Owner, Entrepreneur Namita Panjabi

Born in India. Career : Started as a merchant banker, became fashion merchandising manager in Bombay for the Associated Merchandising Corporation. She moved to London in 1986 where she married merchant banker Ranjit Mathrani and set up a business designing Indian jewellery for department stores, which she still runs. The brainchild of Cambridge educated Namita, Chutney Mary opened in 1990 to become the first up-market Indian restaurant to promote Anglo-Indian cuisine.Ranjit Mathrani, Namita and sister Camellia Panjabi form the directorship of Masala World which also owns Veeraswamy, Amaya & Masala Zone outlets. Awards :Awarded ‘Personality of the Year’ by Curry Club in 1998. Masala World won Best in Britain (BIBA) Group of the Year Award 2007 Fellow of Restaurant Hall of Fame (FRHF)