Prof. Nathu Puri

NAT PURI RECEIVES HONORARY DOCTORATE FROM LSBU  (3 December 2007)

Prof. Nathu Puri, ex-Chairman and Founder of the Purico Group of Companies. He is the Chairman of Puri Foundation for Education in India. The London South Bank University (LSBU), has honored him with a Degree of Doctor of Engineering Honoris Causa by the University.

Says Prof. Deian Hopkin Vice Chancellor of LSBU that He is a successful industrialist, entrepreneur, renowned philanthropist and devoted supporter of education.
“Nat Puri has a certain style of doing things his way. That it might be said is the appropriate way to discuss Nat Puri, the Businessman, as well as Nat Puri, the Philanthropist. He does it all in his own manner, often defying conventional logic but proving the success of real entrepreneurship.”

Prof. Nat Puri received his Diploma from the National College for Heating, Ventilation, Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Fan Engineering, now part of the Department of Engineering of the London South Bank University in 1967.

Nat Puri was born in Mullan Pur, a village in Punjab, just outside Chandigarh, India. He had a humble beginning. Initially he started operator of a truck from his village.  He came to UK in 1966 to study Air Conditioning. After returning to India in early 1969, he came back after 6 months on receiving an attractive offer from his ex employer, F G Skerritt Ltd., of Nottingham. He left them in 1975 to set up on his own and went back in January 1983 to acquire Skerritts. It was the start of his acquisition spree, now part of Purico Group of Companies. His businesses are based in UK, USA, Germany, China, Mexico, Hungary and Poland. Before the recent sale of some of his US interests these businesses employed over 7500 people.

Nat Puri is 70 years old, is married and has one son. He lives in Nottingham, England. These days he spends most of his time on voluntary and charitable projects. He set up The Puri Foundation, a charitable trust in 1988 and The Three R’s Education Trust in 2006. He is keen to support education at all levels.