Raminder Singh Ranger, Baron Ranger, CBE (born July 1947) is a British businessman, and the founder of Sun Mark, an international marketing and distribution company. He is also chairman and managing director of Sea Air and Land Forwarding Ltd. He was nominated for a life peerage and a seat in the House of Lords in Theresa May’s resignation honours. He was created Baron Ranger, of Mayfair in the City of Westminster, on 11 October 2019.

Ranger was born in July 1947 in Gujranwala (in undivided India). He has seven brothers and a sisters. Since the family had migrated to Patiala in the Punjab state of India during India’s partition, Ranger was given admission to the Modern School in Patiala. After the completion of his school education, he went to Mohindra College, and then obtained a BA degree from the Govt. College Chandigarh. Ranger ceased his studies after reaching the UK where he had gone to study Bar at Law in May 1971.

In 1987 he founded shipping company Sea, Air & Land Forwarding and in 1995 founded Sun Mark, which exports British supermarket products to over 100 countries worldwide. Sea, Air & Land Forwarding received The Queen’s Award for Export in 1999, and Sun Mark won The Queen’s Award for Enterprise in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Ranger was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2005 Birthday Honours for services to business and the Asian community and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to business and community cohesion.

Ranger was appointed the joint chairman of the Conservative Friends of India in 2018, with Zac Goldsmith MP, a group affiliated to the Conservative Party which aims to build stronger links between the Party, the British Indian community and India.

I was born in Scotland on February 23rd 1959 and christened Ian Richard and (of all things) Peregrine – in honour of the falcons that swooped and hunted near my childhood home. My parents sent me to Millfield School in Somerset, From there it was straight to work – first in farming (I learned to run a 250-acre arable farm), then in building and property.

I joined the Territorial Army, rising to the rank of Major and became a consultant to Army Land Command HQ in Salisbury and to the MoD in London. I’m still on the reserve list. I keep in regular contact with my regiment and I have visited Iraq and Afghanistan several times with British forces.

My taste for politics began when I tried (and failed) to win a seat in the European Parliament in the North East of England. My chances of winning were slight, but I quickly realised that meeting people and trying to find answers to their problems was my real vocation.

I first ran for the Westminster Parliament in Torridge and West Devon (and losing is good for the soul). The Conservative party picked me as their candidate for Bridgwater and West Somerset within just a few months of the 2001 general election. I was treading warily in the footsteps of Tom King (now Lord King) who represented Bridgwater for 31 years and served in Government – latterly as Secretary of State for Defence – a hard act to follow.

I know the area well . I love it and I live in it (a few miles outside Williton) These days you’ll catch me at Westminster during the week where I chair and participate in a wide range of committees.

I fervently believe that Parliament is there to help people. The best way I can assist my constituents is by getting stuck into the whole Parliamentary process and making it work for all our benefit. This extends far beyond debates in the Chamber and the right to ask questions. I think I can best serve my constituents by helping to develop new ideas which extend the political debate. That is why I have taken the trouble to form several important Parliamentary Groups to examine issues from an all-party perspective and help to highlight your concerns.

• All-Party Taxation Group, which examines the way revenues are levied and conducts detailed research into ways of making taxes more efficient and fair.
• All-Party Pharmaceutical Group, which keeps tabs on the development of new medical drugs. Parliamentary Group for Energy Studies, a body that tracks developments in this vital field.
• All-Party Nuclear Energy Group, which recognises the importance of Bridgwater as a hub for the new nuclear energy programme.
• All Party Group for Dyslexia and Special Learning Difficulties – a subject in which I maintain a keen personal interest.

In addition to these influential bodies I have joined around a dozen other specialist subject groups in order to increase my knowledge and be of better service to people in Bridgwater and West Somerset. For example I chair the All-Party Cider Group which helps promote one of Somerset’s best-known industries.

My committee work now occupies a great deal of time at Westminster. It is fascinating and immensely useful, but I still find opportunities to ask searching questions of Ministers about matters closer to home. I also make time to campaign on behalf of everyone who seeks the intervention of a friendly but forceful local MP.

