Cobra Beer founder and chief executive Karan Bilimoria has won the Entrepreneur of the Year award sponsored by the London Chamber of Commerce, accounting group KPMG and the London Evening Standard newspaper.
India-born and Cambridge-educated Bilimoria has been credited with making the Cobra brand a staple ingredient for Indian males in many British restaurants in just over a decade.
He was chosen by a panel made up of leading British businessmen, as well as chairman of the Commission of Racial Equality Trevor Philips and past president of the London Chamber of Commerce Sir Gulam Noon.
Bilimoria, a popular figure in London social circles, is credited with commending the Indian restaurant industry in the United Kingdom, saying, "I believe that in Britain, there is the opportunity for anyone to succeed regardless of race, religion or background. The Asian community is doing well in the UK in every field including business, politics, sports, medicine and the arts."
"I am fortunate to feel equally at home in, both, the UK and India, and I am proud of my Zoroastrian, Parsi roots, my Indian heritage, being Asian and being British."
"When I first came to Britain I was told that as an Asian, if you wanted to succeed there was only so far you could go before you hit a glass ceiling."
"What I have come to learn from creating Cobra Beer from scratch and against all odds in the most competitive beer market in the world, is that if you have the passion, drive and aspiration to succeed, there is no greater or more meritocratic country in which to achieve this than Great Britain."
A qualified chartered accountant and Cambridge law graduate, Bilimoria is credited with developing a less gassy lager in Cobra Beer that has is now one of the fastest growing beer brands in the UK and is sold in more than 5,000 Indian restaurants.
