A BUSINESS leader turned faith organiser, Jitu Patel has become one of the most influential figures linking Britain’s Hindu community with the country’s political, civic and cultural establishment.
Though he began his career as a certified accountant with the erstwhile Coopers & Lybrand (now part of PwC), Patel’s commitment to the Hindu principle of seva – community service – gradually steered him towards public and spiritual leadership. Through his long association with the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), he has helped transform London’s celebrated Neasden Temple into one of the most visible centres of Hindu life in Britain.
That prominence was evident in October last year when the temple marked its 30th anniversary with a visit from King Charles and Queen Camilla, who met worshippers and representatives of the Hindu community. The monarch had first visited the temple in 1996, just a year after it opened, and returned again with Camilla in 2009.
In 2023, Patel stood among senior faith leaders at King Charles III’s coronation in Westminster Abbey, representing the Hindu faith. As chair of BAPS UK & Europe, he has also cultivated strong relationships with political and diplomatic figures. “Our strong ties and positive engagement with the high commission of India serve as a platform to contribute to shared British and Indian values,” he said after hosting Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh at Neasden Temple in January 2024.
The temple has also been a centre for social outreach. During the pandemic, BAPS institutions established vaccination centres, blood donation drives and food distribution programmes for the homeless, an effort recognised when then home secretary Priti Patel visited the temple’s vaccination centre in February 2021.
Born in Kenya and raised in Zambia before arriving in London in 1978, he built a formidable business career. After opening his first Crispins food and wine shop in 1979, he partnered with Mahesh Patel to grow the Europa Foods chain to 50 outlets before selling it to Tesco for £54 million in 2004. Later, he rescued Burts Snacks and helped transform it into one of Britain’s leading premium crisps brands before its sale to Europe Snacks in 2023.
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