Dale Keller was appointed in November 2012 as chief executive of The Board of Airline Representatives in the UK (BAR UK), the airline trade organisation representing the interests of the majority of international network airlines operating to the UK. His role is to present a vital international perspective of the airline industry at a local UK level through close engagement with government ministers, departments and industry stakeholders.

With more than 30 years’ experience in the aviation, travel and tourism industries, the New Zealand born professional commenced his aviation career in the start-up team at Ansett New Zealand, prior to relocating to the United Kingdom in 1990.

His travel retail management experience in the UK with Anglo Pacific Travel and London Flight Centre’s was followed by a return to airline management roles in 1993 with China Airlines (CAL Taiwan), where he was sales & marketing manager UK for five years. Then eight years with Air Malta, where as general manager he was instrumental in the airline’s commercial preparations for Malta’s accession to the EU instrumental and in growing the UK and Ireland flight schedule to a record 55 services per week. He then joined Air Mauritius as regional manager UK where he successfully delivered upon a brief to increase the airline’s schedule to a daily operation.

A strong interest in marketing and public relations, including a diploma in marketing from the London College of Communication, saw him join a management buyout of aviation, travel and tourism specialist consultancy KTA Public Relations in 2007, where he was managing director until October 2012.

He remains intensely passionate about aviation at every level and is an avid supporter of the significant benefits of a strong and sustainable aviation sector to the UK.

Mr. K.C Li, Economist, is currently Chairman of Union Pay International Africa Regional Council and sits on the Boards of various international financial institutions as Independent Director.

He is holder of a B.Sc.(Econ) from the London School of Economics and LLM in International Tax Law. He started his professional career in 1974 as a Lecturer in Public Finance at the University of Mauritius.

Afterwards, he held different prominent positions in the Mauritius public sector, including Advisor to the Minister of Finance and Chairman of the Stock Exchange Commission. He launched the first Unit Trust and the first Property Fund in Mauritius in 1989.

K.C. LI was Board member of the State Trading Corporation, the National Remuneration Board and the National Economic and Social Council. He also sat on the Council of the University of Mauritius and the Financial Services Consultative Council.

K.C. LI was an external lecturer for the University of Surrey School of Management (UK) and has published numerous reports and articles on cooperative banking, project management, development finance, structural adjustment and fiscal planning issues.

In 1992, Mr. Li started his own private consulting firm and served as Consultant to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the U.N. Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

In 1993, he founded the Mauritius International Trust Co. Ltd (MITCO), one of the first professional firms licensed to provide international tax and investment advisory services in Mauritius.

He was also a Member of the Parliament of Mauritius (2010-2014) and sat on the Public Accounts Committee.

In 2015, Mr K.C Li was awarded the national honour of ‘Grand Officer of the Star and Key’ (GOSK) of the Indian Ocean by the Republic of Mauritius for distinguished services in the economic, social and political fields.

In May 2018, he was granted the ‘Lifetime Achievement’ Award by the Banker Africa for his outstanding contribution to the financial sector in Mauritius and in Africa.

He sits on the Board of Directors of several Emerging Markets Funds and Asia Hedge Funds, including Private Equity, Infrastructure and Real Estate Funds in Africa & Asia.

He is currently a Board Director of Afreximbank (based in Cairo).

He was until March 2020, the independent non-executive Chairman of SBM Holdings Ltd (SBM Group), the 2nd largest banking group in Mauritius and a public listed company, while being also Chairman of SBM Bank (Kenya) Limited, Banque SBM Madagascar SA and SBM Bank Seychelles.

In this capacity, in 2017, he pioneered the partnership between SBM and Alipay, the leader of digital financial services and lifestyle platform of the giant e-Commerce Group Alibaba, thus making of SBM, the first banking group to offer Alipay services in Africa.

He was awarded the Magnolia Award by the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government in 2014.

In September 2018, in the context of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit in Beijing, the Inter-Bank Association between China and African Countries, a consortium of major African banks and China Development Bank, was launched, of which Mr KC Li is a Founder Council Member.

