At 11am on Saturday 30th of March 2019 Coventry Cathedral enabled hundreds of people to gather for a special service of thanksgiving for the life of Freeman of the City of Coventry and Founding Chairman of WMG, at the University of Warwick, Professor Lord Bhattacharyya CBE FRS FREng (Born 6th June 1940 – Died 1st March 2019).

The Right Reverend Dr Christopher Cocksworth, the Bishop of Coventry, and Coventry Cathedral Precentor and Sub-Dean the Reverend Canon David Stone welcomed Lady Bridie Bhattacharyya, Lord and Lady Bhattacharyya’s three daughters Anita, Tina and Malini, and the Lord-Lieutenant for the West Midlands and his wife Mrs Diana Crabtree, and Lord and Lady Mayoress of Coventry, as well as the rest of the congregation to the Cathedral.

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The Bishop gave the address from the pulpit and the service included a number of touching tributes to the life of Professor Lord Bhattacharyya. These were led by a tribute by Miss Tina Bhattacharyya, on behalf of the family.

Other tributes were given by:

Former Prime Minister, The Right Honourable Gordon Brown

• Councillor Abdul Khan, Deputy Leader of Coventry City Council
• Mr Ratan Tata GBE, Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons, and Chairman of Tata Trusts. (Ratan Tata and Professor Lord Bhattacharyya were both made Honorary Freemen of the City of Coventry at the same ceremony in 2015).
• Mr Venu Srinivasan, Chairman and Managing Director, TVS Motor Company
• The Right Honourable the Lord Baker of Dorking CH PC, Chairman of the Baker Dearing Educational Trust, and former Home Secretary and Secretary of State for Education
• Mr Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General of the Confederation of Indian Industry
• Dr John Ferrie CBE FREng, Member of the Council of the University of Warwick

Later, that same day, the University of Warwick formally unveiled a plinth outside the new £150 million building on the University campus hosting the National Automotive Innovation Centre, which now proudly bears the name “The Prof. Lord Bhattacharyya Building”.

Notes for Editors

• Lord Bhattacharyya’s family and the University of Warwick would like to thank the Bishop of Coventry, Coventry Cathedral, Coventry City Council, the West Midlands Combined Authority, and National Express West Midlands for their help in arranging the service of thanksgiving.
• There have been a great many tributes made by a wide range of leading figures to the life of Professor Lord Bhattacharyya since his passing on 1^st March 2019.
  You can see many of those tributes here: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/wmg/about/chairman/obituary/tributes/ and you can find an obituary published by WMG and the University here https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/wmg/about/chairman/obituary/
• The following charity donation page for the National Society for the Protection of Children has been set up for those who would like to make a contribution in memory of Lord Bhattacharyya: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/professorlordkumarbhattacharyya
  
• Lord Bhattacharyya served for four decades at Warwick, founding and leading the WMG. To commemorate his life's work, The Professor Lord Bhattacharyya Memorial Fund will create opportunities for young people to thrive, by supporting projects he was passionate about. It will provide funds to enrich the experiences of students at the University of Warwick and the two WMG Academies he was so proud of. In this way, he will continue to play a role in shaping how young people develop the practical and problem solving skills that transform their lives and have a lasting impact on the local and global economy. To contribute to the fund please visit www.warwick.ac.uk/BhattacharyyaFund

For further information please contact:

Lisa Harding- Head of Marketing & Communications, WMG
Tel: 024 7652 4721 or 07824 540845
Email: L.Barwick@warwick.ac.uk

or

Peter Dunn, Director of Press and Media Relations, University of Warwick,
Tel UK: 024 76523708 office 07767 655860 mobile
Tel from overseas: +44 (0)24 76523708 office +44 (0)7767 655860 mobile/cell
Email: p.j.dunn@warwick.ac.uk

PJD 30^th March 2019