319. Irshad Mirza

 

Irshad Mirza started his career as an Exporter of Leather Goods (Saddlery Products) in the year 1973. He started with a meager capital of rs. 25,000/= and 40 employees in an era with doing business with foreigners was the preserve of large corporations. With his limited capital but unlimited enthusiasm and energy and patriotic zeal, Mr. Mirza in the period of last 32 years has built up an export business, which has a turnover of around Rs. 350 Crores and direct and indirect employment of 11000 people.

Mr. Mirza was the first Indian to have developed an internationally contemporary saddle in the year 1975 and took it to Australia, where the Australians acclaimed his feat and the Australian Newspapers carried a headlines, “Indian Businessman sells coffee to Brazil.”

In the process of developing the value added exports of leather products major benefits were availed by providing large employment to the weakest section of the society.  At the same time hundred times multiple foreign exchange was earned to the nation by export of value added products instead of raw material which was the practice of other exporters at that time by establishing productivity centres employing nearly 6000 persons of weaker section of the society.

Mr. Mirza’s conduct with Banks and Financial Institutions has been exemplary. It is fashionable to Bankers to line up to lend to Mr. Mirza as in the last more than 30 years journey, Mr. Mirza’s Banking track record does not contain a single blot.

Mr. Mirza is a social activist and is engaged in a number of philanthropic projects, which include an educational institution, a literature promotion academy and so many other institutions.  He has been the President of Rotary Club of Kanpur and during his turn he initiated a number of Projects of service to the Society.  He has recently set up a charitable endowment with a corpus of around Rs. 1.00 Crore by the name of Mirza Foundation and is not actively pursuing his dream of setting up a 100 bedded Hospital in the vicinity of his factories to provide top class medical facilities to the workers and nearby villagers of the rural areas.

Mr. Mirza is held in high esteem in his trade and served as Chairman, Council for Leather Exports, President, Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry, Uttar Pradesh, Member Managing Committee, Federation of Indian Export Organizations, Director of U.P. State Industrial Corporation etc.

Mr. Mirza has served as Chairman of the U.P. Minority Commission and was on the Board of Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India, U.P. State Industrial Development Corporation etc.

Under the stewardship of Mr. Mirza, Company has been awarded:

(I) he Best Export Award, 1st Prize for the year 2002-2003 by the Uttar Pradesh Government.

(II) State Export Award 1999-2000 1st Prize by the Deptt. Of Export Promotion, Government of Uttar Pradesh.

(III) Awarded by Central Board of Excise & Customs, Govt. of India in the year 2000.

(IV) Outstanding achievement and Services award by State Bank of India.

(V) Export Awards for Council for Leather Exports- 1st Prize since last eight years continuously.

For the social services, Mr. Irshad Mirza has been awarded by :

(I) AICOI Millennium 2000 Intellectual Honour, U.P. Ratan.

(II) Award in recognition of remarkable cooperation by Rotary Club of Kanpur for the year 2001.

(III) National Integration Award presented by Janyog National Newspaper on 25th February, 2001.

(IV) Gandhi award presented on 3rd October, 2004 by Imamia Educational Trust, Lucknow.

(IV) Rajiv Gandhi Helpline best Social Worker Award – 2004

(IV) “Kanpur Gaurav Award” presented by U.P. Bank Employees Union by the hands of Shri Rajveer Upadhyay, Honble Minister for Power, Government of U.P. on 7th June, 2008 at Merchants Chamber Auditorium, Kanpur.

Source : mirzafoundation.org