He is also the Chairman of the UnionPay Africa Regional Council since June 2019 and member of the Kisumu Economic and Social Council in Kenya since January 2020.

Past experience

• Director at VisitPortugal (Benelux office)
• Director at VisitPortugal (UK office)
• Market Research and Development at VisitPortugal
• Project analysis at Portugal Trade and Investment Office – Senior auditor at KPMG Peat Marwick

Nigel is a multi-award-winning Destination Development Consultant with 35 years’ experience working with Governments, Tourist Boards and the private sector to create, implement and manage inbound tourism strategies.

A strong believer in education and knowledge transfer, especially for developing destinations, Nigel also works with global tourism not-for-profit organisations and provides mentoring internationally in-market and virtually.

Nigel was recently appointed as a Board Director of The World Tourism Association for Culture and Heritage whose focus is benefitting local communities through the long-term preservation of a nations culture and heritage assets.

Judy is founder of Sustainable Travel & Tourism Agenda, a Pan African organisation shaping a sustainable future for Africa’s tourism.

With over 20 years’ experience Judy designs, implements and monitors community and Public, Private Partnership led conservation initiatives.

In 2019, Judy was awarded the Sustainable Citizen Award by “Forbes Woman Africa” in recognition of her outstanding contribution to awareness and knowledge of sustainability in tourism in Africa and in 2020 received the Responsible Tourism Legacy award from CREST and was also named amongst the top 40 global shakers in sustainable tourism.

Brian is a destination management, development and marketing specialist and passionate about community-led conservation and regenerative tourism.

Experience includes over 25 years in CEO positions in the private, public and civil sectors. Most recently as the Director of Guyana Tourism Authority where it became recognized as a leading sustainable destination.

Brian founded Sustainable Travel International and has lead initiatives in over 70 countries as well as leadership positions on the World Economic Forum Future of Travel and Tourism Council, UN Multi-stakeholder Advisory Committee, and the U.S. Department of Commerce Travel and Tourism Advisory Board.

Vincent is Executive Vice President & President Europe, Middle East & Africa for Hilton. Based in London, Vincent is responsible for 549 operating hotels and a further 371 in the development pipeline, across thirteen brands and nearly 70 countries and territories.

Since joining the company in 2007, Vincent has overseen the opening of more than 350 hotels and spearheaded Hilton’s growing presence in the region, with the introduction of new brands such as LXR Hotels & Resorts, Canopy by Hilton and Curio – A Collection by Hilton.

A 32-year veteran of the leisure and travel industry, Vincent was previously CEO of Opodo, the pan-European online travel agency. He has extensive international experience and has also worked in North America and Japan. He spent the early part of his career in International Banking with HSBC.

He sits on Hilton’s global executive committee, represents the company as co-Chair of the UK Tourism Council and a member of the UK Cultural Renewal Taskforce. Vincent is also a non-executive director at iconic London retailer Fortnum & Mason.

Vincent is also Chairman of Trustees for the DM Thomas Foundation for Young People, a Trustee of Jigsaw School, an independent school for children on the autistic spectrum and a Trustee of Amber Trust – a Charity for Music for blind children.

In January 2015 he received an OBE for his services to the hospitality and tourism industries, having been recognized in the New Year Honours List.

Cuthbert is a seasoned Tourism Executive and has held leadership position within International and Regional Organization. His mandate at the Africa Tourism Board is to leverage strategic relationships in the industry and beyond to unify Africa’s efforts in positioning herself as a Tourism destination powerhouse.

Cuthbert has had the honor to share his knowledge in the tourism industry as a Guest Speaker at various Local, Regional & International Conferences.

A passionate capacity and enjoy music and a spot of gardening during his free time. Position held to date:

• Executive Chairman – African Tourism Board
• CEO- Kwela Fleet Management, South Africa
• Owner & Managing Director – Golden Feathers Hotel, Cape Town
• Former Regional Vice President & Board Member of UNWTO
• Non-Executive Director – African Tourism Partners
• Non-Executive Director – Sustainable Tourism Partnership Programme