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Atul Pathak

Atul Pathak

Atul has won a number of awards for business and his charitable work

Appt Corporation has grown over ten years to twenty restaurants

Atul raised £20,000 for charity walking across the Sahara

Supporting grassroots sport helps address local issues in the community

Managing Director, Appt Corporation Ltd t/a McDonald’s

Atul Pathak, a leading businessman who was cited as an example of a successful Migrant En-trepreneur in the report by The Centre for Entre-preneurs, told the Week-ly Tribune how he made the most of opportunities offered in the UK.

Atul runs twenty Mc-Donald’s restaurants across West and North West London, employ-ing over 1,700 employees

who serve 10.8m custom-ers each year between them. He explained what it was about the UK that allowed him to thrive here: “It was clear from the start that the UK was a fairer society than the other coun-tries in which i had previ-ously worked. On the whole, there was greater equality of opportunity, something that has improved still further, allowing people to succeed if they worked hard and were

prepared.London in particu-lar has always been a place that has attracted people who want to better themselves and I am grateful for the chances that opened up for me and that I was able to grab with both hands.”

His experience of building up from noth-ing is reflected in his ap-proach to the people in his organisation. “I am most proud of the people that I have worked with to develop. They started at the bottom, as I did and many have bought their own home, sent their children to excellent schools and have become good citi-zens. My employees quickly understand the importance and value of honesty, integ-rity and hard work. In return I always look to promote from within whenever pos-sible rather than parachuting someone in above. It is only fair to repay loyalty and hard work by demonstrating faith in their ability to work with teams to give great customer service.”

His ties with India re-main strong but he has immersed himself in the country that he adopted

and which welcomed him more than thirty years ago. “I am immensely proud of being an Indian but the UK is my home and the place where I have raised my chil-dren. I am committed to mak-ing as much of a contribution as possible to those commu-nities that my restaurants serve. Creating links between the UK and India will help others that wish to follow the same path as me as well as UK companies who are aiming to invest in the rapidly expand-ing Indian economy. I hope that I can also play a part as a role model for entrepre-neurs and people considering starting their own business. Anything is possible with the right mind and dedication.”

His personal success story and inspiration for young entrepreneurs has brought considerable recognition and rewards but, as in his business, Atul looks to go the extra mile in playing an active role in his local commu-nity. “I’ll help wherever pos-sible but it is always good to identify particular issues that affect local people and work on those as a priority. My sup-

port for grassroots football encourages younger people off the street into something they enjoy, giving them some physical activity and develop-ing skills that are attractive to employers such as teamwork. My restaurants visit local schools and welcome stu-dents in to learn about food technology and food safety, gaining practical knowledge in a familiar setting.

This year, Atul has launched the Appt Cor-poration Communi-ty Awards to support smaller charities and community groups in and around London, es-pecially those working at grass roots. As well as a financial award, he has committed to form a year-long partnership of-fering extra support and capacity. The Awards aim to highlight and celebrate the work that community groups do in their local areas as well as help fi-nancially. More details about the awards and an application form can be found at www.apptcorp.com.