in the crown of British trade is being polished for a new generation.] The Times, 28 May 2016

</ref>

== Early life ==

Sanjiv Mehta was born in a [[Gujarati people|Gujarati]] [[Jain]]{{cn|date=February 2021}} family in [[Mumbai]], India. His grandfather Gafurchand Mehta lived in [[Belgium]] in the 1920s, and started a diamond trading business. Sanjiv Mehta's father Mahendra was born in [[Antwerp]] in 1933, but Gafurchand brought the family back to India in 1938.<ref name="ST_Caravan_2011"/>

Mehta graduated from [[Sydenham College]] Mumbai,<ref name="ToI_2015"/> and also attended the [[Gemological Institute of America]] in Los Angeles.<ref name="ST_Caravan_2011"/>

== Business career ==

Mehta joined his father's diamond business in 1983.<ref name="ToI_2015">{{cite news|title=East India Co is back, with Indian owner|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/East-India-Co-is-back-with-Indian-owner/articleshow/6316784.cms|accessdate=1 May 2015|work=The Times of India}}</ref> While his elder brother Rajiv focused on industrial diamonds, Sanjiv focused on the jewellery business. He marketed this business at industry exhibitions in the [[Arab states of the Persian Gulf|Persian Gulf countries]], Hong Kong and the United States. He also established a mail order trading business in India, in partnership with [[Diners Club International|Diners Club]].<ref name="ST_Caravan_2011"/>

In 1989, Mehta left India for London, finding it hard to expand his business in the pre-[[Economic liberalisation in India|liberalisation era]]. In London, he set up a mail order business, selling UK-made household products within the country. Subsequently, he bought a scrapyard in [[Newcastle upon Tyne]], and started selling steel to small plants in India. His father-in-law Jasubhai Shah had been selling pharmaceutical products in the [[Soviet Union]], which helped Mehta establish a trade there as well. The new business involved buying [[heavy crude oil]] from [[Mangyshlak]] in Kazakhstan, transporting it to a [[Black Sea]] port using a leased railway line and then shipping it to [[Genoa, Italy]]. Once the [[1990–99 world oil market chronology|oil prices]] started rising, bigger companies showed interest in Kazakhstan, forcing Mehta to move out. He exported [[Hindustan Unilever]] products to Russia. Subsequently, he dealt in different types of goods, operating out of Taipei, Houston, Tehran and Dubai.<ref name="ST_Caravan_2011"/>

=== The East India Company ===

In the mid-2000s, Mehta bought a majority stake in several companies that had been renamed or newly incorporated with names similar to the historical [[East India Company]] in the early 2000s, with Graeme David Robert Clissold, Timothy Vaughan Meadows-Smith and others as their Directors.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/officers/HigtpKXBhR7ZxbR9vHLSduToOf0/appointments |title=Timothy Vaughan Meadows-Smith |publisher=Companies House |accessdate=5 February 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/officers/bvJ6S93GOtWLhk2Ti7ICRh4Rzrg/appointments |title=Graeme David Robert Clissold |publisher=Companies House |accessdate=5 February 2015 }}</ref> For example, new companies called "The East India Company Tea Bars Limited" and "The East India Company Tea Rooms Limited" had been founded in 2000, with Clissold and Meadows-Smith as their officers.<ref name="CH_04068868"/><ref name="CH_04069226"/> Similarly, Edgerton International (founded in 1992) had been renamed to "The East India Company Limited", after Clissold and Meadows-Smith became its officers in 2002.<ref name="CH_02702290"/>

Mehta gradually bought stakes in these companies over a period of 18 months, buying out the last investor in 2006.<ref name="ST_Caravan_2011"/> He states that he purchased the business from 30–40 owners in 2005.<ref>{{cite news|title=East India Company now has an Indian owner|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/business-news/east-india-company-now-has-an-indian-owner/article1-508853.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131024003615/http://www.hindustantimes.com/business-news/east-india-company-now-has-an-indian-owner/article1-508853.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 October 2013|accessdate=1 May 2015|work=Hindustan Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=An Indian now owns East India Company|url=http://www.smetimes.in/smetimes/news/indian-economy-news/2010/Feb/15/an-indian-now-owns-east-india-company60860.html|accessdate=1 May 2015|publisher=SME Times}}</ref><ref>[https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/company/corporate-trends/the-indian-owners-of-the-east-india-company-are-betting-on-its-future-by-leaning-on-its-past/articleshow/54535557.cms The owners of The East India Company are betting on its future by leaning on its past.] The Economic Times, 27 September 2016. </ref>

Mehta re-launched the business as a purported revival of the historic East India Company in 2010, operating in the [[luxury goods|luxury]] retail space.<ref name="ST_Caravan_2011" /> <ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9z6VKLfqKw Gravitas: An Indian Now Owns The East India Company] YouTube, 20 September 2020</ref> <ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDXccMsTlL0 The company that once owned India is now owned by an Indian] YouTube, 26 September 2020 </ref>He also established (or renamed) several subsidiary companies with "East India Company" in their names:

