Indian-origin industrialist and philanthropist Lord Swaraj Paul, founder of the Caparo Group, has died at the age of 94 in London, his family said on Thursday.

Paul, a member of Britain’s House of Lords, passed away in a London hospital where he had been admitted recently due to age-related illness.

Born in Jalandhar, India, Paul moved to the UK in the 1960s, initially for his young daughter Ambika’s cancer treatment. After her death at the age of four, he settled in Britain and went on to build Caparo Group, a diversified engineering firm with operations across the UK, North America, India and the Middle East.

His son Akash Paul became CEO of the group in 1992. Paul also set up the Ambika Paul Foundation, supporting children’s health and education, and later established other charitable ventures after the deaths of his son Angad in 2015 and wife Aruna in 2022.

Tributes poured in from across the world, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who called Paul’s passing a loss to industry and philanthropy. Fellow peer Lord Rami Ranger also expressed condolences.

Despite living abroad for decades, Paul maintained close ties with India, enjoying warm relations with leaders from former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to current West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Paul was widely recognised for his philanthropy and contributions to UK-India relations.