Indian-origin entrepreneur Ranjit Mathrani,who operates a group of leading Indian restaurants in the UK,has been appointed the High Sheriff of Greater London - the oldest civil office in Britain. This is the first time that someone from the Food and Beverage industry has been chosen for this important office dating before the time of the Norman Conquest. The High Sheriff remains the Sovereign's representative in the county for all matters relating to the judiciary and the maintenance of law and order. Mathrani,the Chairman of Masala World,studied in Delhi,Cambridge,Manchester and London Universities. He joined the British Civil Service in 1967 and after a very successful career,left it in 1984 to become a senior merchant banker. He was appointed a Director of Lazard Brothers and subsequently became Managing Director at the merchant banking businesses of Standard Chartered bank,and then of WestLB. Subsequently he created his own international financial advisory business,Vanguard Capital in 1993,advising governments and major corporations. In 1996,he and his wife Namita Panjabi took over full ownership of Chutney Mary,the much-praised Chelsea restaurant which Namita had created and he had financed in 1990. Side by side with running his financial advisory business,he and Namita developed the restaurant business starting with the purchase and reincarnation of Veeraswamy in the West End,the oldest Indian restaurant in Britain. Then in 2000,they,along with Namita's sister Camellia Panjabi,launched Masala Zone in Soho - the first of their 7 highly successful casual dining restaurants. In 2004,they were joined by Amaya,the Michelin-starred restaurant in Belgravia,at which stage Mathrani became a full-time restaurateur.