According to Mehta, in the 1980s, some British investors sought approval from the British government to start a new company with same title as that of the historical East India Company, which had ceased to exist in 1874. In a 2011 interview, Mehta did not name these individuals, but claimed that they had secured the rights to the original East India Company's assets, such as its [[coat of arms]] and [[merchant's mark]]. According to him, these investors operated the company as a hobby, and contacted him to "streamline their distribution network". He then decided to take over this company. Mehta further states that after buying these companies, he took a one-year [[career break|break]] from his other businesses, and travelled around the world to learn about the historic East India Company's heritage.<ref name="ST_Caravan_2011">{{cite journal |url=http://www.caravanmagazine.in/reporting-and-essays/company-man#sthash.IdELJXER.dpuf |title=Company Man |author=Salil Tripathi |author-link=Salil Tripathi |date=1 September 2011 |journal=Caravan }}</ref>

In 2020, a trade mark opposition request made by Mehta's The East India Company Spirits Pte Ltd, regarding a word mark similarly containing "East India" was rejected, in a decision issued by the [[Intellectual Property Office (United Kingdom)|UK Intellectual Property Office]]. The decision noted that the company "has no exclusive rights to company names featuring East India".<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-03-30|title=Trade mark decision BL Number O/197/20 |author=UK Intellectual Property Office|url=https://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/tm/t-os/t-find/t-challenge-decision-results/t-challenge-decision-results-bl?BL_Number=O/197/20|access-date=2020-09-30|language=English}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|+ Mehta's group of "East India" companies
|-
! Name
! Company #
! Date of<br/>incorporation
! Position held<br/>by Mehta
! width="40%" | Notes
|-
| The Honourable East India Company Ltd.
| 02702290
| 1992
| Director (2005–present)
| Originally named "Sovco 456", its name was changed to "Edgerton International" in 1992. The name was changed to "The East India Company Limited" in 2002, under Clissold (2002–2005), Meadows-Smith (2000–2008). The present name dates back to 2010.<ref name="CH_02702290">{{cite web |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/02702290 |title=The Honourable East India Company Ltd. |publisher=Companies House |accessdate=5 February 2015 }}</ref>
|-
| The East India Company Limited
| 04068868
| 2000
| Director (2005–present)
| Originally called "The East India Company Tea Bars Limited" under Clissold (2000–2005) and Meadows-Smith (2000–2007). The name was changed to "The East India Company Management Services Limited" in 2007. The present name dates back to 2015.<ref name="CH_04068868">{{cite web |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/04068868 |title=The East India Company Limited |publisher=Companies House |accessdate=5 February 2015 }}</ref>
|-
| The East India Company Restaurants Ltd.
| 04069226
| 2000
| Director (2005–2014)
| Originally called "The East India Company Tea Rooms Limited" under Clissold (2000–2005) and Meadows-Smith (2000–2007). Renamed in 2010.<ref name="CH_04069226">{{cite web |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/04069226 |title=The East India Company Restaurants Ltd. |publisher=Companies House |accessdate=5 February 2015 }}</ref>
|-
| East India Company (Publishing) Ltd
| 04620926
| 2002
| Director (2007–present)
| Originally called "East India Company (Holdings) Ltd". Renamed in 2003.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/04620926 |title=East India Company (Publishing) Ltd |publisher=Companies House |accessdate=5 February 2015 }}</ref>
|-
| The East India Company Fine Foods Ltd
| 05243353
| 2004
| Director (2006–present)
| Originally called "International Media Initiatives" (2004–present). Renamed to "The East India Company Lifestyle Ltd." in 2006. The present name dates back to 2009.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/05243353 |title=The East India Company Fine Foods Ltd |publisher=Companies House |accessdate=1 May 2018 }}</ref>
|-
| The East India Company Fashion Limited
| 06318063
| 2007
| Director (2007–2013)
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/06318063 |title=The East India Company Fashion Limited |publisher=Companies House |accessdate=5 February 2015 }}</ref>
|-
| The East India Company Drinks Limited
| 06318033
| 2007
| Director (2007–present)
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/06318033 |title=The East India Company Drinks Limited |publisher=Companies House |accessdate=5 February 2015 }}</ref>
|-
| The East India Company Financial Services Limited
| 06317970
| 2007
| Director (2007–present)
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/06317970 |title=The East India Company Financial Services Limited |publisher=Companies House |accessdate=5 February 2015 }}</ref>
|-
| The East India Company Fine Foods (Conduit Street) Ltd
| 06452310
| 2007
| Director (2007–2009)
| Originally called "The East India Company Fine Foods Limited". Renamed in 2009.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/06452310 |title=The East India Company Fine Foods (Conduit Street) Ltd |publisher=Companies House |accessdate=5 February 2015 }}</ref>
|-
| The East India Company Sailing Limited
| 06554725
| 2008
| Director (2008–present)
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/06554725 |title=The East India Company Sailing Limited |publisher=Companies House |accessdate=5 February 2015 }}</ref>
|-
| The East India Company Management Services Limited
| 06985124
| 2009
| Director (2009–present)
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/06985124 |title=The East India Company Management Services Limited |publisher=Companies House |accessdate=5 February 2015 }}</ref>
|-
| The English East India Company Ltd.
| 06951894
| 2009
| Director (2009–present)
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/06951894 |title=The English East India Company Ltd. |publisher=Companies House |accessdate=5 February 2015 }}</ref>
|-
| The East India Company Home Limited
| 06985358
| 2009
| Director (2009–present)
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/06985358 |title=The East India Company Home Limited |publisher=Companies House |accessdate=5 February 2015 }}</ref>
|-
| The East India Company Travel Limited
| 06985303
| 2009
| Director (2009–present)
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/06985303 |title=The East India Company Travel Limited |publisher=Companies House |accessdate=5 February 2015 }}</ref>
|-
| The East India Company Trading Limited
| 06951867
| 2009
| Director (2009–present)
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/06951867 |title=The East India Company Trading Limited |publisher=Companies House |accessdate=5 February 2015 }}</ref>
|-
| The East India Trading Company Limited
| 06951879
| 2009
| Director (2009–present)
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/06951879 |title=The East India Trading Company Limited |publisher=Companies House |accessdate=5 February 2015 }}</ref>
|-
| The East India Company Lifestyle Limited
| 06889534
| 2009
| Director (2009–present)
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/06889534 |title=The East India Company Lifestyle Limited |publisher=Companies House |accessdate=5 February 2015 }}</ref>
|-
| The East India Company Natural Resources Ltd
| 07360003
| 2010
| Director (2010–present)
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/07360003 |title=The East India Company Natural Resources Ltd |publisher=Companies House |accessdate=5 February 2015 }}</ref>
|-
| The East India Company Bullion Ltd
| 07352505
| 2010
| Director (2010–present)
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/07352505 |title=The East India Company Bullion Ltd |publisher=Companies House |accessdate=5 February 2015 }}</ref>
|-
| The East India Company Great Exhibition Ltd
| 08122417
| 2012
| Director (2012–present)
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/08122417 |title=The East India Company Great Exhibition Ltd |publisher=Companies House |accessdate=5 February 2015 }}</ref>
|-
| The East India Company Spirits Limited
| 09190186
| 2014
| Director (2014–present)
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/09190186 |title=The East India Company Spirits Limited |publisher=Companies House |accessdate=5 February 2015 }}</ref>
|-
| The East India Company Cigars Limited
| 09296398
| 2014
| Director (2014–present)
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/09296398 |title=The East India Company Cigars Limited |publisher=Companies House |accessdate=5 February 2015 }}</ref>
|-
| The East India Company Hospitality Limited
| 09277122
| 2014
| Director (2005–present)
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/09277122 |title=The East India Company Hospitality Limited |publisher=Companies House |accessdate=5 February 2015 }}</ref>
|-
| The East India Company Gin Limited
| 09749378
| 2015
| Director (2015–present)
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/09749378 |title=The East India Company Gin Limited |publisher=Companies House |accessdate=5 February 2015 }}</ref>
|}

By 2011, Mehta had invested around £20 million in the new business.<ref name="ST_Caravan_2011"/> Mehta's business also attracted investment from other companies including the India-based [[Mahindra Group]] (2011)<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/mahindra-buys-minority-stake-in-east-india-company-111012400215_1.html |title=Mahindra buys minority stake in East India Company |newspaper=Business Standard |date=24 January 2011 }}</ref> and the UAE-based [[Lulu Hypermarket|Lulu Group]] (2014).<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thenational.ae/business/retail/lulu-launches-into-luxury-sector-with-investment-in-uks-east-india-company |title=Lulu launches into luxury sector with investment in UK's East India Company |author=Sananda Sahoo |newspaper=The National |date=9 October 2014 }}</ref>

== Personal life ==

Mehta lives in London along with his wife Amee (a microbiologist), their son Arjun and daughter Anoushka.<ref name="ST_Caravan_2011"/><ref>{{cite news|title=Fame and fortune: I'm betting on soaring gold price|url=http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/business/money/investments/article414583.ece|accessdate=1 May 2015|publisher=The Sunday Times UK}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|3}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mehta, Sanjiv}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Mumbai]]
[[Category:Indian business executives]]
[[Category:Indian emigrants to England]]
[[Category:1961 births]]
[[Category:Gujarati people]]
[[Category:British businesspeople]]

Sanjiv Mehta (British businessman) - Revision history

imported>Billjones94 at 12:15, 11 August 2021